St Wilfrid’s Hospice has opened a pre-loved boutique in the historic home of West Sussex’s oldest newspaper, the prestigious broadsheet West Sussex Gazette.

The contemporary charity shop concept on Arundel High Street ensures that the building’s original purpose of being at the heart of the community and a passionate force for good lives on.

It was officially launched on Friday (14 August), with the grand opening attended by St Wilfrid’s chief executive Lois Howell, Mayor of Arundel Carolyn Kenney, and the High Sheriff of West Sussex Gary Shipton, who is also Editor at Large of the Gazette and its sister titles.

The new store has been designed as a high-end charity shop, offering a curated selection of pre-loved fashion, children’s wear, homeware and lifestyle items.

The grand opening was attended by Mayor of Arundel Carolyn Kenney and the High Sheriff of West Sussex Gary Shipton, who is also Editor at Large of the Gazette and its sister titles. Photo: Elizabeth Junor.

placeholder image — The grand opening was attended by Mayor of Arundel Carolyn Kenney and the High Sheriff of West Sussex Gary Shipton, who is also Editor at Large of the Gazette and its sister titles. Photo: Elizabeth Junor.

Danielle Williamson, area manager in retail, said the vision was to create a space that would feel distinctive within the town: “The vision for the shop was a higher-end boutique. We’ve got branded products and luxury labels in here, which we hope to continue with the donations we receive.”

The opening marks St Wilfrid’s first presence in Arundel, which lies at the eastern edge of the hospice’s care area.

Ryan Grist, head of retail, said: “We’ve been wanting to be in Arundel for a long time. It’s the furthest east that we can go as part of our care area, and so we felt it was really important to have a presence here.”

He added that the boutique concept was chosen specifically with Arundel in mind: “Given that Arundel is a slightly different market, we felt that this was a great opportunity for a different concept, hence the pre-loved boutique. It’s different to our norm, but we feel it fits well within Arundel.”

The new store has been designed as a high-end charity shop, offering a curated selection of pre-loved fashion, children’s wear, homeware and lifestyle items. Photo: Elizabeth Junor.

According to Ms Williamson, the local community has already been supportive of the new store, putting ‘grand opening’ posters in retail and hospitality locations around the town.

Money raised through the boutique will help fund St Wilfrid’s palliative and end-of-life care services.

Ms Howell said: “St Wilfrid’s is a community hospice, and the income generated from our lovely shoppers goes towards expert, free of charge palliative and end-of-life care for local people who need it.”

The independent charity is based in Chichester and provides care from Emsworth to Arundel, stretching northwards to Midhurst. It supports around 340 people at any given time, running a 14 bed ward in Bosham and offering a wide range of community services.

Ms Howell expressed the team’s enthusiasm for the new shopping location: “We are really pleased to welcome everybody to our pre-loved boutique…We’re absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Arundel shopping community.”

For all its newness, however, the boutique occupies a building with a long history of serving the local community.

No.53 High Street has a special connection to local journalism, having been the birthplace of the West Sussex Gazette in 1853. Mr Shipton was the last editor to work in the building.

He said: “From 1853 to 1996, this site was the home of the wonderful broadsheet newspaper the West Sussex Gazette and I was its last editor to work in the town.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice has opened a pre-loved boutique in the historic home of West Sussex’s oldest newspaper, the prestigious broadsheet West Sussex Gazette. Photo: Elizabeth Junor.

“The West Sussex Gazette has always been groundbreaking. In the mid-1960s, it was the first colour newspaper in England. The building itself was purpose built for newspaper production, with the shopping arcade ‘The Old Printing Works’ in Tarrant Street originally housing its presses.

“In the 19th century, it successfully campaigned with Richard Cobden for the abolition of ‘stamp duty’ - the equivalent of today’s VAT - on newspapers, which was seen as a tax on the spread of information to the less well-off.

“How joyous that it should now be raising funds for the wonderful St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Chichester…As both the High Sheriff of West Sussex and the enduring Editor at Large of the West Sussex Gazette and its sister titles, I could not be more proud of what St Wilfrid’s has achieved.”

The West Sussex Gazette continues to be a thriving broadsheet county newspaper, even though its staff are no longer based in Arundel’s High Street.

The opening is also part of St Wilfrid’s wider plans to expand its retail presence, particularly in the eastern part of its care area.

Mr Grist said: “We are growing - we’re looking to increase the size of our estate. Again, primarily in the east of the region because that’s where we’re less represented. So we’re always on the lookout for a new opportunity.”

He added: “I want to emphasise the importance of shopping pre-loved. It’s become even more important over the last decade, and pre-loved is the future.”

The High Sheriff is an independent, unpaid and non-political royal appointment in England and Wales. Their key functions are to represent the Sovereign in the county, support the judiciary and emergency services, protect the welfare of High Court judges, and champion local voluntary and crime-prevention charities and other community good causes.