TWO South Cumbrian Oxfam shops were forced to temporarily close as volunteer numbers dropped to an impractical low.

The Kendal branch, on Highgate, did not open its doors on Sunday, June 9, and in Ulverston the King Street store stayed shut the previous Wednesday.

Both closures were down to a lack of staff.

Manager at Kendal Oxfam Mike Hustings said he made the decision because a ‘statement needed to be made’.

“Most of the time we have enough flexibitlity to allow us to open seven days a week, but it just got to a tipping point because we have struggled for such a long period of time,” he said.

“Now more than ever we need help to keep going.”

And he added that even when Oxfam was open for business, this did not mean that help was sufficient.

“People should not be fooled if they see a member of staff at the till and books on the shelves. We can be open to allow customers in but if there is no-one working in the back room to sort stock then we can not meet our potential.”

He said there were also limitations to their stock, and urged people to bring in those books that were just stored away in boxes.

“We can only continue as long as people continue to support us,” he said.

Emma Grunhill, manager at the Ulverston store, faced the same problem when it came to staff numbers.

She said: “We are really, really short on staff. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s summer and there are just not enough people around.

“There are so many volunteering opportunities - you could help for one hour on a Tuesday if that’s the time you have. We do luckily get a lot of stock but not the people to process it.”

For more information on volunteering visit www.oxfam.org.uk or pop into one of the stores.