Help us to help you, pleads Borders charity seeking to raise its profile

Home Basics has had a base in the town for near on a decade, but it fears that many Teries don’t even know that it exists, including some living just a few streets away from its premises at Annfield Mills in Teviot Crescent.

That obscurity persists despite charity staff staging open days at Hawick’s Sainsbury’s and Morrisons supermarkets and also setting up a pop-up shop in the town.

Now a bid is being made to raise its profile and highlight the support it provides to people in need.

Christine Gillespie, shop manager at Home Basics in Hawick, said: “It seems that although we have been here for a number of years, the word still hasn’t got out that we are here, despite promotions and setting up a pop-up shop in the town centre.

“I have been manager here for the last four years, and we have been at our current location since 2011. Before that we were at Weensland, and even people who live just down the street from us don’t seem to know that we operate here.

“We are anxious to reach as many people as we are can because the service we provide can be vital to improving lives.

“The role of our social enterprise is to provide low-cost furniture which has been donated to us by local people in the Borders for people with not such a great deal of money.

“These could be working people who also need to claim benefits. With proof of benefits, tax credits or pension credits, they get a 25% discount on quality furniture.

“We’d also appeal to people who are getting rid of furniture to consider donating to us. We get gift aid on each donated piece of furniture.

“We also need electrical items in good working order, and there is a cabin in Mansfield Road where things like fridges and cookers can be dropped off. If anyone can help out, we have a van which goes about the Borders collecting these items.”

The charity’s premises in Teviot Crescent are open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. For more details, call 01450 363974 or go to [email protected]