We recently sat down for a cuppa with Sue Nicholson, Charity Manager at The Tantum Trust. Haslemere residents will recognise The Tantum Trust store at the bottom of Shepherd's Hill - its window displays are always fantastic so you can't miss it!

The one thing that Sue would love to see is more awareness of the work that The Tantum Trust does. ‘I wish we were better known,’ she told us. ‘All the money we make is spent locally. We make sure that very little is spent on running costs, so that we can spend more on good causes. That means if you make a donation, you will directly be helping someone in your local community…. maybe even a neighbour who needs a helping hand.’

Sue is the overall manager of all the shops as well as handling all the back office admin. After an hour chatting, we’re not quite sure how she manages to find enough hours in the day to get all the jobs done, especially as she manages to achieve everything within just 4 days.

Sue has been doing the role for 16 years now. Sue has had an eclectic career – she has been an estate agent, a nanny, as well as working in both a wine bar and casino – so the fact that she has stayed with The Tantum Trust shows what a great place it must be to work. And it’s clear that they’re lucky to have her too. Sixteen years ago, as a single mum, the part time role fitted perfectly around her family. She’s now working for her fourth chairman and in her fifth office!

The Tantum Trust was set up in 1992 by Carl and Sue Tantum. Initially a small pop-up stall at Chase Hospital, the trust then set up their first shop in Bordon, swiftly followed by stores in both Liphook and Haslemere. Initially called the Bordon Charity, it then adapted its name to the BLH Charity reflect its expanding store base. When they opened their fourth store in Grayshott, they decided it was time for a further re-brand and the idea of the current name – The Tantum Trust – was formed. 

Sue feels that the name is a fitting tribute to those who had the vision to set it up. It also provides the trust with credibility and is an important reminder of the history behind the stores you see today. Sue certainly speaks extremely highly of Carl Tantum ‘He has got the biggest heart,’ she told us.

Whilst the Liphook store was recently closed due to rising costs, The Tantum Trust hasn’t ruled out opening a fourth store again locally.

Whilst Haslemere has many charity shops along its high street and on Weyhill, The Tantum Trust is rather unique in that all the money it makes goes to support the local communities in which they operate. This area stretches from Haslemere to Fernhurst, on to Liphook and Petersfield, across to Bentley and Alton, and back to Grayshott.

The Tantum Trust intentionally keeps overheads to a minimum so that they can give back as much as possible to local good causes. These good causes are an eclectic mix with no restrictions to what the Tantum Trust will support. Money may also be spent on white goods, flooring or other items needed by local families struggling financially. And The Tantum Trust supports local children via their schools and other local groups in the community.

To give you an idea of the scale of their impact, last Christmas, The Tantum Trust distributed £33,000 in supermarket vouchers to families in need within their area. And since it started, the Trust has given over £1.5 million to local people, organisations and charities.

The Tantum Trust relies on its volunteers. With a team of just under 40 volunteers helping across its stores, Sue recognises that they couldn’t do without them. In fact, we lost count of the number of times she sung their praises, telling us how ‘great’ and how ‘wonderful’ they are! Most volunteers are women but they do have a few men helping out too. Volunteers range in age – Sue told us that the oldest is 91 but they do have much younger people helping out in store as well, not least because they encourage Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. 

Whilst some of these may just volunteer for the set time needed to secure their badges, many enjoy it so much that they continue to help out long after they have met the criteria needed. Volunteering in store can be a surprisingly physical role but it’s incredibly rewarding for those that give up their time to help. Sue recognises that, over the years, helping in store has led to many of their volunteers gaining in confidence and skills.

It’s clear that they truly value the work that all their volunteers do. When we chatted to Sue, she was busy getting ready for the volunteers Summer tea party and then at Christmas each shop holds a celebration to thank everyone for their help.

And there is certainly plenty for volunteers to do. For perspective, their busiest store averages donations of 45 bags per day, but it’s not unknown for 100 bags to be dropped off in any 24 hour period. All these bags need sorting and items need to be labelled and put on shelves. Items are also carefully checked to ensure that the charity can bring in as much money as possible to support local causes. In particular, they have specialists that check donations of jewellery, watches and books to make sure that the sales price reflects their value.

As well as selling in their shops, The Tantum Trust will also list items on ebay and on facebook marketplace to attract a wider audience. And one of their volunteers is currently busy setting up an account on Vinted to allow them to sell there in the future too.

As for Sue, no two days are the same for her. She always aims to visit each shop in person at least once a week and when there, will help move stock between shops. This ensures an even balance of things to sell but also helps ensure they can get the best prices possible for donations that have been dropped off. Quite simply, some things sell better in some shops than others. But there is so much for Sue to do behind the scenes, not least assessing requests that come in from either individuals, schools or local organisations needing support.

This is such a wonderful charity that, for well over a quarter of a century, has been raising money locally to help others within our community. However, they will only be able to continue doing so with help from volunteers.

If you would like to enquire about volunteering in one of their stores, please do get in touch with them. They would also love to hear from anyone interested in becoming a trustee. They currently have seven trustees but are always looking for more. In particular, they would love to hear from anyone with a marketing background.