Morley charity shop is big hit with families during cost of living crisis

It found 83 cent of Leeds residents support the claim, with Scope’s Morley shop proving popular to existing and new customers.

Dawn Starkey, shop manager of the Morley store said it was more than bargains that await: “Our customers know every time they walk into our shop, they’ll get a wonderful, warm Scope Morley welcome.

"We’ve always got time for a chat and have got to know many by their first name.

“Some of our colleagues in the shop have young families and they help to spread the word with other parents that our shop has a fantastic range of childrenswear, starting at £1 and toys which start at £1.50.

"As we’re all feeling the pinch on our budgets during the cost of living crisis, parents love our affordable prices, which means they can even buy the occasional treat for their child. Homeware is popular too, with our prices starting at £1.”

Dawn added that the charity plays a vital role for young people in the community.

“We always offer young teenagers the chance to get their volunteer hours as part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards, in our shop,” she said.

“Their parents are really happy knowing their children will gain their hours and learn new skills in a safe and inclusive environment.

"The volunteers love it because they learn so much being with us, and it looks great on college or university application forms or, on their CV.

“We also work with local schools taking on pupils, 14 and above, where they volunteer and gain vital work experience with us. This is proving very popular.

“We’re so proud that we can support our community, not only offering brilliant treasures to buy, but by giving our time and experience to help people to thrive, giving them the much experience for their working life after they leave school."

Scope’s survey asked 2,000 people about their charity shopping habits and found that 37 per cent say that the current cost of living pressures has prompted them to shop in charity shops and 17 per cent are using them for the first time.

Ruth Blazye, Executive Director or Retail and Communities at disability equality charity Scope, said: “The lockdowns, combined with the current cost of living crisis, have been a monumental disaster for the high street and people’s spending power.

"Our new research shows charity shops have never been needed more than now, as the nation recognises their increasing importance, while our budgets are being squeezed like never before.”

Scope estimates the average bag of donations to their charity shops is worth £20. Each call to Scope’s free Helpline costs £8, so one bag can fund two calls for disabled people to receive expert advice and vital emotional support.

Since the cost of living crisis began, calls to this service are higher than ever and Scope has seen an increase of 670 per cent in referrals to the energy support service.