New shop opens at marina to fund respite lodge for cancer patients

A woman with terminal cancer has opened a shop at Mercia Marina to fundraise for the creation of a respite sanctuary for teenage cancer patients.

Hannah Roberts, 21, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma at 19, aims to raise £203,000 to create a lodge at the marina, near Willington, for people under the care of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Hannah, who has £91,000 raised so far, recently opened the boutique shop at Mercia Marina, the same site where the lodge will be located.

Hannah, along with mum Gail Iredale and her husband Wayne, are hoping to boost that total with the launch of the Hannah’s Hope boutique and charity HQ at the marina.

Gail said: “Hannah is our world. She is such a happy ray of sunshine. She just wants to do something for every other teenager in this situation and we are totally behind her.

“We are doing everything and anything we can to raise funds and have set March as our target to reach our goal.”

The new shop sells high-quality donated new and nearly new items, with all profits going towards the purchase of the respite holiday lodge.

She added: “The shop doesn’t look like a traditional charity shop.

“It has new display units, which have so kindly been purchased by a supporter, and sells new or like-new items.

“Local and national retailers sent contributions to help us stock the shop, and we have been so lucky with donations from local supporters.”

Gail said that she spotted the retail unit at Mercia Marina after it was cleared as part of the marina’s redevelopment programme.

She approached the marina’s general manager Robert Neff to ask what was being done with the unit and, after finding out it would be used temporarily for building equipment storage, she asked if she could use it for charity fundraising. He agreed – and has provided the unit rent free.

Robert said: “When I discovered just why Gail, Hannah and Wayne wanted the unit, I couldn’t have been more pleased to help.

“We are honoured to assist in their ambitious target of making the respite lodge a reality.”