The Charity Retail Association has launched a new initiative to help match volunteers with charity shops looking to re-open later this month.

Charity shops have been given permission to re-open alongside other high street stores from 15 June, providing a number of measures are put in place to protect the safety of staff and customers.

These include forcing customers to use hand sanitiser before touching products and placing donations from the public in quarantine for 72 hours before being put on shelves.

The new measures mean charities are likely to be under pressure to ensure shops are stocked in accordance with the guidelines, whilst dealing with a large volume of new donations.

But from today, members of the public who are interested in volunteering can sign up to help charity shops prepare to re-open their doors.

Retailers with vacancies will then be able to 'interrogate' the database and identify potential volunteers according to their location and specific charity interest, the body said.

The service aims to help shops fill volunteer gaps and allow potential volunteers an easy way to express an interest in contributing to the work that charity shops do in their communities and for their parent charities.

CRA chief executive, Rob Osterley said: “Through [the platform], many of our 400 members (who have between them around 9,000 shops) will be able to access a new pool of volunteers to help carry them through this critical reopening period alongside their highly valued existing volunteers.

"Volunteers in charity shops play an incredible role in creating a welcoming and friendly shopping environment for customers. Helping in a charity shop is a great way to help raise money for good causes, be part of the local community and to develop new skills”

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