A charity shop which raises money for disabled children in Brighton and Hove is being forced to close after its landlord gave it just two weeks’ notice.
The Extratime charity shop in Station Road, Portslade is having a fire sale with stock, fixtures and fittings sold off for as little as £1 until it closes its doors for the last time at 5pm on Saturday.
Two part-time paid staff will lose their jobs, as well as volunteers and people with learning difficulties on work placements there, and the charity will lose out on £45,000 a year.
Charity chief executive Sam Price is now calling on people to come forward with donations or fundraising ideas to help plug the shortfall and keep Extratime’s afterschool clubs and holiday play schemes running.
She said: “It was a real shock for everybody. We don’t know why we have been given notice – we’ve been here a couple of years on a rolling six month licence and up until last Wednesday, we thought it was going to be extended for another six months.
“But instead, the landlord’s solicitor said his instructions from the landlord had changed and that he wanted us out.
“We help 500 families across Brighton and Hove, we have a big reach and support a lot of children with disabilites and profound and severe learning difficulties.
“I hope that people locally will support us by visiting the shop, making a donation or showing support online by liking our Facebook page.
“In the longer-term, we’re also calling on local businesses and community groups to step in and help raise money to make up for the significant loss of income we face because of the shop closure.”
For more information, call 01273 420580, email info@extratimebrighton.org.uk or visit www.extratimebrighton.org.uk or the charity’s Facebook page.
