I love a good charity shop. I tells you a fair bit about the neighbourhood. In Windsor, they are…read morefull of good clothes, partially worn, and trinkets that look enticingly as if they might be valuable. So when I spotted the North Devon Hospice, I had to go in and look around. The local story, for me, was the huge interest in books and of videos. For example, I picked up the video 'A Beautiful Mind' for about £3, and several childrens' books in the 50p-£1 price range. Like many charity shops, the fabric of the building was shockingly dilapidated, which suggests that the building had perhaps been gifted to North Devon Hospice, and they do not have the resources to maintain it. I guess that is the way with many charities, who see the choice between giving the money way and spending it on their own infrastructure as a moral one, with the charitable recipients taking priority. Either that, or the average North Devon Hospice volunteer is not adept at shinning up a ladder and applying a coat of paint to the woodwork. But I digress if you are in this part of Devon, and you want to buy a book or video, for everyone's sake don't buy new until you have at least tried second-hand.

The shop itself is a little run down and could do with some tlc. It has a good range of secondhand…read moreitems, which are always worth browsing through for bargains. The staff are charming and chatty. Its a great cause, and id certainly recommend droppingin if youre passing by.

Scope is one of the best charity shops in Barnstaple. It has had a recent refurbishment and now has…read moretwo floors of goods ranging from clothes and books to cd's and soft toys. The goods are well sorted and you tend to get the higher end of items with no tat, hence the prices are a bit higher but it saves a lot of hunting through rubbish. The store is always clean and tidy.

Tarka books in Bear Street Barnstaple is a proper old fashioned bookstore. Selling everything from…read morethe latest paperbacks to old and rare second hand books it is the kind of place that you can spend hours in browsing the shelves. Every subject is covered from history to music, arts and science fiction and the owner knows his stuff about books-a nice place to waste a couple of hours just browsing, but please buy to keep him going, it would be a shame to lose another traditional shop.

I like the fact that the Fiona who owns the shop never finds it too much trouble to help her…read morecustomers whether the order is large or small.The shop is full of great books from floor to ceiling.I am glad that i can help in a small way once a year by taking over the reigns with a fellow friend. Kind regards to Fiona,Frances and Geoff

I love browsing around this large store! It's full of clothes at knock-down prices so you can find…read morelots of real bargains. Fashions for men, women and children, including coats and nightwear. Definitely worth a look - you never know what you might find! It's in the main shopping street, down at the end and not far from the Rolle Quay Car Park.

This is quite a big sized store. It is easy to find what you're looking for in the store as all the…read moreclothes in each age group etc is together. I do find the shop gets quite messy though as when people pick the clothes that are folded up to check the sizes they don't fold them up when they put them back. There are two checkout desks one for when you buy from the male side and one from the female but it doesn't really matter which you use. There is also an information desk by the changing rooms. The people on the counter are normally very helpful. The shop can get very busy especially on a Saturday so you could be queuing at the checkout for a while or to get in the changing room. The shop also gets very hot so if there is a big queue I normally don't end up getting anything. The shop is very cheap though and there are always lots of bargains.

New Look is situated in the High Street in Bideford. There is limited parking outside but plenty of…read morenearby car parks. This is one of New Look's smaller stores and stocks ladies clothing, a small section of underwear and shoes, jewellery and a few gifts. There are changing rooms at the back of the shop to try on the clothes. The prices are very reasonable and there is usually a rail of clothing that is reduced. I find their jeans range very comfortable and long lasting. The staff in this store are very friendly, polite and always ask if you need any help. If there's something in particular ypou are looking for they go out of their way to help you. My only issue with store is that its just too small!

Animal in Barnstaple High Street is a fairly small store that sells mens, ladies and childrens…read morebranded surf wear clothing and accessories. The clothing includes t shirts, jumpers, jeans and skirts. It is of really good quality and lovely fit but can be quite expensive. The best time is to go during their many sales. Their accessories include bags, wallets and jewllery. I really love their bags which come in many sizes and include rucksacks. Colours vary during seasons. There is also a range of shoes at the back of the store that includes other brands than just Animal. Again the best time to look at the shoes is when they're reduced as they are bit costly - but are of good quality.

A small branch of this store but nice to look around. Although the clothes are usually quite…read moreexpensive, there are often some rails of sale clothes, especially fleeces, so you can find a bargain or two (as I have done)! There's a seat provided for elderly people or where bored husbands can sit while they're waiting (!) The staff are quite friendly.

The Blue Gallery situated in joy Street is a small arts and crafts supplier. They have a good range…read moreof products including painting supplies, a cross stitch and embroidery section at the back of the store and craft supplies at the front. They do concentrate more on art and painting than the more 'fashionable' crafts such as cardmaking and scrapbooking so if you are after these then you will need to look elsewhere.