Chilwell shoppers were delighted to see comedian Paul Chuckle at the opening of Nottingham's newest charity shop and donation centre. The new Marie Curie shop at West Point Shopping Centre is the first of it's kind in the UK offering a place to donate, shop and also talk to trained ambassadors about services.
Paul has been an ambassador for Marie Curie for many years and says that the charity only have to call to get him to come to help out. He has a particular love for Nottingham as Theatre Royal was a favourite place to perform for him and his late comedy partner Barry. Barry sadly passed away in 2018.
"I love Nottingham as it has our favourite theatre in the country. I keep saying ours but Barry is no longer with us, although he is still with me. It's our favourite by far as we did our 50th pantomime here and they put a plaque on a seat to mark it. I love the city, the people are fabulous. They used to come to see us at Skeggy as well," he said.
"I'm here to open the new Marie Curie Shop, it's the best one I've been into and I've visited many around the country. It's not just a shop but you can bring your clothing and things you don't need anymore to donate."
Shoppers were delighted to see the comedian and many stopped for selfies while shopping. Money raised by the new shop will go towards supporting Marie Curie staff so they can continue providing care to terminally ill people and their families.
Paul said: "It all started because Barry and I were ambassadors for nine years but when he passed away, I carried on for the past four years. I looked after my dad, then my mum and Barry at the end. At the time, I had 65,000 followers on Twitter and I tweeted asking all of my followers to donate just one £1 which would raise £65,000 for Marie Curie. I don't know how many did but the charity asked me to join as an ambassador."
He added: "Please everyone come down, have a look and buy something."
The new hub will provide a badly needed space for the public to learn more about the services that Marie Curie can offer the community. This includes nursing services, bereavement counselling, helper services and staff or volunteers are on hand to offer advice and information.
"Today has been fabulous as everyone has been so welcoming. This place is also a hub so you can come down if you need someone to talk to or you are bereaved and need a chat. There is a lovely seating area which is air-conditioned and it's very comfortable. You can chat about any loss you have experienced or may be about to experience. You may not be very well yourself but Marie Curie are here to help everyday of the week," Paul said.
"When my wife lost her dad two years ago, they sent someone to stay with him when he was on his last legs. They were there all night until the morning. Where else can you get help like that?
