AN INVERKEITHING charity shop is to close its doors after a "steady decline" in income and rising operational costs.

The Mary's Meals store on High Street is expected to remain open until the end of September.

Linda Whitesmith, the manager of the shop, said online that a turnover of more than £40,000 was needed before the charity makes any profit from sales.

She wrote: "I was saddened to hear the our charity was closing all six shops in Scotland due to spiralling costs, our shop alone has to turn over upwards of £40,000 before the charity gets a penny.

"Although we are gifted all of our items, we, like many other shops, have much higher running costs than before.

"Our rates may be discounted but rents etc are not.

"I was asked to upgrade the shop which has been welcomed by many of our customers and is borne out in our comments book, available to all."

Linda continued: "I couldn't have turned the shop around without the support of our wonderful customers and friends.

"It is no fault of our own that the shop will close in September and I'm going to miss all the people who have made me feel welcome and all of the doggy friends who always bring joy to the shop every day."

Mary's Meals will close all six of their stores in Scotland as well as their central warehouse.

Daniel Adams, executive director of the charity, said: "After much deep consideration, we have taken the very difficult decision to close our six charity shops and our warehouse.

"In recent years, there has been a steady decline of income from our shops – while the cost of operating them has continued to increase. This means that, sadly, the shops are no longer a viable source of income for our charity.

"Every day, more than 2.4 million children eat Mary’s Meals at school. We are always guided by good stewardship and ensuring that we can continue to feed these little ones – whilst striving to reach the next hungry child."

He added: "We are so grateful for the dedication of our shop staff and volunteers to growing Mary’s Meals within their local communities.

"Our expectation is that the shops will stay open until the end of September, and we will keep the communities around our shops updated as our plans progress.

"We hope people across Scotland will continue to support us in any way they can – their generosity is helping to feed desperately hungry children in the world’s poorest countries."