The manager of a seaside charity shop has resigned following a dispute over its running, with several volunteers following him out the door.
The dramatic development follows a number of rancorous meetings between staff and the Friends of Mundesley Volunteer Inshore Lifeboat - which oversees the shop in the village.
A whistleblower said the meetings became “hostile and toxic”, and claimed individuals were “shouted at”, “verbally attacked” and instructed to “just do as they are told”.
One volunteer has reportedly been banned from the shop as a result of the falling out.
The Friends are now seeking new volunteers.
The whistleblower is understood to have sent a letter outlining the allegations to the Charity Commission, which regulates the charity sector.
The Friends said the departing manager had done an "amazing job" but he and others had decided not to stay on following changes at the store, which was doing "very well".
The upheaval follows an extensive renovation project at the shop after it was damaged by a fire at a neighbouring property in May 2021.
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But the whistleblower said the walkout was "nothing to do with the changes planned for the shop but how the volunteers have been attacked verbally en masse by the Friends".
“The unpaid manager was forced to resign, 80pc of the volunteer shop staff resigned, and one volunteer was banned from the shop," they added.
"Why should volunteers be treated like this?"
The Friends declined to answer specific questions about the dispute but issued a statement after a meeting this week.
Wendy Copping, the chair of the Friends of Mundesley Volunteer Inshore Lifeboat, said: “For the last year or so the shop has had to function in a very restricted area due to repairs following a fire in a neighbouring shop.
“The manager has done an amazing job during this time, keeping the shop functioning under extremely difficult circumstances, and even at one point manning a stall in the village car park.
“The renovations and refit are now complete, but unfortunately the manager felt that he no longer wished to be a part of the organisation and, sadly, several other volunteers decided to leave at the same time.”
She added that the charity shop continues to “play a very important role in fundraising for the service” and is “doing very well”.
The Mundesley Volunteer Inshore Lifeboat shop in Station Road has now fully reopened, returning to its regular opening hours.
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