your donation matters
WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE
Clothes you donate to the VPI-AID have a bigger impact than you think.
WHAT YOU DONATE
An estimated £140 million worth of used clothing goes to waste every year - that's around 350,000 tonnes.
Binned clothes fill up landfill sites, raise greenhouse gas emissions, and harm the environment.
Put your unwanted clothes to better use. We run around 8,000 clothing banks, located all over the UK.
Everything you donate is re-sold, reused or recycled, helping us lessen our impact on the environment while raising money to support our projects throughout the UK.
Our charity shops, donation centres and clothing banks encourage the reuse and recycling of second-hand clothing and large items, such as furniture.
All high-quality products donated to our charity shops and donation centres will be offered for sale in-store. Our staff and volunteers sort donations, and saleable items are cleaned (all clothing and home linens are steamed) and displayed on the shop floor.
Clothing donations we receive through clothing banks and door-to-door collections also end up on the shelves of our charity shops. Items sold here in the UK make the best profit for us, enabling us to help more people.
Any clothing we are not able to sell in our shops is sold for reuse overseas. We act responsibly with all donations, using them to raise essential funds for The vpi-aid and avoiding unnecessary waste going to landfill.
There is great need for pre-owned clothing in countries less affluent than the UK. There are many people who can’t afford new clothes, which makes second-hand Western fashions popular. It also gives charities a way to provide affordable clothing to those that need it, all while raising funds for good causes.
VPI-AID is also a member of Textile Recycling Association and Charity Retail Association, and has recently been working with these groups and other charities to drive best practice through a collaborative initiative - the TRUST Forum. Trader Recycling Universal Standard (TRUST) has been established to identify common minimum standards expected, which will enable traders to achieve certification through an independent audit focusing on 5 key areas.
Clothes you donate to the VPI-AID have a bigger impact than you think.
An estimated £140 million worth of used clothing goes to waste every year - that's around 350,000 tonnes.
Binned clothes fill up landfill sites, raise greenhouse gas emissions, and harm the environment.
Put your unwanted clothes to better use. We run around 8,000 clothing banks, located all over the UK.
Everything you donate is re-sold, reused or recycled, helping us lessen our impact on the environment while raising money to support our projects throughout the UK.
Charity shop pioneers
We opened one of the first charity shops in the 21ST century providing affordable clothes to people who couldn't otherwise afford them. In the over10 years since then, we have remained unwavering in our dedication to ensuring everyone can afford basic necessities and transforming lives through it.
We now have over 400 shops across the country full of bargains and collectables as well as over 20 donation center . Our outlets offer a range of good quality affordable clothes, shoes, handbags, kitchenware and houseware; many have designer and vintage wear, Our larger superstores and donation centres stock fantastic furniture too.
VPI-AID charity shops have become favourites with thrifters and fashionistas for the quality and variety that can be found. Our customers love bragging about the amazing offers found in our charity shops and display their purchases on social media. To discover more about customer favourites and get new ideas (style, fashion, DIY, sustainability), have a look at our digital magazine, where we display the hottest trends of the season and give you great ideas to improve your wardrobe and home at bargain prices.
The items you buy and donate to our charity shops directly goes to our work changing lives, and is an ethical and sustainable way to shop for hidden gems. We are big supporters of slow fashion and responsible shopping, combatting the disposable culture of recent times, where pre-loved items are reused in all their glory. We find it important to protect the environment through promoting sustainable and ethical ways of shopping and fundraising in order to bring you a bargain and helping our work in communities across the UK.
Any items that we are not able to sell in our shops are sold for reuse overseas. This means we are acting responsibly with all donations to raise essential funds for The VPI-AID and to avoid unnecessary waste going to landfill by encouraging reuse and recycling. The need for pre-owned clothing in less affluent countries than the UK is significant.
What we love
The unwanted Christmas jumpers, the CDs no longer on-trend, the shoes you never actually wore – you don’t want them, we love them. Bring your donations to your local vpi-aid shop as we can always make use of the items you don’t think have life anymore. We can accept:
- Good quality clothing
- Accessories
- Linens (including curtains and fabrics)
- Homeware
- Books, CDs and DVDs
- Toys
Please do ensure that donations are in good condition and that they are handed to our staff or volunteers during opening hours (items left outside the shop can be damaged or stolen).
What we can accept at our larger shops and donation centres
Whilst our charity shops make use of and resell most donations, there are certain items that some shops cannot accept, from:
- Electrical items
- Small furniture
- Large furniture
However, we are expanding our range of specialist charity shops that are able to accept and sell these specialist items. We have two specialist charity furniture shops in the UK – on Wellington Street in Luton and on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow as well as over 20 donation centres. These stores accept and sell all types of furniture, and often a number of upcycled items, and will provide free collection services. We are opening new donation centres all the time,.
Your donations help us tackle a range of social injustices from poverty, modern slavery to homelessness.
Volunteer
Our shops are constantly changing each day whether with new designer stock through to familiar or new faces. Volunteers play a pivotal role in helping our charity shops run, and the time and experience you can bring is invaluable. The types of tasks you could be involved in are:
- Greeting customers
- Sorting and processing new donations
- Pricing
- Operating the till
- Providing advice
Volunteering not only allows you to be part of a cause for changing lives, but can help change yours too. Through volunteering you will also develop new skills and experiences, from:
- Working as part of a team
- Developing customer service and communication skills
- Building confidence
- Enhancing your CV and gaining experience in all areas of charity retail operations
- Improving mental health and well-being
- Being part of a community
We don’t think anything should ever be left buried and forgotten at the back of wardrobes or garages, or even worse, thrown in the bin and sent to landfill. There is so much value in your unwanted clothes or household items, and we offer a range of ways for you to donate them whether via our charity shops, door-to-door collection services or donation bank. Thanks to you we collect, reuse and recycle and sell more than 50 million items a year that directly goes to our work helping others at the heart of communities across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Help us make a change