One of several charity shops in the middle of the busy Cotteridge shopping area. There are enough…read morecharity shops along the two or three streets that make up the centre of Cotteridge to make is worthy of a mooching trip. Whilst not on a par with the Harborne High Street, it's nevertheless worth a visit. Harborne probably edges it on account of slightly better stock in general and the availability of a few decent pubs to take a break. Cotteridge does not have a decent pub. Anyway, this Acorns store is your standard charity shop outlet - clothes, books, records, bric-a-brac, and all, of course, at the bargain prices you'd expect from such an outlet. As with most of the shops in Cotteridge, it's quite small and can get cramped with other shoppers, so if you want to do some serious browsing and digging, I'd recommend a weekday visit.

Acorns is a very important charity in Birmingham, and therefore I think it is vital to continue to…read moreuse their shops. Acorns itself is a hospice which looks after very poorly children and their families, they do an amazing amount of good work but with very little (if any) government money. A disgrace, but this review is not a debate into funding. Just up the road from the hospice itself is the Acorns Hospice shop, a charity shop where you can both donate your unwanted items and buy stuff you might need. I do both, but must admit I prefer the buying experience. Acorns is laid out really well, they mostly sell clothing but also have a very good selection of books and toys. The clothing is generally very good, although because this shop depends on donations the selection and quality of items for sale varies daily. All sizes are catered for and there is a surprisingly good selection of larger sizes, my friend is a size 22 and she can always find something she likes. Unlike most charity shops which sell nothing decent above an 18. I love the choice of childrens' clothes in here, they seem to have a much better selection than other charity shops I've visted in the area. A lot of the kids clothes you can't tell are second hand either, which makes it a lot more attractive to my 12 year old fashion victim who hates me buying her anything with a faded label! Baby clothes available are all brilliant quality and sometimes there are some total bargains to be had, recently they had some babygrows packed in little food bags which were only 20p each. I picked out 15 because my daughter was desperate for them and was thrilled when I got home to discover they were Disney Baby and would have cost me a fortune to buy them in the shops! There's also a small selection of homewares and ornaments in Acorns, nothing that really floats my boat to be honest although I have bought several brand new gift sets and candles for stocking fillers recently. I always buy a few books for myself and the kids' in Acorns, sometimes this is because there are no clothes I fancy but I still want to support the shop. There are a good selection and always something on the book shelf that I want to read, and as they're priced between 49p and £1.50 this is a much cheaper way of getting your reading fix than going to shops like WHSmith or even the budget books in th supermarket.

Acorns Children Hospice Charity shop is a fantastic charity shop in the centre of Bedworth town. It…read morehas always got really high quality items for sale in there at really good prices. My favourite thing to collect is tea sets, and Acorns has often got beautiful tea sets in the window. I recently bought a gorgeous 6 piece coffee set from there: 6 cups and saucers, a milk jug, sugar bowl and coffee pot, in a beautiful sweet pea design, all in fantastic condition no chips cracks of crazing, for the princely sum of £2!!! Another great thing about Acorns is that it always has a great selection of books in excellent condition and they are always £1 no matter how new / old the print run.

The ongoing recession has seen a surge in demand for charity shops. Consumerism is still in full…read moreforce in today's society, we just do not have the funds to support it. So we are increasingly turning to charity shops to fulfill our materialistic desires. British Heart Foundation is a worthy cause. Some would suggest that the NHS should cover all areas of healthcare and charity should be reserved for issues abroad. I agree with this perspective to a certain extent, but I am also thankful for the work the Foundation does in trying to raise awareness of heart related health issues. The British Heart Foundation also puts a great deal of its money into research for medicines that save lives. The selection of books in store is not great. Expect plenty of Mills and Boon and read copies of The DaVinchi Code. The clothing selection is quite nice due to the amount of 18-35's that inhabit the area. I wouldn't have a problem finding something that suits my style and age range in here. Many charity shops operate in Kings Heath and British Heart Foundation is one worth checking out.

This is a well-presented charity shop situated on Kings Heath High Street…read more I rarely find clothes or handbags in here as the kind of stuff they get seems to be more modern, you'd be unlikely to find a novel vintage find in here. They do however, tend to get some good DVDs in although they are a bit pricier than most charity shops I've found some really rare £20+ DVDs in there for a fiver which is pretty good going! The staff are really, really friendly in here, the nice lady who normally works there likes to have a little chat and is keen to help. Another strong point is there is rarely any charity shop musty smell in here, it's very clean and usually smells very fresh!

If I pass a charity shop I have to go in and have a look as you never know what you are going to…read morefind. I love it even more when you find good quality charity shops with a range of stock and interesting books. In this one they had a range of recent books that I sadly already owned but I still came out with a great little find for a bargainous price. They have a small range of new stock and its not the biggest charity shop but its well worth a visit to Northfield to check them all out.

I regularly donate to this British Heart Foundation store. They're often making appeals for more…read morestock and I feel compelled to give them a lot stuff that I don't really need but cling on to until I have good reasons to depart with it. And giving it to a charity store gives no better reason to depart with it. The store is a miscellany of unwanted stuff, you can sometimes find nothing that interests you, other times many things. It really depends on what has been recently donated. I wish preventable heart condition weren't so prevalent, but they are. And British Heart Foundation make the admirable effort to help those affected directly and indirectly by all the conditions that can unfortunately cause our hearts to falter.

wyre forest dial aride provides door to door service for people who cannot use public transport-…read moreit's a charity the local wyre forest council are not renewing their grant in 2010 this may result in closure

this shop is the best run charity shop in Sutton coldfield the staff are very friendly welcoming…read morewe are regulars and it's got a lovely family atmosphere and we love it -I go to this shop most days and wouldn't shop anywhere else! they sell great clothes and shoes excellent presentation! well done Shirley and all her team EXCELLENT from Mo and Keira

One of Sutton's oldest charity shops as far as I know (I first ventured in there in about 1994) and…read moreone of it's smartest and most welcoming, Save the Children has always been a favourite charity shop of mine because it's the sort of shop it's almost impossible to find a bad word for (not that I'm trying). This shop deals in a lot of clothes, a fair few books, some children's toys and board games and a handful of records. It's recently had a refit but still exudes the same warm, charity shop charm it has always had. This being Sutton Coldfield, the quality of the cast-offs is pretty damn high so you can be sure that the books are usually in good nick (and usually quite modern) although I'm in no position to comment on the quality of the middle-aged women's blouses or skirts.

Crisis, you may be aware are a national charity that supports the single homeless, however, this is…read moreabout their brilliant local set up, Crisis Skylight Birmingham. I've recently found out about this outreach service that works with homeless and vulnerable adults - those who are in danger of losing the roofs over their head. They run a fantastic 12 week programme that consists of lots of elements, taster sessions to find out about new skills people can learn that may lead to new job and career options. Crisis Skylight work with many organisations to ensure anyone that goes on this programme gets the maximum from it. Having met the Director, Matt Green recently, I know that volunteers are much needed as well as links with local organisations that can help their members. They also have a dedicated person to support those who are interested in the arts so there is great scope for those who shy away from traditional corporate routes to find a career for them.

A wondeful charitable organisation that is truly dedicated to ensuring Sutton Coldfield remain one…read moreof the most beautiful areas to live in!