Coffins win this year's most unusual charity shop donation

Finance | 7 Jul 2009

St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield took the award for most unusual item offered to a charity shop this year, for two coffins it was offered.

Because of the size of the coffins, the shop couldn’t actually accept the donation, but still walked off with the gong at the Association of Charity Shops annual awards.

The most valuable item was a first edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet which sold for £15,300 at auction.

In 2008 charity shops raised more than £120m for their causes, with Force Cancer Charity, the Compton Hospice and St Peter’s Hospice all making the highest profits in their respective charity size categories.

The inaugural innovation award went to CLIC Sargent which took a converted Routemaster bus to Glastonbury to sell vintage clothing.

Cancer Research Wales took the award for volunteer contributions; Sense Trading won for its eBay trading and Trussel Trust re-store team in Salisbury won shop team of the year.

The young volunteer award went to Rosie Kilburn of the British Red Cross – the second year running that a Red Cross volunteer has picked up the prize.

Sue Azzopardi, head of retail at the charity, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for Rosie. Her dedication to the Red Cross, whilst coping with a serious illness, is amazing, and we are immensely proud of her.”

Mary Queen of Shops

The awards ceremony, held on the first night of the Association’s annual conference, was attended by retail consultant Mary Portas ‘Queen of Charity Shops’, who said: “The energy and the spirit in this room tonight have made me believe even more in the potential of the charity retail sector.”

Charity Finance will publish its 2009 Charity Shops Survey with the September edition of the magazine.

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