The Salvation Army Trading Company is always encouraging their Head Office staff to take a day away from their desks and volunteer in their local shop.
Andrew, from our Customer Service Team, gives his account of his day of volunteering in our Stevenage shop:
The Salvation Army have opened their first Donation Centre, a building with the specific purpose of collecting donations from the public to sell in their charity shops both locally and across the UK. The Donation Centre, which opened its doors in West Bromwich in October, was born from the need of more donations to stock The Salvation Army’s chain of charity shops with the thought being that an out-of-town and purpose built centre is more convenient than a small shop in the centre of town. The Salvation Army hope that this new centre will see a great increase in donations, together with a greater breadth including furniture and other household items.
And those of us who are last minute won’t even start shopping until the week before if we’re lucky. But it’s common knowledge that Christmas comes early in the retail world, what with supermarkets selling wrapping paper and mince pies from September and garden centres getting out their Christmas trees at the first sign of frost. So as a retailer we have to keep up with these trends and traditions.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time of love, laughter, family. A time to eat chocolates in front of the television and snuggle up with a blanket. It’s a time of being together. It’s a time of giving.
As Remembrance Day, 11th November, draws closer many of our shops have expressed this in their window displays. Across the country shop teams have gathered to create thoughtful and creative displays incorporating the poppy and other recognisable remembrance items.
The Salvation Army Charity Shop in Wilmslow, tucked away on Water Lane, is a treasure trove of amazing finds. As one of just three ‘Boutique’ Salvation Army shops, it specialises in designer and individual goods, with previous donations including a Gucci handbag, Karen Millen and Ted Baker dresses, an Armani suit and a Diesel watch.
It may be news to many that The Salvation Army operates 13 care homes across the UK. One of these care homes is Youell Court in Coventry, which provides residential care for up to 40 people, many of whom are living with dementia. The home provides specialised support, with organised activities during the week as well as allowing the residents to have the freedom to choose what they do on a day to day basis.
Many of us have already been bitten by the Bake-Off-bug, having been hooked in previous series, so it didn’t take long for us to resume our dreams of becoming baking masters when the BBC sensation returned a couple of weeks ago.
The Salvation Army opened its latest charity shop in the West Midlands town of Shirley this week. The doors officially opened yesterday (Thursday 28 July) at 10.30am at 205 Stratford Road.
When you ask someone to think about the work of The Salvation Army, most often they already understand that the church and charity plays a vital part in helping people who experience homelessness get back on their feet. What they might not know, is that this includes young people as well.
The Salvation Army’s flagship Glasgow charity shop on Dumbarton Road is hosting a designer sale day on Saturday 6 August. From Jo Malone beauty products to Vivienne Westwood shoes, the shop will be stocked with a wide range of high end preloved items for one day only.
The Salvation Army is trialling an innovative monitoring technology with a proportion of its donation banks. As one of the largest textile reuse and recycling operators in the UK, the charity has fitted 104 collection banks in the East Midlands with FarSite’s netBin sensors to monitor fill levels.