Latest news with #Children'sHospices
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Rag' price slump costs charity £5,000 a week
A children's hospice charity has said a slump in the price of unwanted clothing has been costing it nearly £5,000 a week. East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), which has 52 charity shops across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, said prices for the clothing - known as "rag" - had plummeted by up to 73% over the past three years. The Charity Retail Association (CRA) said the global market had been facing a "perfect storm" of wars, labour shortages and a drop in the quality of second-hand garments. EACH insisted its services would not be cut as a result, but said it was looking at other ways to fundraise. "[Rag] is a valuable income stream to EACH and we're losing nearly £250,000 a year," said the charity's retail director, Ian Nicolson. "On top of that it's the potential landfill it creates as a result - as they're [clothing collectors] no longer picking up our rag, which is up to 11 tonnes every week." EACH, which runs three children's hospices, said the price of rag had fallen from 45p per kg (2.2lb) to 12p per kg over the past three years. In 2024, the charity's total income was £21.1m, of which £7.7m was raised by its charity shops. EACH said it received, on average, about 9,000 bags of donated items each week - of which only four items per bag were good enough to sell. Other items were too dirty, marked or ripped. Like many other charity shops, the unwanted clothing is sold to collectors, and distributed to markets around the world to be resold. Robin Osterley, CRA chief executive, said rag collectors had faced global transportation issues due to conflicts in places such as Africa and Ukraine. "Not only has it reduced income it's also made it harder for charities to get the service they need to clear their back rooms of excess stock," he told the BBC. "It doesn't seem as bad now as it did a year ago when I was receiving almost daily phone calls from clothing collectors and our members saying 'this is all going horribly wrong, what can we do about it?'. "But it's a volatile market and things can change quite quickly." Mr Osterley said market analysis showed its members received "no more than 1.9% of their income" from the sale of used clothing to collectors. A spokesperson for the Textile Recycling Association, said other factors were behind the "economic crisis" facing the industry. "This is driven by the rise of ultra-fast fashion, which is poor quality has no resale value, and a surge in collected clothing without market expansion," they said. "A decade ago, most used clothing came from the UK, USA, and parts of Europe. "Now, collection rates have soared worldwide, with China emerging as the largest source alongside the USA, and Asian countries playing a much bigger role in the trade." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Charity shops are about the thrill of the thrift' Charity shop clothes challenge returns 10 years on Poor quality donations 'costing charities money' East Anglia's Children's Hospices Charity Retail Association Textile Retail Association
BBC News
18-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Rag' price slump costs EACH charity £5k a week
A children's hospice charity has said a slump in the price of unwanted clothing has been costing it nearly £5,000 a Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), which has 52 charity shops across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, said prices for the clothing - known as "rag" - had plummeted by up to 73% over the past three Charity Retail Association (CRA) said the global market had been facing a "perfect storm" of wars, labour shortages and a drop in the quality of second-hand insisted its services would not be cut as a result, but said it was looking at other ways to fundraise. "[Rag] is a valuable income stream to EACH and we're losing nearly £250,000 a year," said the charity's retail director, Ian Nicolson."On top of that it's the potential landfill it creates as a result - as they're [clothing collectors] no longer picking up our rag, which is up to 11 tonnes every week."EACH, which runs three children's hospices, said the price of rag had fallen from 45p per kg (2.2lb) to 12p per kg over the past three 2024, the charity's total income was £21.1m, of which £7.7m was raised by its charity shops. EACH said it received, on average, about 9,000 bags of donated items each week - of which only four items per bag were good enough to items were too dirty, marked or many other charity shops, the unwanted clothing is sold to collectors, and distributed to markets around the world to be Osterley, CRA chief executive, said rag collectors had faced global transportation issues due to conflicts in places such as Africa and Ukraine."Not only has it reduced income it's also made it harder for charities to get the service they need to clear their back rooms of excess stock," he told the BBC."It doesn't seem as bad now as it did a year ago when I was receiving almost daily phone calls from clothing collectors and our members saying 'this is all going horribly wrong, what can we do about it?'."But it's a volatile market and things can change quite quickly."Mr Osterley said market analysis showed its members received "no more than 1.9% of their income" from the sale of used clothing to collectors. A spokesperson for the Textile Recycling Association, said other factors were behind the "economic crisis" facing the industry."This is driven by the rise of ultra-fast fashion, which is poor quality has no resale value, and a surge in collected clothing without market expansion," they said."A decade ago, most used clothing came from the UK, USA, and parts of Europe. "Now, collection rates have soared worldwide, with China emerging as the largest source alongside the USA, and Asian countries playing a much bigger role in the trade." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kate Middleton Spends Day in Wales in Third Public Appearance of the Year
Kate Middleton's gradual return to public duties is continuing today as she is spending the day in Wales. The Princess is making a solo visit to South Wales to carry out two visits to showcase the work of organizations which the Palace described as close to her heart. 'Her Royal Highness' visits will focus on spotlighting the wellbeing of children and families as well as celebrating excellence in Welsh textiles manufacturing – both of which are themes close to The Princess' heart,' Kensington Palace said in a statement about the day. Kate's first stop is the Tŷ Hafan children's hospice near to Cardiff, which opened in 1999 and supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives. The Princess was due to take part in a 'stay and play' session at the hospice as well as meet with bereaved families being supported by Tŷ Hafan. As she arrived, Kensington Palace announced on social media that Kate has become Patron of the hospice. "A proud moment becoming Patron of Tŷ Hafan. Opening in 1999 as Wales' first children's hospice, @tyhafan continues to provide specialist care to children with life-shortening conditions, offering vital support to them and their families, throughout life, at end of life, and beyond," the Palace posted on X. Princess Diana was Patron of the charity when it was in its fundraising stages and King Charles was Patron from 2001 when he was Prince of Wales. This area of work has been a focus for Kate since beginning of her royal life. When she took on her first tranche of patronages in 2012, East Anglia's Children's Hospices was among them. This is Kate's third public outing of the year. On January 14, she made an official visit to the Royal Marsden hospital and opened up about some of the chemotherapy treatment she received there last year for an undisclosed form of cancer. On Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, she joined William meeting with Holocaust survivors at an event in London. For both visits, her attendance was announced publicly at the last minute, and today her arrival in Wales was also under embargo until she appeared. Kensington Palace has emphasized that the Princess's return to official duties will be gradual and dependent on how she feels. She has made it repeatedly clear that her health and her family remain her priority. Prince William said last year that she would hopefully be joining him on trips in 2025. Kate is expected to focus on her key areas of interest, such as the Early Years, as well as moments of national interest where the royal family plays an important role. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
