Local MP Caroline Dinenage will champion charity shops in Gosport this Friday.
She's 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. Caroline will visit the local British Heart Foundation shop and make a donation, to show her support for the Choose Charity Shops campaign.
Charity shops now raise over £200 million every year for a huge range of charitable causes, and support 180,000 volunteering opportunities and 17,000 jobs.
But charity shops thrive on donations of unwanted items from members of the public, and many are struggling to get enough through the door. 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.
Speaking in advance of her visit, Caroline said:
"Charity shops provide quality, low-cost goods to those who need them, while also playing a vital role in fundraising for charities. But a number of factors – including fraudulent door-to-door collectors – have left charity shops struggling for donations. I've visited a number of local shops who have expressed concern, and I am delighted that the Choose Charity Shops campaign is highlighting the need for people to go donate."
Warren Alexander, Chief Executive of the Charity Retail Association, added: 'Charity shops simply can't survive without donations from the public, and we are delighted to have Caroline supporting the campaign in Gosport."