STAFF at Summertown’s Oxfam shop could not believe it when they totted up how much had come through the tills in the past 25 years.
About £3m has been earned for the charity as it marks a quarter-century of trading in Banbury Road, Oxford.
Princess Diana and The Queen have been among the visitors to the shop. Its story will be told in a special celebration display.
Janet Willis, 57, manager of the shop for the past 12 years, said: “It’s incredible to think that Princess Diana and The Queen both visited the shop within a few years of each other. I have found some great old pictures of their visits.
“We have a very loyal customer base in Summertown and there are about 75 volunteers on our books.
“It’s amazing to think that we have made £3m of pure profit for Oxfam over the past 25 years – it’s a great achievement.
“Clothes and bric-a-brac sell very well in this shop, but we also have an impressive books department upstairs.”
Princess Diana visited the shop in 1990 and The Queen called in in 1992.
Accounts of both visits feature in the celebrations on Saturday, June 12, and supporters of the shop are being asked to come forward with their memories of the past quarter of a century.
The display will feature photographs of the Royal visits and remind shoppers of what Summertown looked like in the mid-1980s, when the miners’ strike ended, Live Aid raised millions of pounds to help victims of the Ethiopian famine, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was refused an honorary degree by Oxford University.
The celebration will also feature Fairtrade food, 1980s fashions, children’s activities and music in and around the Banbury Road shop.
Miss Willis added: “We hope lots of people will look through their old photo albums and bring in their snapshots showing Banbury Road and Summertown in the 1980s.
“It would be great to see local people and the streets and shops as they were in those days – especially if the Oxfam shop is in the picture.
“If you’re passing the shop, do drop in with your photos or send them to us by email at oxfamshopf3718@oxfam.org.uk”
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