A thrifty success story! How we're using sustainable fundraising to change lives in your community
In celebration of Second Hand September and Sustainable Fashion Week, we returned our week-long pop-up shop in Stockport’s Merseyway Shopping Centre - raising over £2600 for our services across the North West!
The shop received hundreds of visitors throughout the week, grabbing bargains on clothes from elegant evening dresses and sequin gowns to leather jackets, children's wear and even gym wear - with all items having been generously donated by the public and local shops.
“Not only were we able to give generously donated clothing a new home saving them from landfill,” says Natalie Essex, Fundraiser at Together Trust, “but all the money raised goes to ensuring we continue to support the ever-changing needs of the people in our services.”
“It was lovely to see some of the young people in our services attend and check out the shop too!”
Throughout the year, we sell great quality second-hand items through eBay, Vinted and Depop, and organises ‘declutter and donate’ events, where members of the public can donate clothing and soft toys in varying conditions.
Items in saleable condition are given a new home and any remaining clothing and fabric is recycled in exchange for a donation by weight to the Together Trust, ensuring as much as possible is prevented from going to landfill. The next Declutter and Donate event is on 30 October at our campus on Schools Hill in Cheadle.
Last month marked both Second Hand September, a 30-day campaign from Oxfam that encourages people to buy second-hand throughout the month, as well as Sustainable Fashion Week, a week-long campaign encouraging worldwide sustainable fashion.
With around 8.5 million tonnes of waste being sent to landfills each year in the UK, these simple efforts make a big difference. And with all the money going towards our services, it’s also supporting thousands of children, young people and adults to lead happy, fulfilled lives in the North West.
As well as second-hand clothing and recycling,we maximise the use of local vendors for our events – including the upcoming Halloween Together festival on 26 October.
Learn more about recycling and our upcoming Declutter and Donate event here.