A KIDLINGTON charity shop manager who feared closure has already seen income soar by an extra £300 a month after drastically reducing prices.

The British Red Cross charity shop on the High Street saw donations plummet to £25,956 in 2014.

According to manager Helen Bianchini, who has run the store for 11 years, this was down from a previous record high of more than £60,000 in 2011.

But since being instructed by her area manager to reduce prices in the shop to £1.99 at the beginning of March, the money has begun to roll in.

Mrs Bianchini, who has lived in Kidlington for 60 years, added: “There was a risk we may have had to close if our intake had gone below £20,000 for the year and I was really worried that we would.

“Our shop was at risk because we were losing donations to give to Red Cross.

“It was a big risk for us to bring down the prices but we have done really well.”

Area manager Roger Leese said the reduction in the shop’s income was down to a number of other shops opening in Kidlington.

The store, which has been open for 20 years, has recently sold items such as a bone china dinner set worth £25 and dresses, shoes, jackets, trousers and jewellery worth more than £15 for £1.99.

Items can still be sold for more if they are declared a “manager’s special”, including a set of glasses being sold for £5 and jewellery sold for £12 – but currently everything else is below £1.99.

Kidlington pensioner Emmanuel Choranji said: “I am here all the time because it has been brilliant since they dropped the prices.

“I recently bought a three-piece suit for £1.99.”

The decision to turn the shop in to a £1.99 shop follows a move by British Red Cross to reduce prices at several of its charity shops across the UK.

Mrs Bianchini, 60, added: “We will stick to this £1.99 because we are making so much more money.”