Graeme Sergeant says thievery and dwindling donations are forcing his Herne Bay cancer charity shop to close
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00:00 It's a combination of things. Unfortunately, donation-wise, across her and by the little charities, they're not getting the donations.
00:10 Secondly, my wife has grade 4 anal cancer, which unfortunately, the pain is getting worse.
00:18 She's not well enough to participate in the running of the shop because we have a complete lack of volunteers.
00:27 So I've had to take the decision mainly because of the donation side.
00:33 But the second part is I've got to spend more time with my wife. She needs me now and I'm getting old.
00:41 Theft and shoplifting, unfortunately, has been quite a big issue.
00:47 Who nicks or steals, whichever way you want to look, the stopper out of a decanter? Who fills a bag with four or five pieces of clothes when they're buying one?
01:01 Or not buying, as the case may be, because we can't afford sophisticated security.
01:07 We are all volunteers. No one takes a wage out of it. And it adds up. They think it's because you're giving it.
01:17 We had someone say, "You don't pay for nothing." But we do. We pay the same bills as any normal business.
01:26 And it all adds up. If you're not getting income in or someone's walking off with some of that income, you can't pay your bills.
01:34 It's a sad day. I must be honest. It does choke me up because I started it. I've seen it grow.
01:42 It's now at a position where it can continue to grow, thankfully.
01:47 And thanks to the Salvation Army, they will continue to run the drop-in centres because they are needed.
01:55 When I finally closed the door, I must admit, I probably shed a few tears because I get quite emotional now, even just thinking about it.
02:03 It is the right decision. You can only continue doing these things so long.
02:10 And it's the hardest thing in the world to make that decision when you get to a certain age, to give up.
02:16 It's that point. And Lee, she needs me. I've been with Lee since she was 16. She's now 67.
02:24 So I've been with her a long time, and she needs me now.