Community shops

The first stage will involve opening 11 shops across England, including six of our Mary’s Living & Giving shops & 5 local community shops, with a target of getting the remaining shops open as soon as it is safe to do so. A list of the shops that will be opening can be found here.

Protective measures that Save the Children are planning include placing donations and returns in isolation for 72 hours, installing till guards at till points and supplying hand sanitiser for staff, volunteers and supporters. Signage has been created to help manage social distancing & contactless payment will be preferred where possible too (click here for our full health and safety statement).

The approach to accepting donations will be different for each shop, depending on storage facilities so please call ahead when you’re ready to donate to check the best time for your local store.

Your preloved items will be hugely appreciated once we're back up and running, so please do hold onto anything you wish to donate until then or order a donation bag from us here .

In the meantime our online shop is still open

Our community charity shops across the UK help children survive and thrive - find your nearest with our map tool

Our business is built on acts of kindness. By giving to us, you can be sure the proceeds of your donation will contribute towards saving children's lives. If you are an individual making a donation, you can drop it off at our stores (see stores for opening times).

You can be sure your donation will be treated respectfully, merchandised carefully and priced sensibly.

Does the quality matter?

Do you collect items?

Sadly, no. We are generally unable to offer this service.  If you have a high value item, please contact your local shop manager.

Can I volunteer in a shop?

Of course. We’re always on the lookout for talented people who can help us stand out from the competition. It’s a great way to meet people and learn new skills. And you'll be helping children not just survive, but thrive, and go on to change the world. Please contact your local shop directly or email us at volunteersupport@savethechildren.org.uk. You can also call us on 020 7012 6997.

Can I Gift Aid my donations?

Yes! Retail Gift Aid allows charity shops to claim Gift Aid on the proceeds of sales made on behalf of donors who are UK taxpayers. The process takes the following format:

A taxpayer donates items to our shop, agrees to the scheme, completes a Gift Aid declaration form and receives a unique identification reference number.

We contact the donor to inform them that the items have sold and how much for.

The donor then has the option to take the money (minus commission fee + VAT), or to turn it into a cash donation to Save the Children with Gift Aid added.

Please read our Retail Gift Aid terms and conditions for more information.