Hospice Shops
You should never underestimate the value of your pre-loved items.
Alice House Hospice currently has ten shops throughout Hartlepool and East Durham, including our specialist Bridal Loft, all selling goods donated by our supporters. In August 2020, the first month of trading after COVID-19 forced all our outlets to shut, our charity shops raised an impressive £50,000, all from your donations.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your donations once you’ve left them with the staff in our charity shops or handed them over to our Van Collections Team? We have a huge team of volunteers and staff who ensure that we make the most of everything we receive whether it be clothes, bric-a-brac, furniture, jewellery or even your treasured wedding dress.
First things first – all the items are carefully sorted – Shop managers and volunteers sort through your kind donations, both in our warehouse and in individual shops, before being divided up into clothes, books etc. and prepared to be priced and presented on our shelves and in shop windows.
Next, everything is given a resale price – We receive such a wide range of different items and our teams have the expertise to ensure that everything sells at the right price.
Gift Aid – Gift Aid details are added to each item so that the team can track how much a donation has made and how much Gift Aid we can then claim – this can make a huge difference – adding 25p to each £1 spent in our shops.
The Bridal Loft. Pre-loved bridal and occasion wear.
Distribution – Our Retail Team understand which stores sell which products most effectively and make sure that all donations are directed to the most appropriate store. This might mean that you donate to one shop but your item may be sold in another, particularly if you’ve donated something that suits our specialist Bridal Loft wedding shop in Horden.
Karen Witherley, Retail Senior Manager said, “Our charity shops are an incredibly important part of fundraising for Alice House and the team of staff and volunteers are vital to that success. Without them giving their valuable time to sort donations, run the stores and provide the best customer service we would be unable to keep the whole system running as smoothly and efficiently as it does. So, thank you to each and every one of them for their dedication.”
