St Peter’s Hospice encourages quality donations as part of 'Sustainable September' campaign

Bristol charity St Peter’s Hospice is highlighting the importance of high-quality donations this month as part of its Sustainable September campaign.

The charity, which has more than 40 retail shops throughout Bristol, is aiming to reduce the amount of damaged, dirty or unusable donated items in order to cut waste.

Items that are dirty, broken or excessively worn cannot be sold and therefore have to be disposed of, and as the largest non-national charity retailer in the UK, every donation counts.

Image - St Peter’s Hospice Sustainable September campaign

John Broomhead, Retail Director at St Peter’s Hospice, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the public for their continued generosity when donating pre-loved items to our shops. Those items are turned into income which goes towards helping people when they need it the most.

“Our latest Sustainable September campaign is simply asking people to be mindful of those donations and ultimately reduce the amount of waste in our shops.

“Quality counts and unfortunately every year we receive thousands of bags of donations that we can’t sell. Our aim is to keep our shops stocked with stylish, sustainable fashion at affordable prices.”

St Peter’s Hospice shops can be found on high streets across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire and there are two retail superstores in Clifton and Portishead, which specialise in furniture and white goods.

They accept clothing for all ages, sizes and genders that is gently worn, clean and undamaged. Selling everyday staples and more unique, one-off items, the stores also accept retro, vintage and designer pieces too.

Items they can’t receive include dirty, damaged or worn-out clothing, underwear, safety clothing (e.g. helmets, safety harnesses), prescription glasses or real fur (leather items are accepted).

John continued: “Our shops rely on the kindness of donors and we know people give with good intentions.

“We want to avoid taking away precious resources from the people we aim to help. The rule of thumb should be - if you wouldn’t give it to a friend, it may not be suitable for us to sell.”

St Peter’s Hospice cares for adults with life-limiting conditions in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. Funds raised through the charity’s retail outlets go towards providing care to patients and their families. It costs around £30,000 a day to run the Hospice so every donation and every purchase makes a difference.

St Peter’s Hospice was recently named ‘Outstanding Charity Retailer’ at the 2025 Charity Retail Association Awards.

The awards celebrate excellence in charity retail and highlights organisations that go above and beyond in delivering value to their communities.

For more information about St Peter’s Hospice shops visit Our High Street Shops - St Peter's Hospice.