A Stafford hospice is thanking those who shop and donate with their charity shops after they raised more than £1.5 million towards care last year.

Katharine House Hospice provides vital free palliative care services in Stafford and surrounding areas for people faced with an illness that cannot be cured, which costs £3.7m a year.

Their aim is to enable patients and those close to them to live as fully as possible,
wherever they choose and make the most of the time that's left.

The hospice has 14 charity shops, seven of which sell furniture and electricals –
including Stafford warehouse. These items alone make up more than 25% of all
sales, which helps bring in over £1m a year.

And those that Gift Aid their donated goods helped bring in an additional £286k last year

Photo: Nurse Mel Mottram with patients Michelle and Anne

Each week, their dedicated team of staff and volunteers help place 38,000 items for
sale in their shops, with beds, sofas, tables and chairs being their best sellers. And if
you need help moving those big items, they offer a furniture delivery service from
store to home for an additional charge.

The charity offers a collection service for quality used furniture within a radius of at
least 10 miles from any of their furniture stores, and may go beyond this for quality
and/or quantity of items. Which sees them making more than 250 furniture collection
trips each week.

Retail General Manager, Simon Dodd, said: “Your donations make a real difference
to us and collecting furniture, other large items and electricals is essential for our
charity.
“We turn your second-hand items into first class care. Last year, we helped more
than 2,000 patients and their families in our community.”

And not only are you helping a charity provide free care by shopping and donating
items with their shops, but you’re also caring for the planet.

According to the UN, fashion is the second-most-polluting industry, coming in right
behind big oil, so shopping with Katharine House is also more sustainable.

Their new till displays show the average CO 2 emissions released when making the
purchased items brand new and calculate the total CO 2 savings made for the whole
sale. For example, buying an outfit with accessories made of seven items saves around
32.3kg of CO 2 , that’s more than three times an average tree absorbs in a year.
Your donations of preloved items or precious time in each of their shops make a
significant difference. That unwanted sofa could help cover the cost of a day’s care
for a patient.

For more information about their shops, volunteering or furniture collection service,
visit their website, www.khhospice.org.uk, or contact your local store.

Photo: Retail volunteer George with Assistant Manager Kerry at Stafford warehouse