A PEACH STREET charity shop is hoping to encourage Wokingham’s shoppers to pick up a bargain – and get involved in helping out.
Oxfam is next week launching its Summer of Sustainable Fashion campaign. This asks its customers to ‘say yes to second-hand’.
Acting store manager Marianne Tizzard said: “It’s very popular at the moment.
“The event runs from Monday through to June 21 and we’ll be encouraging people to donate items such as shoes and bags. We also take electricals, a lot of other charity shops don’t.
“We’re here to take people’s donations.”
Oxfam also welcomed textiles and aims to make as much use of them as possible.
“Bras can go to Senegal, so please bring them here. We welcome any fabric, it doesn’t matter what it is at all, it can all be upcycled. Some of it will go abroad, some of it will go to be recycled – some even goes into roads and insulation. We’re trying to avoid sending it to landfill, which is the most important thing.”
And when it comes to bags and shoes, Marianne said: “The quality doesn’t matter, they can be repaired or recycled.”
Marianne is pleased that the store can take electrical donations and there are some surprisingly popular items.
“People can fight over record players,” she admitted. “Video players too. People have clear outs of their lofts, discover old tapes and then realise they have nothing to play it on.
“We’ll also take small electricals such as lights and lamps. A company salvages any bits we can’t use.”
There’s more to the Oxfam store’s wishlist though: it wants to welcome new faces to its volunteering team and Marianne is hopeful people of all ages will come forward.
“We’re a hive of activity here. We have regular volunteers but need more. It’s great for people who are doing the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, for a couple of hours on a Saturday. There’s roles on the till and in the back room sorting stock. There’s also a group that carries out electrical testing.
“Three people look after our eBay shop – we do our level best to get the right amount of money for every donation we receive. We won’t sell it cheap. If it’s worth £100, we’ll try to sell it for £100.”
The money raised goes towards the aid agency’s work in a range of projects including supporting clean water, helping with refugee camps, stopping flooding and installing water pipes. Naturally, the store can raise more with more volunteers.
“We particularly need volunteers on Saturdays and some mornings and afternoons,” Marianne explained. “It’s good for a CV, as you get skilled at using tills and gain experience. These are transferable skills and we can give a reference, which is vital.
“We welcome all ages and all walks of life.”
For more details, visit the Oxfam branch in Peach Street, Wokingham.
