Did you know that the government only funds 25-30% of hospice care in this country?…read more Did you know that the credit crunch has caused a significant fall in donations to hospices in this country? Did you know that a lot of hospice beds are being shut due to lack of funding? Please support your local hospice. Hopefully, you'll never need their services but if you do, it would be nice to know that there will be someone there to support you and the family in your time of need

This revamped shop is far more modern and organised than the ones you could not move in for junk in…read morethe old days.

I love, love charity shops, be it in London or in small villages in the countryside. The fact that…read moreit is really hard to find there things you really like is part of their charm. Rarely will you find as many cheap and quirky things as you will in this place. It is crammed with accessories, kitchenalia, glass, decanters, vintage clocks, frames... I came 20 minutes before closing time and still managed to find four items I fell in love with (for £17). Another amazing little find... Battle is a must not only for history geeks, but also for charity shops lovers :)

Always enjoy a trip to Battle and always make a point of calling at St `Michael's Hospice shop…read more Very pleasant staff and we always come away with an armful of goodies!

This good old-fashioned charity shop situated on Kemp Town's St James' Street is certainly not for…read moreeveryone. When comparing it with Oxfam's flashy locally designed clothes just up the road on North Street, or even with the colour co-ordinated rails of Kemp Town's neighbouring charity shops, you may well turn your nose up at this one. It's dark, dingy and disorganised. It can even smell pretty bad. However, if you're not too sneeze-prone and have a bit of time for a good rummage this place is definitely worth a visit. Although maybe don't even bother if you suffer from OCD - with its disarray of items, and seemingly no discerning judge of what makes the shelves, it is hard to resist the temptation to give The Friends Shop a thorough clean and tidy. But for the dedicatedly thrifty amongst us the prices are dirt cheap - all books are 50p for example and clothes much the same. Make a few trips, have a good rummage, and you're sure to find a bargain you'll be proud of. Well, eventually. One of Brighton's hot spots it may not be, but I feel strangely fond of The Friends Shop. It recalls those days of yesteryear before charity shops were popularized by magazines and celebrities, and thus anything vaguely nice always ransacked by an earlier bargain hunter. And with money raised supporting local hospital and healthcare facilities, at least there's one clear excuse for that 'bound to come in handy' item you end up buying.

Before charity shops caught onto the fact that they were sitting on a goldmine of retro treasure,…read moreand hiked up their prices, you could get any number of things for less than 50p. Friends however, still maintains this old school ethos or maybe no-one told them about inflation. Either way, have fun rifling through the rails as bric-a-brac drips from the cluttered walls. There is so much packed into a small space that it takes a surprisingly long time to get around it all. Best of all is that they have already concocted different fancy dress outfits from the random jumble, genius.

I was looking forward to rummaging through Oxfam in Richmond on account of the theory that Richmond…read moreresidents must be donating some grade A clothes - plenty of them make enough money to have designer wardrobes, so I surmised that a least a percentage would end up in the charity shops. Alas, the young Richmond residents don't seem to be donating much to there local charity. While there were quite a few rails of clothes, they were mainly in the 50+ age bracket. Well done middle aged Richmond! Shame on the youngsters! What I was impressed with though, was the amount of books that were on offer. So many that they were categorised; Literature, Biography, History and Mind Body and Spirit. This gives you a sense of the reading materials of Richmond. The Mind Body Spirit section was big! I was also surprised to see sweets and chocolates. You don't get this at my local. There was a lot of Fair Trade chocolates, and the Divine chocolate range, which I often see in Selfridges for three times the price. There was also a bit of the Burnt Sugar range sold here, this is the organic fudge made in different flavours. I know where all my family are going to get their Christmas chocs this year!

this is a great oxfam , always worth a look as stock good quality clothes including max mara and…read moreralph lauren plus excellent home pieces at very good prices

Junk, the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up [syn: debris, dust, rubble,…read moredetritus] Shop, a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services; "he bought it at a shop on Cape Cod" [syn: store] Basically this is a place where you can purchase nonsense that you didn't even want or realise you needed. It's also a little bit amazing! Run by 2 old geezers Alice S is right, there is a ramshackle collection of stuff the you just wouldn't put together, Actually if you are in the business for a bargain you may find one here, I can't put a name on what they sell but there is a huge collection of nonsense to browse. Seriously, It's a lovely place, go visit!

I don't know where else in South London you can find an antique javelin, a birdcage and an…read moreautobiography of Frank Sinatra on the same table. The Junk Shop is an Aladdin's cave of rubbish/treasure on Greenwich South Street. The stock varies from biographies and historical artifacts (mainly right wing paraphernalia- a Daily Mail series on the modern monarchy, an enormous hardback on the Third Reich and a Thatcher biography) Amongst all the military-themed bits of tat, there are actually some very good finds- there were some cool old 1950s Christmas cards, some 1960s newspapers in excellent condition and some beautiful vintage postcards. It is a funny old place but definitely worth a rummage through.

I think now one can feel pretty safe in saying that it's common knowledge that "thrift-store chic",…read moremore often than not, is a mere farce. The actuality of it is: the coolest kids on that block have spent far too much money on looking "cheap" to be able to consider them thrifty at all. Not that there's anything wrong with this... I'm by no means the coolest kid on the block, but I too (like most) have be known to indulge on items of clothing that are a little out of my budget. I do, however, also have a little trick up my sleeve: the Walworth Road charity shops, Salvation Army in particular. Charity shopping requires dedication. I may have an upper hand having easy access to Walworth Road, but more often than not I manage to walk away from the Salvation Army shop a happy man (and believe it or not, being tall and skinny it's incredibly hard to find well fitting clothes so give us a break!). Although these clothes haven't received the tailoring and haberdashery that you would find in a high end boutique, I have managed to find both lambs wool and cashmere sweaters; as well a fine array of jackets; and the odd guilty pleasure plaid shirt, all for very little money. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some kind of magic fashion shop were they sell everything you want for a few bob, but the odd finds you get from here seem to make it worthwhile. The staff are an admirable group of friendly locals who seem to love a radio station stuck in the 1960s; and aside from your fashion needs there is a fine selection of quick reads, as well as quirky trinkets to help decorate your home. No you won't be able to buy your winter wardrobe here, but it's worth a look in just in case.

We have three main charity shops in Molesey. I wouldn't say one is particularly better than the…read moreother - its always hitting all three when you are on the prowl. I would suggest that Queen Elizabeth's foundation is for the... um, mature lady. I sometimes come for a rummage to see if anything has turned up from Topshop, but I am unlikely to find it here. There is not really anything here to suit a 20- something, unless you are an incredibly creative 20 -something. Still, I have my fall back if I don't see any clothes that I like - I head for the books. When I am in charity shops I like to indulge my inner old dear. I look for books by Agatha Christie - I love Poirot, more than a young un possibly should. I think charity shops are great for books, they inspire you to pick up something that you wouldn't necessarily read. I found the complete trilogy of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials in hard cover. I saw that it was originally £25.00, and I was sold it for £2.00. Now that, my friends, is what you would call a bargain.

QEF (Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is a popular charity shop that is on the main high street, so…read moretherefore is one of the busier in Molesey (busy is a relative word, it isn't busy compared to central London!). Any guy who goes charity shop shopping understands that 90% of shops are dominated by women's clothing, and all that is left for guys is oversized suit trousers, short sleeve shirts, polo shirts and hawaiian shorts. Always the same poor quality goods. But QEF has surprised me! The majority of times I have come in, I have found something decent. Fitted shirts, sweatshirts and shoes. To find quality clothes for a 23 year old man in a charity shop is a challenge as I don't look the best in old man clothing. Another selling point to this place is that they have a '£1 rail' for both men and women and they actually do have some decent t-shirts in here. I like this place!!