End of an era for Wigan charity

Maureen Sharkey, who has spearheaded the fund-raising efforts for a cause which takes poorly people to the holy shrine in France and other sacred destinations, said she was having to call time on the retail operation due to her own ill health and a lack of volunteers.

But she is still planning to continue organising pilgrimages, still wants people to give cash donations and is already making arrangements for a money-spinning Christmas fair at The Swinley later in the year.

However it is with inevitable sorrow that she has shut the door on both the children’s shop at 44a Wigan Lane and the main store at No 36, although she stresses it has nothing to do - as some rumours have alleged - with a possible change of landlord.

The 75-year-old former hairdresser said: “This decision is entirely down to me. I am not in good health and we just can’t get the volunteer staff anymore.

“We used to have loads of students coming to help out on Saturdays but, as I said to my husband Derek only the other day, people expect to be paid these days and you can’t sustain operations like this in such circumstances.

“We put out an appeal for volunteers recently and no-one answered at all.

“At one time we had 34 volunteers working at the two shops.

“It’s heartbreaking, looking at the old photos, as to how many of them have died.

“And while we tried to keep going during the pandemic there were quite a few staff who were too frightened to come in.

“It’s very sad but all good things must come to an end. It has been very hard work but I have enjoyed every minute of it.”

Maureen gave up her hairdressing work to get the children’s shop going 34 years ago and the other shop had been up and running at its main site for 17 years too.

Now she is in the process of giving away all the stock to other charity shops.

She said: “We have taken a lot of stuff to the asylum seekers’ charity place on Penson Street.

“They have got families coming in who cannot afford school uniforms for their children.

“We’ve also bought clothes including underwear and jogging bottoms from Primark to help them out too.

“Other charities have benefited from so very good stuff as well although it has been sad that not one of them has thanked us.”

Until the coronavirus took hold, one of the regular operations was to take very poorly people to Lourdes by “jumbulance” which allows patients to be comfortable and cared for en route.

However these are now unlikely to resume as local operations are wound down somewhat.

And Maureen hopes to keep other pilgrimages not just to Lourdes but also Our Lady of Knock and Our Lady of Walsingham going.

She said: “I am not giving up completely and someone said to me the other day that I have so much drive that they wouldn’t be surprised if I set up a new shop down the road from the old ones in six months’ time!

“I don’t know about that but I want to keep the flame alive as best I can.”