Lifestyle: Embrace your local charity shop and find it for a fiver

If you’ve never been into a charity shop, or haven’t for a while, the chances are you think they’re a bit drab, smell, and are full of tat. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. Charity shops are changing and one local charity is encouraging new customers through the door and challenging you to ‘find it for a fiver’.

The initiative is being run by Prospect Hospice which is encouraging local people to pop into their shops each month and spend £5 on items they were already planning to purchase, contributing to the charity’s support and free end of life care as well as being sustainable.

Victoria Canavan, head of retail at Prospect Hospice said: “We know money is tight for everyone right now. Food and utility bills are going up, rent and mortgage rates are increasing and the cost of living just continues to soar. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy life and treat ourselves. We just might have to think a little differently about it.

“When a friend’s birthday is approaching, you might want to get them a gift but feel you can’t afford it, why not come into the hospice shops and find it for a fiver instead? We have plenty of gifts just ready and waiting, some pre-loved but some have never been opened. How about finding a lovely candle for them to light and enjoy at home or perhaps a stylish photo frame that you can personalise with an image of the two of you sharing a memory. It’s all in our shops and you can find it for a fiver.”

With Valentine’s Day also approaching there are an array of gifts available across the hospice’s 17 shops and, if you are heading out, how about shopping there for a unique outfit. The shops have dresses, shirts, shoes and accessories, many of which are just a fiver each. 

Victoria continued, “’Find it for a fiver’ encourages our community to rethink their spending habits and redirect £5 of their monthly budget towards a more meaningful cause. Children can also get in on the act with many of our toys priced at £5 or under too”

Hospice customers are encouraged to share their finds on social media by tagging the hospice and using the hashtag #fiverfinds

“We can’t wait to see the treasures our community finds,” adds Victoria.

Join the movement, shop sustainably, and make a difference – all for just £5. Every purchase you make from a Prospect Hospice shop helps the charity to care for more local people and support their families at the hospice in Wroughton and in people’s homes across the local area.

To find your nearest Prospect Hospice charity shop, visit www.prospect-hospice.net/shops