Last week, This is Haslemere popped by Haslemere Museum to meet Maggie and Bob Monteath. This duo organises Haslemere’s Cards For Good Causes (C4GC) pop-up shop that launches today 27th October at the museum. For those that have not shopped here before, the shop is through the front door of the museum, head straight on, up the steps and it is just there on the left.

This is an incredible endeavour and relies on a big team of nearly 40 volunteers. Some towns have paid managers running Cards For Good Causes but Bob and Maggie give their time freely. This means the charity receives more income from the Haslemere shop. They are also supported by Nick Page who takes over and manages the shop on Fridays. In past years, Nick had offered to volunteer at so many shifts that he has now agreed to become a day manager which is invaluable support for Bob and Maggie.

On the day we arrived, their stock delivery had been delivered two days late and the team was a little behind in setting up. There were piles and piles of boxes filling one side of the room. When volunteers Sarah and Ian turned up, they immediately rolled up their sleeves to receive the stock, sort it, and begin helping with the displays. Later in the day, a different group of volunteers were arriving to price the merchandise.

In the shop, Bob and Maggie sell Christmas cards that help raise funds for 53 charities including, for example, Mind, Macular Society, Cancer Research, Samaritans, MND and Help For Heroes. They also offer a range of gift tags, wrapping paper, traditional advent calendars, stocking fillers for less than £10, small gifts, candles and household items. 

How did this duo get involved with this Cards For Good Causes shop at the museum?

Bob had been on the board at C4GC. Maggie had worked as the first Education Officer at Haslemere Museum, her start date of 2nd January 2001 imprinted on her brain. Even though Maggie left her Education Officer role at the museum in 2006 to set up her own museum consultancy, she laughed and told This is Haslemere, “The thing with the museum, it’s like Hotel California, you can never leave!” And she is back each year with this charity pop-up shop, being the main coordinator since 2011 with Bob helping since 2012. “It’s lovely to be back every year meeting all the same staff and volunteers. It’s like catching up with family.”

Bob and Maggie have very clear roles in running Cards For Good Causes. Maggie is the volunteer coordinator and Bob’s background in retailing means he deals with all the order processing, merchandising and displays.

An amazing volunteer effort

Maggie manages the team of volunteers and that work begins at the end of August when an email goes out asking volunteers to say what shifts they can commit to from October to Christmas Eve. Some do one or two shifts, some do every Tuesday and some put their hands up for random dates throughout this period. It is quite something assembling the shift rota! Maggie also tries to get cover for unexpected circumstances if their volunteers get called away for an emergency etc. Bob and Maggie cover gaps in the schedule. 

They would love to have more volunteers in their team. Maybe reading this, you could give a few hours to support the shop? Shifts are 10am to 1.15pm and 1.15pm to 4.30pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays. We will put you in touch if you think you could help.

Thanking their volunteers

Throughout the months that the pop-up is open, Maggie sends a newsletter to thank her volunteers at the end of every week. She thanks them for their time. She shares news of bestsellers and how much money they have raised each week. In a nutshell, she lets her volunteer understand their impact. In addition, Maggie always provides chocolate biscuits for the volunteers during their shifts!

The benefits of supporting Cards For Good Causes

Bob and Maggie are not in any way resentful of the hours they give. They are happy to support Haslemere Museum through the room hire. They support 53 charities in the C4GC fold. Whilst the demand for Christmas cards is down, this pop-up is a vital fundraiser for all of these charities. Additionally, this is the only time in the year that they meet some of their volunteers and it is so special to know they’ll catch up with each other’s news again.

A relaxed shopping expereience

Maggie also said that she likes that when customers visit the shop, they don’t feel hurried or pressured to buy anything. They often stay a while and some love to sit down and have a chat. It’s a lovely and relaxing shopping experience. Some customers may not have spoken to anyone else on the day they visit the shop. Maggie remembered a customer last year who took a large selection of cards and spread them out on the table and was given the space and time to select the ones she loved the most. No pressure, just excellent customer service.

The Haslemere Christmas Card

From a photo that Bob took of Haslemere High Street, an artist painted a snowy scene of Haslemere for a Haslemere Christmas card. This card flew out the door last year selling out by 1st December! This snowy scene (it is the picture that accompanies this article) is back in stock again this year but numbers are limited so we encourage you to be quick if you’d like to send this one to your friends and family. 

Opening hours

Haslemere’s Cards for Good Causes shop will once again be popping up at Haslemere Museum from Tuesday October 27th until Thursday December 24th.  They will be open Tuesday to Saturday at the museum until Christmas between 10am and 4.30pm each day. Cards For Good Causes will also be at The Haslemere Charities Fair on 22nd November and they will have a stall at the museum at The Haslemere Christmas Market on 6th December 2026. Payment is by card only and there is no cash on the premises.

For further info: https://www.cardsforcharity.co.uk or call Haslemere Museum on 01428 642112.

Follow Haslemere Cards For Good Causes on Facebook.