Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop, Flowergate, shut after fire

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).

The shop supports Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary which was set up 17 years ago and takes in close to 3000 rescues a year with a team of over 170 dedicated volunteers.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the fire (Image: Social Media)

Posting on social media, a spokesperson for the shop said: “As many of you will have seen on social media already, we wanted to update our community following a fire at our shop on Flowergate today.

“The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault and, although it was dealt with very quickly by the fire service, there has been significant smoke damage throughout the shop.

“The most important thing is that no one was hurt, and we are incredibly grateful for the quick response from the fire service and the actions taken at the time.”

They added: “Unfortunately, the impact of the damage means the shop will be closed until further notice and we are currently unable to accept donations of items for the charity shop.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following a fire (Image: Social media)

“A large amount of stock has been affected and cannot be sold and some items, including electrical goods, must be removed and disposed of for safety reasons

“We are now working with our landlord and inspectors and must complete a number of safety checks before we can reopen.

To make things more challenging, there has also been a delay to our planned storage cabin space for the shop and online sales, which means we currently have very limited capacity for sorting and storage while we recover.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).

“As a charity, this is a very difficult time for us. The shop plays a vital role in supporting the wildlife we care for, and being closed means a loss of important income.”

They said the charity was in now urgent need of prizes due to an event coming up.

” There were 100s of prizes stored in the shop, so we are in need of prizes such as toiletries, plushies, new and sealed edibles and drinkables, unwanted gifts etc.

People can also help by making a donatoin at https://gofund.me/30d15e2cf, support online sales where possible. FB Group: ‘Whitby wildlife Online Sales & Auctions’

They added: “Your support truly means everything to us and to the animals we help every day 🦉💚

Thank you for your kindness, patience, and ongoing support — we’ll keep you updated as we work towards reopening.”