More than 500 charity shops across the UK will be taking part in A Million Acts of Hope, a week of community action beginning today to tackle hate and division in the country.
Charity shops from Crisis, Mencap and Oxfam will be supporting the campaign with displays of what gives them hope in their communities, as well as inviting local people to share messages of what gives them hope locally.
Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said: “We're obviously delighted that so many charity shops have participated in this great initiative.
“It’s a testament to how embedded in the community they are, and the extent to which they are providing such great volunteering opportunities for people.”
More than 200 charities overall including Crisis, Oxfam and Trussell will be taking part in the week of events, which was announced in February and is being led by Hope Not Hate.
The campaign was announced shortly after NCVO published research in December 2025 showing that charities’ employees, volunteers and beneficiaries were feeling “increasingly unsafe” amid growing social and political division across the UK.
Despite increasing incidents of hostility and division, A Million Acts of Hope’s survey of more than 4,000 people in the UK found that 65% would describe their community as peaceful and friendly.
‘Voices of hate and division can be loud’
Oxfam GB CEO, Richard Hawkes, said of his charity’s shops’ participation: “At Oxfam, we see every day how poverty and division feed each other. But we also see something else – the extraordinary, quiet determination of people to look out for one another.
“In our shops and communities across the UK, volunteers and teams are creating welcoming spaces for refugees – places where skills and stories are shared across cultures - and where hope is chosen over hate.”
Meanwhile, Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: “The voices of hate and division can be loud and give the impression that Britain is hopelessly fractured.
“But working at Crisis, that’s not what I see. I see kind and committed people in communities up and down the country looking out for each other – including across our network of shops.
“From the volunteers who give up their free time to sift through donations and man the tills, to the local creators giving back to their communities by running workshops and sharing their skills, we see daily how acts of kindness can have a real impact – and we’re proud to celebrate them through A Million Acts of Hope.”
