Sir Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, took time out of his busy schedule last week for a socially distanced visit to Rennie Grove’s charity shop in Henry Wells Square, Grovehill, Hemel Hempstead. The visit took place on Friday 9 October to mark national Hospice Care Week which ran from 5-11 October and aimed to raise awareness of what it takes to provide hospice care.

During his visit, Sir Mike met Rennie Grove’s Chief Executive, Stewart Marks; Director of Retail and Trading, Deborah Gould; Retail Manager, Kim Ramdial and the volunteers working in the shop.

“This has been a really tough period for both retail and hospices in general,” said Sir Mike. “I know how reliant hospices are on their shops to bring in funding to provide essential services for local people, so it’s great to see that Rennie Grove’s shops are back up and running. It’s also reassuring to see all the precautions in place to keep customers and volunteers safe during this busy run up to Christmas and beyond.  

“I’ve worked with hospices for decades and I know how important their services are. This is a trying time, but it’s good to see volunteers helping out and customers shopping. Every hour they give and pound they spend will make a huge difference and help Rennie Grove continue to provide its vital care right here in our local community and I’d like to thank them all.”

Stewart Marks said: “We are very grateful to Sir Mike for coming to visit our shop. Hospice Care Week gives us a great opportunity to let everyone know just what it takes to provide our care. Whether it is volunteering, shopping in or donating to our shops or taking part in our fundraising activities, we would not be able to run our services without this vital support. I’d like to join Sir Mike in thanking everyone for everything they do to help us care for all the local families who need us.”