Swindon shoppers snap up charity shop bargains and save 34 tonnes of carbon

By Barrie Hudson - 5 September 2024

CharityBusiness
  • Volunteers Ann and Kerry with a selection of the goods on sale

    Volunteers Ann and Kerry with a selection of the goods on sale

Town centre charity shop Survivor@SWA’s summer sale has seen Swindon people prove they are conscientious as well as having an eye for a bargain.

Since the sale started on Saturday 31 August, shoppers have already snapped up over 2,500 items of clothing, homeware, jewellery and toys.  

Whilst this not only brings in crucial funds for Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service (SDASS), which runs the Survivor shop, it has also contributed to a saving of over 34,700kg of carbon emissions compared to buying new*.

The annual summer sale at Survivor sees items reduced to £1 to help the shop get ready for the new season.  Located on The Parade, the shop is run entirely by volunteers under the direction of shop manager Camilla Glass.

Proceeds from the shop are used by SDASS to support their work in the town to tackle domestic abuse through a range of services including education, professional consultancy and behaviour change.

Camilla said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by Swindon’s response to our summer sale.  We’re proud of the shop’s reputation for offering great brands at accessible prices, so our summer sale enables shoppers to get even more for their money.

“When people buy from Survivor@SWA, the money goes directly to supporting a range of services to help tackle the root cause of domestic abuse in Swindon, including educating young people; training and business consultancy; and working with those who commit domestic abuse to prevent it happening again.  

“However, there are also great environmental reasons to buy preloved as well.  The 2,500 items that Swindon’s shoppers have bought from us in less than a week represents a saving of over 34,700kg of carbon - that’s the same as driving an average petrol car over 160,875 miles!”

The summer sale will run until Wednesday 11 September and the shop will be open daily until then.  For more information on the Survivor@SWA shop, people can visit https://swadomesticabuse.org/our-shop/ or follow the shop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SWASurvivor or Instagram at www.instagram.com/SWASurvivor

An SDASS spokesperson said: "If you need advice for yourself or a friend relating to Domestic Abuse, call the confidential 24/7 Helpline, which is always answered by an advisor, on 01793 610610."

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