Cornwall LivingIssue #95
De-clutter and donate
One million donated items sold by Cornwall Hospice Care since April 2019!
Cornish charity Cornwall Hospice Care has revealed that it has sold more than one million items of donated stock in just eight months! The count began on 1st April last year and it’s believed that the one millionth item was sold around 2pm on Thursday 21st November.
The items included adult and children’s clothing, shoes, accessories, bric-a-brac, books, CDs, records and furniture. Graham Clarke, the charity’s Finance Director, says that the figure highlights the green credentials of charity shops. “Many of these items could well have ended up in landfill if they had not been kindly donated to our charity shops,” he explains. “It shows how important we have become as a recycling centre for Cornwall. We offer people the chance to donate their unwanted items, rather than throw them away, and we can then find them new homes, giving us all the ‘feel good’ factor.”
The one million items have also helped Cornwall Hospice Care achieve gross sales of more than £2.7million in that eight-month period. Graham continues: “This is an amazing achievement as our 31 shops help generate a significant percentage of the money we need to provide 24/7 care for terminally ill people across Cornwall. We focus on the value of donated goods and with the generosity of our supporters, are able to realise the best value for every item. I hope this news will inspire everyone to consider passing their pre-loved items onto us, knowing that an old t-shirt, coat, CD or sofa will have another life and raise funds for hospice care, while stopping them from being thrown away.”
“We offer people the chance to donate their unwanted items, rather than throw them away, and we can then find them new homes, giving us all the ‘feel good’ factor”
The highest earning donated items, Graham tells us, were clothing and shoes, furniture and bric-a-brac. With 31 charity shops stretching from Bude in north Cornwall, to Penzance in the west, the charity also runs a large sorting warehouse in Holmbush near St Austell, as well as specialist furniture shops in Truro, Wadebridge, Holmbush, Penryn and Bodmin, and a Retro store in Penryn!
When you know that in the last financial year Cornwall Hospice Care’s shops funded 16.7% of the charity’s care costs – a contribution of £887,000 – the value of items to such a worthy cause becomes crystal clear. So, if you’re thinking of de-cluttering, why not stop by your local Cornwall Hospice Care charity shop and put your old, no-longer-used items to the best possible use?
CORNWALL HOSPICE CARE
01726 839156
"We offer people the chance to donate their unwanted items, rather than throw them away, and we can then find them new homes, giving us all the ‘feel good’ factor"
