Our charity shops

Our customers' generosity, whether donating items or making purchases, makes a huge difference to the children we support. The support you give us through our shops helps us to enhance the lives of the children who receive care at The Children’s Trust.

We're grateful for the fantastic support we receive in our communities.

Find your local shop

Last year our 14 charity shops raised over £2 million to support children with brain injury. We sell a fantastic range of men's, women's and children's clothes and accessories. We also sell a wide selection of puzzles, games and children’s toys along with DVDs, CDs, records and books to keep our customers entertained.

Our charity shops are run by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who:

  • greet our donors
  • sort donations
  • merchandise our shop and windows
  • serve our customers
  • help with administration
  • make friends and have fun

Support our shops

There are many ways companies, local community groups, schools, colleges, universities and individuals can help support our shops.

From donating end of line stock, holding a stock collection event at work, or at your community group, giving out donation sacks, sorting out at home and promoting our furniture collection service to customers, friends and neighbours.

Volunteer with us and support children with brain injury

Call in to any of our shops to ask about joining our volunteer team to support children with brain injury.

Find out more about volunteering

Find your local shop

Our shops help us raise the funds that allow us to do our good work. With shops in Surrey, Kent and Sussex there are many locations where you can donate your unwanted items or pick up a bargain.

Find your shop
Mayor of Reigate

Gift Aid on donated goods

If you are a UK taxpayer, we can increase the value of your donated goods so you can make it go even further

Find out more

Running a stock collection for your local charity shop

Could you run a stock collection event for The Children’s Trust shops? If not, do you know someone who can?

To find out more about stock generation why not email us to discuss your ideas. Whatever you decide to do will make a real difference and help us to support thousands of children with brain injury and their families every year. 

Just one bag of donated items can raise up to £20.

Last year our 14 charity shops raised over £2 million to support children with brain injury. And we couldn’t have done this without the support of our valued donors.

We’re always looking for good quality items to sell in our shops. You can drop off donations to your local shop; our team are looking forward to your visit.

What can I donate?

We accept a wide range of pre-loved goods and we need over 2,500 bags of donations every week. Here's a list of items that you can donate to help us to support children with brain injury:

  • Shoes and handbags
  • Clothing
  • Accessories
  • Jewellery
  • Bric-a-brac
  • DVDs, CDs and Records
  • Books
  • Children's toys
  • Homeware

Items we can collect for you

  • Small items of furniture (items that would typically go into a car)
  • Small electrical items – working and as new only.

Contact our Head Office to arrange collection of furniture on 01737 364 377 or email retailenquiries@thechildrenstrust.org.uk

We can also collect clothing, accessories, jewellery, CDs and DVDs, books, children's toys and bric-a-brac at the same time.

Please make sure that if you are donating items to us, that they are clean and in good working condition.

...and some things we can't sell

There are some things we can't sell for safety or legal reasons. If you're not sure if we can sell your donations, please take a look at our list below.

Furniture and household items
  • Upholstered furniture without a fire label including items without labels that are part of donated sets.
  • Upholstered furniture with large tears or damage.
  • Furniture with missing parts or damage that may make the item unsafe.
  • Veneered wood furniture with damage to the veneer exposing the inner wood.
  • Candles without instructions.
Electrical items
  • White goods.
  • Electric blankets.
  • Electric showers.
  • Sunbeds and tanning equipment.
  • Waste disposal units.
  • Power tools without instructions.
  • Gas appliances (mains or bottled).
  • Oil filled radiators (not supplied with a thermostat).
  • Storage heaters hardwired.
Sports and safety equipment
  • Buoyancy aids, lifejackets, inflatable dinghies unless new and boxed.
  • Safety helmets, riding hats, crash helmets, cycle helmets.
  • Safety harnesses of any sort.
  • Firefighting equipment.
  • Children's car seats.
  • Toys without a CE mark.
  • Software and hardware.
  • Home recorded DVDs, video and audiotapes, computer games and software on recordable CDs and DVDs.
  • Weapons, knives, swords, sword stocks, crossbows.
  • Guns and ammunition (including replica guns).
Miscellaneous
  • Duvets and pillows that have been used.
  • Medication including vitamins.
  • Prescriptions spectacles.
  • Ivory.
  • Petrol or diesel fuelled garden tools such as lawnmowers.
  • Real fur items.