A charity is expecting to lose around £400,000 after closing its shops for the second national lockdown.

St Peter’s Hospice is already facing a £2million deficit this year due to its major fundraisers being cancelled and the temporary closure of its stores.

The charity, which supports people with life-limiting conditions across North Somerset, Bristol and Gloucestershire launched its When It Matters Most campaign last month to appeal for people to support the charity to protect its vital services.

The hospice’s shops closed again on Thursday, meaning the charity will face further financial losses.

Head of retail John Broomhead said: “We invested a huge amount of time with the teams and volunteers reopening all our stores and the communities were very supportive in giving donations and buying from us.

“With four weeks of closure, we anticipate that will lose us between £300-400,000 profit because it’s quite a big four weeks for us.

“We are looking at a deficit of £2million which is only going to grow due to lost income over the next four weeks.

“It’s pretty devastating for the team and finances and what we are trying to do is limit that.”

Although the shops have now closed, people can still support the hospice by buying items from its eBay store.

John said: “We have between 600 and 800 items on the eBay store – all donations from the public.

“On there you can get some fantastic, slightly higher priced items and individual gifts. It’s ideal for Christmas.”

Another way people can support the hospice is through buying the charity’s Christmas cards.

John said: “We really noticed that we were selling more cards than ever this year.

“I think the general view is that people aren’t going to be seeing friends and family so Christmas cards seem to be more popular than ever.

“We are encouraging people to buy Christmas cards online and from this week they are three for two.”

St Peter’s Hospice also holds a Christmas raffle, but instead of buying tickets in store, people can purchase them through the charity’s website.

John added: “We would really like to thank everyone who has supported us within the retail businesses – volunteers, customers and our teams.

“We’ve got some amazing looking Christmas windows and Christmas stock which we are really excited about.

“We’ll be opening on the first day we are allowed to when we will be delighted to see our friends in the community and delighted to continue taking donations and for people to come and shop with us for Christmas.”

To donate, log on to www.stpetershospice.org/make-a-donation or to visit the hospice shop, click here.