Hospice News

Shops Stories

We've been celebrating Sustainable September this month and we're inspired by our Henleaze and Downend shops, who are finding innovative ways to continue supporting Sustainable Fashion.

Sarah, Store Manager, noticed that our Henleaze shop was receiving donated items which were high quality but were unable to be sold in store, such as fabric cuts and mismatched duvet sets. The store also received handmade crochet items and, as Sarah commented, "whoever made [them] obviously spent hours and hours making them". After remaining unsold in store, Sarah wanted to give them a new life.

As we are always looking for new ways to reduce waste, Sarah put her love of sewing to use, crafting a range of beautiful upcycled clothing for adults and children, including dungarees, reusable makeup wipes and dresses.

Interest in sustainability is high across Bristol and this was reflected in the popularity of the upcycled items in Henleaze, as Sarah explained: "They’ve sold really well, because people are, especially in this area, all about sustainability".

Meanwhile in Downend, Volunteer Sally has also been busy creating handmade kimonos, handbags and more from donated jeans, jackets and patterned bedding. After retiring, Sally began volunteering in our Downend shop around three years ago and decided to use her seamstress skills to create an elegant and unique range of clothing and accessories.

Sally has been sewing since childhood and is a strong advocate for buying handmade, preloved and upcycled clothing instead of fast fashion. She said: "I’ve been upcycling since I was a little girl because I love to sew! I started out with dolls' clothes and just graduated to my own [clothing]."

The accessibility of upcycling is increasing thanks to social media and the internet - Sarah and Sally both credited Pinterest and Youtube as being a big source of inspiration for their impressive designs.

Sally advised that upcycling doesn't have to be intimidating for newcomers: "Anybody else who wanted to do some upcycling, I'd say choose a simple pattern and you can. You'll get something that's entirely unique, nobody else is going to have one like it."

The amazing upcycled creations made by our staff and volunteers are proof that style doesn't have to cost the Earth. Last year, you helped save over 500,000 bags of preloved items from landfill, through buying clothing and accessories in our shops. With your support, we can continue to care for our planet and for patients in our community.

When you buy an upcycled or donated item of clothing in your local St Peter's Hospice shop, you help us to fund the care of people with serious illnesses in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

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