Last week I touched upon the topic of fundraising and giving to charity. I accepted that I couldn’t save the world but I could to do my bit for my local community.
With that in mind, I decided to spend my Saturday evening emptying out my wardrobe and packing things into bags to donate to charity. Sunday morning came and I had filled 4 bin bags of clothes, several shoe boxes, a bag of bags and a box of books. (My wardrobe is literally empty now. I don’t mind though because none of it fitted me anyway.) I told my sisters to have a peek through and see if there was anything they wanted, and by the sounds of it they ended up putting on a little fashion show for my mum and dad. I could hear them downstairs asking for each others opinions – so cute 🙂
I ended up with just 2 bags of clothes and a few less shoes to donate. However to keep in with the charity spirit, I asked my sisters to donate £1 per item to a charity of their choice! I think that’s a nice little bonus. Maybe that’s something you could do with your friends or family too?
Rolling into today, I took the car down to the local charity shops to donate my things. I wasn’t sure which charity shop to give my stuff to, but in the end it all boiled down to who had a car parking space… and the winner was… The Air Ambulance Service!
I emptied my boot except for the box of books. I was going to donate them to Oxfam’s book store, because I figured that Architecture books might not do so well here, as they are a bit of a niche category. When mentioning this to the lady in the charity shop she explained that all books get logged into the system and if they can be sold on Amazon or eBay then they will, otherwise they’ll be sold in store. That is a brilliant idea, because it means that my books will get a decent amount of money for the charity as a lot of them weren’t cheap. Yay!
So after parting with all of my things I decided to have a snoop around. I quickly realised that the quality of the clothes here were way better than your typical charity shop. It was full of stuff that was actually nice! There were bits from Topshop, to Wallis, to Debenhams and all of it was on trend.
Take a peek…
This was my first find – a waterproof suit for kids aged 12 – 18 months. Can we just take a moment to look at that price… this is a like-new item from Debenhams Bluezoo range, where near identical ones are selling for around £15 to £20. Yet this one is only £1.95! I can’t imagine a child would have had many wears of it as it only fits for 6 months and is for rainy days. I know we live in Britain where it rains a lot, but how many times would it have been worn, probably not even 10. I think it’s a fab find!
My next find was this stunning and very sparkly dress from Topshop. It is so pretty but sadly not my size. I’m thinking it’s great for anyone with a Christmas party coming up!
Lastly I found this…
A Great British Bake Off notecard set and I also bought the matching sticky notes. There were a lot of these and a few other bits as well. I was tempted by the notebooks too, but if you’ve seen my recent Hauls then you’ll know I have hundreds of notebooks now.
This has officially become my best charity shop experience ever and I’d be up for going back there again!
The cute thing about the Air Ambulance Service charity shops is that they are known as boutiques and it’s clear to see why. Take a look at their store…
There are some really great buys here and it all supports a brilliant cause.
The Air Ambulance Service are dispatched by the emergency services when there is life or limb in danger. In daylight hours a helicopter might be sent with a team of paramedics and a doctor, or at night they’ll use the specialist car, as it’s far safer to use when it’s dark. Did you know the service isn’t even given any government funding? That’s why donations are so important. If you’d like to find out more about the charity you can click here.
Of course as I write this, I do not ask you to open up your wallets and give them your money. Instead I ask you to open up your hearts and do something that matters to you. If you can spare time, money, donate or fundraise for any charitable organisation then that would be wonderful! Imagine what a world we would live in if we could all just help each other 🙂
Mailbox Mermaid
One of the things I miss most about living in the U.K. (for the brief time that I did!) is all the many diverse charity shops & programs you have there! I loved being able to stroll down “charity shop row” in Edinburgh’s Old Town and find great bargains while supporting some good organizations. Wish that were slightly more popular here in the States!
Pots of Tea
Do not guys not have loads of thrift stores over there, or are they something different?
Mailbox Mermaid
Most places have either a Goodwill or a Salvation Army; those are the two main types, but there aren’t nearly as many different kinds! I have had a lot of luck with very tiny thrift stores run by churches and hospices, keeping it local 😀
Pots of Tea
Oh cool! In keeping with the whole second hand buying, do typical Yard Sales still happen over there – you know the sort that you see on Toy Story?
scribbleartie
Oh I love charity shops too! You found a great one there – great photos! I always feel good after giving stuff away (even if I do buy other things shortly afterwards)
Pots of Tea
Lol I think that just means your extra-charitable, you give your stuff, you give your money, you create space for new stock! You’re the perfect supporter 😀 Well done you!
scribbleartie
Haha! Well thanks. Now go tell my hubby that, because he is struggling to see that particular benefit! 🙂
Pots of Tea
Lol…
Dear Scribbleartie’s Husband,
Your wife is awesome. Let her enjoy the charity shops once in a while!
Ok thanks!
From, a very nice stranger 🙂
scribbleartie
HAHA! I showed him that and he just rolled his eyes and said “Well she’s female and likes charity shops, of COURSE she would be on your side. Your point is moot” bah humbug! Thanks for trying though. And of course we shall keep doing good work for the community anyway! 😀
Pots of Tea
Heheheh. Ahh man we shall get him on our side one day 😀
Natalie
Fantastic post! It’s nice to support charities whenever you can 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Pots of Tea
Thanks Natalie 🙂
Mary
Wonderful post. The boutique looks like it is very well organized. I have gone into plenty of thrift stores here locally and they are so disorganized that it makes me not want to go into them. I can understand if you are short on space, just don’t put so much out at once. It makes it hard t enjoy the experience and support the charity store in question.
Pots of Tea
Thanks Mary 🙂 Yeah I wish more places were as well presented as this. They’ve done a great job!
Nalita L.
Wonderful… I love donating clothes to charity.
Pots of Tea
High five to you!
Curlygirlabroad
Great post! I usually give my older clothes to charity as well (unless someone in the family wants them 😉 )
// https://curlygirlabroad.wordpress.com/
Pots of Tea
High five to you! 😀
seekothersfoundation
Reblogged this on SeekOthers Foundation and commented:
open up your heart and do somethings that matters!.