Virendra Sharma MP

Choose Charity Shops

 I recently joined forces with major UK charities including Cancer Research UK, British Red Cross, Barnardo’s, Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation – as well as hundreds of local hospices and smaller charities – in a drive to generate more donations for charity shops.

I supported the Choose Charity Shops campaign, led by the Charity Retail Association, by making a donation of items to Cancer Research on the Broadway of West Ealing. I called on my constituents to follow three simple steps: ‘Dig it Out, Bag it Up, Drop it Off!’

Cancer Research UK’s shops rely on donations from the public to help fund their life-saving work. So I encourage everyone to clear out their wardrobes and cupboards of unwanted clothes, CDs, DVDs, books and quality household goods and drop them off. Each bag of donated goods could be worth up to £30 to the charity and even £37.50 through Gift Aid.

People who donate goods to Cancer Research UK will be helping to fund vital research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer – a disease that will affect more than one-in-three people in the UK at some stage in their lives.

The unused and unwanted items in people’s homes could be worth thousands of pounds charity shops. It’s a difficult time for everybody, but buying and donating stock is a great way to continue to support Cancer Research UK and grab a bargain – especially in the current climate when people might feel less able to make a cash donation.

This week nearly 6,000 charity shops in the UK are coming together to ask members of the public to make a donation to a charity shop in their area and pledge to donate to charity shops for the coming year. Events are taking place across the country to support the campaign, to find out more information on the campaign or your Cancer Research branch, visit www.choosecharityshops.org/www.cancerresearchuk.org/shops.