ST LUKE’S Hospice has had to remove a stall from outside its charity shop in The Winsford Cross Shopping Centre because mall chiefs believe it looks ‘untidy’.

Volunteers in the shop began a petition to protest against the rule, which a spokesman for the shopping centre said applied to each store in the Dingle Walk parade.

But shopper, James Condliffe, told The Guardian he thought that different rules should apply to community fundraisers like St Lukes.

“The shop is not a business or corporation trying to expand its profits, it's a local charity that works to help terminally ill people,” said Mr Condliffe.

“As I went to pay for some items I had found, I was prompted by one of the very kind volunteers to sign the petition.

“It argues against the decision to ban the shop from having a table outside the shop to try and draw further business.

“The charity shop has been running successfully for over seven years and I am sure has helped many individuals throughout these years.”

A spokesman for St Luke’s Hospice said they had agreed to remove the table.

“The shopping centre are well within their rights to ask us to remove the table,” said the spokesman.

“They had a few signatures on a petition in the shop. The shop manger is going to talk to the volunteers there about it.

“It’s not worth the upheaval that it might cause us at this stage.”

A spokesman for the Cross Shopping Centre said: “This is a general rule that applies to everybody in the town centre on Dingle Walk.

“It looks untidy when people are walking past. The other shops are also not allowed to put anything outside that’s used.”

What do you think? Email winsford@guardiangrp.co.uk or write to Guardian Series Newspapers, Theatre Court, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 5HB.