Keech shops could lose out to rag collectors

Local charities could be missing out on up to £250,000 in donations per year because of rag trade collectors.

That’s the claim being made by Keech Hospice Care which says it has seen the rate of donations to its charity shops take a plunge since the onset of house to house collections being made for the rag trade across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.

“We estimate that in terms of stock value, we could be losing out on as much as £5,000 per week, which equates to a huge £250,000 per year!” explained Keech’s Retail Manager, Philip Kojcinovic. “The rag collectors are constantly putting sacks through people’s doors, sometimes paying households directly and on other occasions paying only nominal amounts to the charities whose branding they use. Doorstep collections may be convenient but they are not always the best way for people to donate their unwanted items. By taking them directly to a charity shop, they can be assured that they will be put to good use straight away.”

Keech Hospice Care has 17 charity shops across the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes region which help to raise funds for the charity’s adult and children’s hospice services. The charity will soon be opening its 18^th shop in Marsh Road, Leagrave.

Philip added: “Keech receives so little of its funding from statutory sources and that means it’s an uphill struggle every year for us to raise all the money we need to keep our care services going. Our shops play an important role in helping to raise funds for the charity but they need a regular supply of good quality stock. We would very much like to encourage people to take donations to reputable charity shops like ours instead of using unknown doorstep collectors.”