Sad news has broken in the village of Mayfield in recent days: the local Hospice in the Weald charity shop, located at the top of the high street next to the convenience store Mace is scheduled at this point in time to close down.

This unfortunately is due to the cost of rent for a shop directly in Mayfield high street, a location known for its lively and bustling local business, becoming too much to keep the beloved shop open for much longer.

This sadly has happened before in Mayfield – back in 2010, a confectionery shop called The Sweetery opened in the property next to Hospice in the Weald which is now inhabited by the gift shop Hullabaloo, but sadly was forced to close due to the price of renting the property.

The news of the charity shop closing has come as a shock to the many regular shoppers it possesses; it has been a staple of the high street’s attractions for many years, with not just clothes on offer, but music in the form of CDs and vinyl records, books, children’s toys and games, puzzles, jewellery and even more quirky and unique finds that make shopping there a joy, especially with the lovely team of volunteers working at the cashpoint and sorting through the community’s donations.

There is still the Hospice in the Weald furniture shop in Five Ashes which offers larger pieces of furniture that are not available in the smaller space in Mayfield’s store, and to date the Mayfield shop is still open for business, but when it does close, a hole will be left in the community of Mayfield’s hearts and its presence will be deeply missed.