Charity spends £1k a month removing unsellable items

A hospice charity shop said it is spending more than £1,000 a month getting rid of donated items that cannot be sold.

St John's Hospice said its shops were being given "clothes that are ripped, stained, bric-a-brac that's smashed and furniture that's broken".

The charity, which has shops in Garstang, Lancaster, Kendal and Morecambe, said it had to pay to remove said large donations of damaged clothes, faulty electrical items or hazardous waste such as broken glass.

Head of retail, Laura Stanbridge, said: "We are very grateful and we love our supporters, but we do need the right stuff otherwise it does end up costing us money to dispose of it."

"We just need decent, good quality clothing, clothing that's not bobbled, not ripped and that's clean," she said.

"Furniture that's usable, and that's got its relevant fire tags, jigsaws with all the pieces - just obvious things like that."

Laura told BBC Radio Lancashire "it "breaks my heart" having to spend money removing items that cannot be sold.

"That's why we're here," she said. "It's all about providing the money to support patient and family care in our local area.

"It's about keeping our wonderful volunteers safe as well, we don't want them sorting through broken glass."

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