FIFTY years of fundraising, and the Rugby Combined Charities Christmas Card Shop (RCCCCS) is still going strong – having raised another whopping sum last Christmas.
Card sales and a raffle helped the shop raised over £16,000 during the six weeks in the run-up to Christmas at St Andrew’s Church in the town centre.
The money will be split between 16 local and national good causes, including Friends of the Hospital of St Cross, Myton Hospice, Dogs for Good, Save the Children, Epilepsy Research UK, Guide Dogs for the Blind, the RSPCA and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
The shop, which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last half-century, came from humble beginnings.
In 1967, two masters at Lawrence Sheriff School founded the shop, supervising senior boys who sold Christmas cards in Parkside garage showrooms in Railway Terrace. £81 was taken on the first of six Saturday mornings, and £400 was the total for that year.
By 1968, the card shop was given the title of The Lawrence Sheriff School Christmas Card Shop and the takings had risen to £550.
In the early 70s, the card shop was given its present title and was staffed by local women who raised around £1,000 a year for 11 charities. It continued in the garage showroom for many more years with the help of volunteers, and by 1982 takings had grown to £5,000 which was shared between 20 charities.
In 1987 the card shop moved to Bretherton’s Solicitors in Church Street and continued to sell even more Christmas cards.
The shop moved to St Andrew’s church in 1989 and has stayed there ever since.
Now run entirely by volunteers, the shop opens for several weeks before Christmas and sells Christmas cards as well as wrapping paper, candles, diaries and other festive items.
The RCCCCS committee thanked volunteers and all who supported the shop. It will open again in October.
