Stationery and Office Supplies
As the years go by we find ourselves with more and more accounting, record keeping and general office work. The paperless office never did happen did it?
To this end we are grateful for office supplies. These can include such things as copier paper, pads and pens.
Teddies
Yes we do mean cuddly toys. If any of you have had children, especially girls you are probably wondering what to do with that collection of teddies that were carefully collected in their youth but now simply clutter the house up.
We can use these teddies for our regular Teddy Tombola. We have these at our Open Days and at other events elsewhere. They are very popular and raise a lot of money for us.
So, go on—declutter your house and help us to raise money for our work.
Postage stamps
For a number of years we have been saying that we couldn’t raise money in a realistic way from postage stamps. However we have now found a buyer for these stamps. Please consider saving your stamps and donating them to us—every little helps.
Printer Cartridges
This is a very good one! We raise a large amount of money from empty printer cartridges every year. We get a minimum of 50 pence for each cartridge that we sell. It doesn’t take long for that to add up to significant amounts.
Please save your cartridges at home, and why not ask if you can take the empty cartridges from your work. You could also ask your friends to save them for you.
Regrettably we cannot sell the large photocopier toner cartridges. However if you are in any doubt about whether or not we can sell a particular cartridge please save it anyway. We will check when it arrives if we can sell it.
Clothing
Again we have told you in the past that there was no longer any money in donated clothing. That also has changed. We now have a buyer for reasonable second hand clothing. If you visit the Sanctuary you will see that there is now a container for donated clothing next to the horsebox where we collect the bric-a-brac and other items. This is now turning into a realistic income stream so please think of us before you throw out those old clothes. Or you could have a sort out of the items that have been in the wardrobe and never worn for years. If you are not going to wear it again we can turn it into money for our cause.
Towels and bedding
You would be shocked at how much bedding we get through each year. If you have old towels or blankets we would be very grateful. We cannot use duvets or carpet for bedding but any other sheet material will be very welcome.
Bric-a-brac and household goods
We sell good bric-a-brac and household goods from our shops and at our Open Days. We are always very grateful for good items like these. Regrettably we haven’t as yet found a clear way of communicating to you our supporters what items sell and what doesn’t. Consequently about 75% of items donated in this category are not saleable and have to be disposed of via our skip hire company. However if you have items you think might sell we would ask you to use the following litmus test. Ask yourself, “Would I buy this?” If the answer is yes then we can probably sell it. If the answer is no then we probably can’t sell it but would have to spend money on skips to take it and other items away. If you are ever in any doubt just give us a ring.
Books
Good quality books sell very well. Tatty, out of date childrens books and books such as Mills and Boon don’t sell but all others do. Please think of us when you are tidying out old books. Perhaps you have a box of these books in the loft or cluttering up the house. If so we would be very grateful for them.
Jigsaws
Like books jigsaws tend to be done just once and then put away. We have buyers at our shops and Open Days that will buy good complete jigsaws.
