Giving Demelza a Helping Hand Distributing Donations to Charity Shops Across London.

Axis RLO’s spent their volunteering days giving Demelza a helping hand. The team spent the day sorting and sifting through heaps of clothing that would later be distributed to their charity shops across East Sussex, Kent & South East London.

Fashion is one of the most fast-paced industries in the world. Consumers can purchase a new item of clothing at the click of a button. Prices for most of these items are usually low with, as a result consumers tend to throw them out well before the end of its lifecycle. This has become known as ‘fast fashion’. In 2018, around 350,000 tons of clothing were sent to landfill. Broken down, this works out that out of every 30kg of clothing disposed of, only 4.5kg of it is recycled.

Charity donation centres are places where people can donate old clothes ready to be recycled and given a new life. The revenue accumulated from the sales helps raise money for the chosen charity. Our charity partner Demelza Children’s Hospice is no different. Demelza’s warehouse in Maidstone recycles tons of clothing throughout the year consequently their charity shops are one of their biggest sources of fundraising.

Now that the warehouse has recently opened since lockdown, Demelza’s has been inundated with donations. A team of Axis RLO’s spent their volunteering days giving them a helping hand. The team spent the day sorting and sifting through heaps of clothing, ready to be distributed to their charity shops.

Read below a few of the comments from the volunteers:

I really enjoyed my day volunteering. Didn’t realise what went on behind the scenes and was amazed at how many people were dropping donations off all day. – Donna Trythall

“We had a lovely day at the warehouse and the staff were great to work with. Giving up my time was worth it for such a good cause. The team couldn’t believe how much was brought in to the warehouse, which some was unfortunately turned away as there wasn’t the staff to cope with the vast amounts. Hence why It is so important for each of us to find just one day to volunteer. Can’t wait to do another hopefully before Christmas”. – Martine Hales

“We had a really good day at the depot. It gave us an insight into work behind the scenes at Demelza. Our team sorted through countless black bags and segregated the various items of clothing for allocation to the Demelza stores. I volunteered for this activity because I think it an excellent cause. The day was good fun, but hard work!”. – Sarah Cooper

“Personally I have always supported charities, but Demelza is a charity that does a lot for unwell children and their families when they need it the most. I have really enjoyed doing volunteering and I will definitely do it again. I wish that no one goes through what those children and their parents are going through. It makes me happy knowing that my helping hand has helped the charity. I will most defiantly do it again” – Adila Gredelj

“It was interesting to see how the charity works in the background. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and was happy to be able to give something back”. – Victoria Hurd

The money raised will help Demelza continue to provide care and support for seriously ill children and their families. Click here to view the latest news from Axis Europe.