Charity shops reopen to a donations deluge

CHARITY shops in Westbury have reported getting back to business with a bang after reopening on Monday April 12th.

A flood of donations from residents who used the lockdowns to clear out their homes have meant a bumber time for the shops raising vital funds for good causes.

Imperial Charity Shops in the town centre, Barnardo’s in Palomino Place and Dorothy House in the High Street have all reported brisk trade. 

Bob Summerfield from Imperial Charity Shops which has two branches in the High Street and Warminster Road, said, “Donations are flooding in – to the High Street shop in particular – so people are now asked to make an appointment to arrange a time to come in and bring their donations. 

“When we first reopened on Monday April 12th we couldn’t get anything done because donations were constantly coming in the back door.

“After the weekend – and this also used to happen before lockdown – we  arrive at work to find things left outside. We had a sofa left at our furniture shop once – and if it rains the stuff gets ruined.”

Bob said unfortunately a lot of items left outside when the shops are closed are unsaleable.  “It’s difficult as we don’t want to discourage people from donating, and people do it out of the goodness of their heart,” he said. “For example, if elderly people bring donations down to find the shop is closed it’s easier for them to leave it outside.”

Pre-loved goods that cannot be sold have to be taken to local recycling / waste centres which Bob said was a nightmare at the moment due to Covid restrictions and having to book a slot to take a van in.

To deal with the surge of donations Imperial is now running a system where people can telephone to make an appointment to drop goods off. 

The shops also need volunteers. Bob said, “We started with 17 volunteers but that has gone down to four, in the main due to Covid, which is one of the reasons the staff cannot cope with the stream of donations – because while they’re doing that there’s no-one to man the shop.

“I was thinking of going round local schools and asking if any students doing the DoE award wanted to do some Saturday shifts.”

Some of the items Imperial cannot accept by law include duvets, pillows, stuffed teddies, and babies’ and children’s car seats. 

To make an appointment to donate goods or to help out with volunteering telephone 01373 826826.

Barnardo’s in Palomino Place is managed by Nicola who said when they returned to reopen after a year’s closure they had a stream of customers bringing in unwanted items.

“We haven’t refused any because every other time of the year we don’t get enough donations,” Nicola told White Horse News. 

“Some people phone us before they bring stuff in but most people just bring it straight in. Then it’s a case of working through it all and sorting it out.”

The shop has around eight staff and is always looking for more volunteers – if you can lend a hand telephone 01373 822515.

Nicola said it was nice to be back open after a year’s closure, adding, “We came in a week beforehand to get everything sorted out.”

Dorothy House, in High Street, has introduced a temporary limit of five bags or boxes of donations per customer. 

“All our shops have been closed in accordance with governmental guidelines and opened on the 12th April,” spokesperson Rowena Midgley said. 

“Our donations are the fuel for delivering a successful shop in order to support our patients and their families. We rely on the kind generosity of our donors. We have seen a steady flow of donations into our shops.

“We have asked our donors to call ahead to check the shop has capacity and are temporarily limiting each donor to five bags or boxes per visit. This is to allows everyone the opportunity to donate to Dorothy House.”

Rowena told White Horse News, “Donations do get left outside and they are not saleable and have to be destroyed on many occasions. This unfortunately costs us money and takes away from patient care. We ask that donations are donated in trading hours”

She said the shop would be delighted to receive any good, clean donations such as clothing, books and bric a brac, but asked people to ring in advance to check there was capacity and added that by gifting their donations Dorothy House can receive an extra 25p per £1 for free.

Rowena said, “Volunteering in our shops is very rewarding and a great way of ‘giving back’ to your local hospice along with learning new skills. If you are interested please contact your local branch or pop in for a chat with the friendly teams.”

There are some items the shop cannot accept due to health and safety reasons. Visit the website Dorothyhouse.org.uk for full details.

Even individuals working for charities from home have been on the receiving end of an influx of donations to their own addresses.