Under a Caradon District Council initiative, a small team of adults with learning disabilities has been given a work placement at Oxfam shops to sort donated clothing into different grades. The group meets once a week to sort through clothing and this has helped to boost sales in two shops in the district by 55% and 15% in the last six weeks.
Councillor Ivor Nichols, from Caradon District Council, which provides the premises for the scheme, said: “It’s a terrific example of a partnership scheme where everyone benefits. Social Services has good work placements for its clients, the Oxfam shops have fresh stock ready when they need it and less waste goes to landfill in the Caradon area.”
The six volunteers sort through around 50 black sacks of donated clothes each week and separate them into saleable items and those that will be recycled as rags. Each item is checked for snags, stains, broken zips and anything else that might make it difficult to sell. The clothes that are suitable for the shops are put on hangers and sorted ready for restocking.
Lucy McDonald, manager of the Liskeard and Callington’s Oxfam shops, said: “This project has made a tremendous difference to us. Our Callington shop has a tiny workroom only just large enough for a single volunteer and the clothes. In the past the donations by the public have been so generous that it has sometimes been difficult for us to keep up with the sorting. With six volunteers we can classify enough clothes to keep both shops well stocked, and our sales have risen significantly as a result. The project also means that our other volunteers have had time to turn their efforts to jobs like redecorating the Callington shop.”
Karen Hockin, Social Services community placement officer, said: “We hope that this will be the start of solid partnership between Social Services and Caradon District Council. Some of our clients need a supported environment, while others are able to cope with more independent placements. We’ll be exploring other projects with Caradon to see whether our clients can get involved in doing something for their community.”
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