MARIE Curie has hailed a “fantastic” reopening of its first shop in Scotland since the start of lockdown as people queued throughout the day on Monday.

The end-of-life charity opened its first store in the country in Bearsden, near Glasgow, on Monday as non-essential retail stores opened back up.

Ann-Marie Strang, Marie Curie retail district manager, said: “We had a fantastic re-opening day, doubling what we would have normally taken on a Monday. We’re hugely grateful to our customers for their support.

“We had queues out the door this morning and several times throughout the day. Everyone was commenting on how great it felt to be back in store and appreciated the safety measures we’ve put in place.

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“For our staff and volunteers it’s an amazing feeling to be back and we hope people will continue to support us and donate their preloved items. The money we raise is essential for Marie Curie to continue our vital work caring for dying people and their loved ones.”

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The closure of our 76 shops in Scotland and our stores across the UK in March as a result of the Covid-19 crisis has had a big impact, alongside the cancellation of fundraising events and the delay or pause of many of our charitable projects.

“As a result, our investment in new research is likely to drop by up to £50 million this year. Now, more than ever we need the public’s support.”

Some charities such as Shelter Scotland have been utilising technology to help them get through the loss in donations and revenue because of the lockdown. Shelter Scotland has set up an eBay store and postal donation are accepted for old or unwanted items.

Shelter Scotland said their stores will start opening across Scotland on Monday 6 July, including Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Aberdeen. British Heart Foundation stores will start reopening in mid-July, the charity said.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon warns shoppers over 'dropping their guards' in face coverings plea

Yesterday, as shops in Scotland reopened, Nicola Sturgeon said she has not been concerned by pictures on social media today of people queuing outside shops, so long as social distancing is being followed. But the First Minister warned she has been alarmed about the lack of people wearing face coverings.

“I’ve not seen anything on social media that would give me the kind of concern that I felt on behalf of the UK Government when I looked at some of the pictures in London of people crowding together without physical distancing. I’ve seen queues of people waiting to get into a particular shop or shops but it looked to be reasonably physically distanced.

“I will be concerned if I see pictures of people going shopping and not following the advice