08 March 2010
Adult toys top charity shop poll
A recent poll by Bristol’s top charity shop chain - St Peter’s Hospice has revealed some of the unusual items found in its donation bags.
The poll indicated a list of 10 items from the weird to the bizarre that would never make it onto the shop floor…
1. Adult Toys
2. A jar of gallstones
3. A false leg
4. An urn of ashes
5. False teeth
6. An enema kit
7. A modified hand gun
8. A box of human hair
9. Used underwear & nappies
10. A kitten
The charity chain sell on average 35,000 items a week all of which have donated by the general public. The shops specialise in womenswear which accounted for 34% of last year’s sales (£1.4m) and has recently seen a growth in accessories and footwear which made up 13% of last year’s total. But in amongst the useful there are always a few unusual items and even the bizarre.
Area manager, Ginny Gooding said: “We are so grateful to all the people who donate to St Peter’s Hospice but we are constantly amazed by some of the things we find in the bags when they get sorted.”
Gooding goes on to say “The key to donating to charity shops is to remember you are helping a good cause and the environment – we can sell items with a second life. If you are not sure whether your clothes can be re-sold donate them anyway, even if something is well worn, or ripped we can recycle it and sell it on to our textile recycler to generate extra income - which last year reached £600,000 for the charity. But if it’s any of things we found in our poll please think about whether someone else would buy it before putting it in a donation bag. ”
In case you’re wondering the kitten was found a good home!
For further information:
Contact Becky Pierce-Jones, Media Relations Manager on 01179 159322 or email: becky.pierce-jones@stpetershospice.org
