Issue 494 – Charity shop appeal as donations plummet

VOLUNTEERS and staff are urging locals to donate unwanted items to their Age UK charity shop in Westbury, to help refill empty rails and shelves which are usually brimming with interesting finds.

The Age UK staff in Westbury are struggling to keep up with demands of shoppers as donations of items like clothes, cookware and books have plummeted dramatically in the last three months.
The Age UK shop manager, Adrian Dando, is making a desperate plea for good quality men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, plus items like crockery, books, CDs and DVDs.
Adrian said, “Our store room is usually piled high, but now its almost empty. Although this is a good thing as it means we have sold what we had, we cannot cope with the increasing demand if nothing else comes in – we simply can’t sell fresh air!
“Without continued donations of everything from clothing to cookware, Age UK cannot continue its vital work to help improve the lives of older people across the country.
“The staff at the Age UK shop in Westbury usually put 200 new items on display each day, but a decline in stock means that they can only manage to scrape together about 85 of items at the moment.”
Adrian continued, “We have a lot of local supporters who donate regularly to our shops which we’re extremely grateful for, but we are still struggling! We are looking for quality items, no matter how big or small. And remember each time you donate stock to Age UK, please Gift Aid it which gives us an extra 25p for every pound we make selling your items. Anything we cannot sell gets recycled through our recycling partnerships, so nothing goes to waste.”
For more information Age UK in Westbury on 01373 859686.