EVER wondered what happens to the bag of donations you dropped off to your local charity shop?

If you donated it to East Oxford hospice charity Helen & Douglas House, which has the fastest growing chain of charity shops in the country, it could end up on eBay or Amazon or one of its shops.

Each week, thousands of items are given to the charity, ranging from small items of bric-a-brac to valuable furniture.

The trade is worth about £750,000 to the hospices each year.

Retail manager David Cryer said: “As we have become more known for our three furniture stores, more people donate. We are particularly pleased to get it because they are big ticket items, which helps give us the money we really need.”

The charity has five vehicles, two which collect bulky donations from people’s homes, and three which bring items between the shop and the charity’s warehouse in Abingdon.

There is a four-week waiting list for collection.

Mr Cryer said: “One thing we always see is if we make an appeal for something we are short of, it really does come flooding through the doors. We are always amazed by people’s generosity and thankful they are helping keep the hospice running.”

The hospice has 33 shops, with another opening this month.

Donations are dropped off at shops, then sorted before going off to the Abingdon warehouse.

Warehouse manager Richard Morgan is among those who help decide what will go on the shelves and what is worth going on the charity’s eBay or Amazon shops.

He said: “We get absolutely everything, clothing, board games, books, bric-a-brac, cameras, and furniture. Recently we sold a Danish sideboard for £160 on eBay, a silver bowl donated from Chipping Norton for £103, and a novelty teddy bear donated at Banbury which sold on Amazon for £51.

“I have been really impressed with the amount and quality of items coming through.”

Before the furniture goes on sale, Jonathan Barnett spends hours painstakingly restoring the items to get the best value for money.

He said: “I noticed a lot of furniture was going out to shops unrestored and not valued correctly so I started off, once a week, restoring the items and I’m now doing it three days a week often helped by teams of corporate volunteers.”

A lot of pieces are Victorian or Edwardian, but Mr Barnett also works on less attractive modern furniture to make them more appealing.

He said: “I paint it in the shabby chic style, so something which would sell for £20-£30 makes more like £100. It’s something I really love doing and it gives me great satisfaction and gratification that my work is helping towards a really great cause.”

The charity is short of bric-a-brac, which can be donated at any of the charity’s stores. Visit helenanddouglas.org.uk for links to Amazon and eBay shops.

* See tomorrow’s Oxford Mail to find out more about how the staff help keep Helen & Douglas House running.