Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface Christmas Quiz

A photo from the Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface Christmas Quiz. Our team came a respectable second and it was lovely to get together with all the other charities! A big thank you to CTSI, especially Chris for his hosting skills.

Family Christmas Meal (Saturday 16th of December 4pm-6pm)

We are now fully booked for our family Christmas meal where we will be serving soup, turkey with all the trimmings and a dessert. We will be giving out Christmas presents to any families so please let us know if we can help as we have had a very successful toy drive through the help of advertising from the Alloa Advertiser, we would also like to thank everyone who has donated toys to help families during these tough times, everyone has been so lovely and generous!

Over 65s Christmas Lunch (Saturday 16th of December 12pm-2pm)

We are having an over 65’s Christmas Lunch (£5 per person) on Saturday 16th of December 12pm-2pm, please book by texting 07491383441 ASAP as we have limited space and these events are very popular and run out of space after one day!

‘WIN’dow winners…

We are delighted to announce that we have won the ‘Alloa 2023’ window dressing competition from ‘Alloa First’.

The brief was ‘Christmas’ so we created three windows that showcases our varied stock and the imaginations of the Staff, Volunteers and Trustees. With a nod to a traditional Christmas, the window is captivating and interesting with toys, plush textiles and contrasting lighting.

Well done to the team, what an excellent start to our first Christmas in our new shop at 69 Mill Street FK10 1DX.

Photos From Our Christmas Market

Our Christmas Market was a great success today, it was very well attended and we even had a special visit from Santa!

Christmas Market (Saturday 25th of November 10am-2pm)

We will be having our Christmas Market on Saturday 10am-2pm, come along and have a look at all of the exciting stalls we have!

If you buy something at our café (2 Ludgate, Alloa) you will get a voucher which gets you 10% off in our charity shop (69 Mill Street, Alloa) and your child can get a gift from our mystery box!

Citizens Advice Scotland – Worried This Winter campaign to help with energy bills

Over 1.4 million people in Scotland are worried about being able to adequately heat their home this winter

A new campaign has launched, encouraging people who are worried about energy bills to seek advice from our friends at the Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) network.

CAS has launched the Worried this Winter campaign, encouraging people to seek advice from the network in a variety of ways. People can visit www.cas.org.uk/worried where they can choose an option that works for them, such as:

  • Online advice pages or interactive self-help tools like www.moneymap.scot
  • Specialist services like the Money Talk Team
  • Find their local CAB if they feel they need one to one advice

Last year the average gain from energy related advice from across the Scottish CAB network was more than £400. 

Visit www.cas.org.uk/worried

November Bingo Breakfast (Wednesday 15th of November 10am-11:30am)

Our Breakfast Bingo is a Wednesday this month, please leave a text or voicemail with your name and any other names of those attending!

New Date For Family Meal (Friday 17th of November 4pm-6pm)

We are having a FREE family meal night on Friday the 17th of November 4pm-6pm. Food will be soups, spaghetti with meatballs, mince & tatties and jelly with ice cream. Bring Tupperware if you want to takeaway or if there are extras! Just pop in, no booking required.

We are recruiting

Charity Shop Assistant

Hours: 18 per week

£11.10 Per hour  

Responsible to: Shop Manager

The Gate trading purpose:

To make as much money as possible to help overcome poverty and suffering in Clackmannanshire. Our Charity shop has been open for business since 2021, raising vital funds and increasing public awareness of what we do for the community.

Job Summary

We are currently recruiting a Shop Assistant to work 2.5 days per week, to assist the Manager and other staff, in providing a high quality of retail service.

Working every second Saturday

To run the shop in the Managers absence, undertaking all appropriate duties to ensure continued operation of the shop.

Provide effective leadership to the volunteers, managing and supporting as appropriate to ensure they operate as an effective and motivated team.

Minimum Qualifications / Experience Required

· Minimum of one years’ experience in the retail sector

· Experience of providing customer service

Duties and Responsibilities of the Post:

 • To work with the Shop Manager and adhere to stock control, pricing, and rotation procedures, displaying goods in the shop, and maintaining high overall standards of display.

 • Maintain a high standard of display, both externally and internally.

 • Achieve and maintain high standards of housekeeping, organisation, and cleanliness throughout the shop premises.

 • Provide the highest level of customer service to donors and customers.

• Maintain awareness of competitor activity in the local area

• Assist the Shop Manager to ensure the shop is a safe environment that protects all staff, volunteers, and the public.

• Actively encourage donations into the shop.

 • Understand and comply with the requirements of Trading Standards Regulations.

• Hold shop keys, opening & closing the premises for trading hours

 • Report any maintenance or H&S issues in the shop to the Shop Manager.

• Carry out any other duties as reasonably requested by Shop Manager.

• To support the manager in merchandising creatively to ensure maximum sales and profit are achieved

• Ensure that customer service is professional and supports the ethos of the Gate Charity.

• Support and advertise The Gate events, campaigns, projects, and awareness issues.

• Build relationships with customers and the community.

 • Promote the role of the charity in the community.

Volunteers support

• To assist the Shop Manager by providing advice & guidance to the volunteers, to develop an efficient & effective team

• Support and help train volunteers.

Completed application forms to be submitted by 5pm on the 10th of November. Via email to jilly@the-gate-charity.org or posted to ‘The Attention of Jilly Guild’, The Gate Charity, 2 Ludgate, Alloa, FK10 2DR.