East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) has enjoyed another successful Bag It, Bring It, Boost It campaign, with the like-for-like number of bags dropped off at the charity’s shops up 15% compared to last year’s donation drive.
In three weeks of action by EACH, there were a total of 21,674 bags filled with unwanted items and then given to one of the charity’s 35 shops across Cambridgeshire, north Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Ian Nicolson, EACH Head of Retail & Trading, said: “The response to Bag It, Bring It, Boost It has been fantastic again. We estimate one bag is worth an average of £10, so the campaign has helped raise many, many, many thousands of pounds for the care of children and young people with life-threatening conditions across the region, and support for their families.
“Bag It, Bring It, Boost It also increased footfall, too, obviously, and our like-for-like sales during the period were up 6.7%. Thank you to everyone who got involved and a special thanks to all our volunteers who have worked hard to sort through the bags and get items ready for sale.”
EACH revealed in the lead up to the campaign that it takes over 6,000 bags of donations a week to run its outlets, so the charity needs a constant supply of items and, at the moment, is particularly on the lookout for homewares, menswear and toys.
To put into context the difference just a small donation to a shop can make to the vital work EACH does, here are some examples of what a donation could pay for:
- A top, skirt or pair of trousers worth £5 could pay for art supplies for a session of art therapy
- A tea set worth £11 could fund an hour of specialist play tailored to a child’s individual needs
- A nice wedding hat or jacket worth £19 could pay for an hour of vital physiotherapy
- An item of good-quality furniture or prom dress worth £24 could fund an hour with a psychologist to help guide and support families going through, likely, the toughest period of their lives
EACH’s shops generated an impressive profit of over £1.1 million last year. For more information about the charity and to find out where your nearest shop is, go to www.each.org.uk.
