CHARITY shops are allowed to open again from tomorrow, as the UK eases out of national lockdown.
But which charity shops will be open and how can people donate to Mind, Oxfam and British Red Cross?
? Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
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We explain all you need to know:
Are charity shops allowed open?
Charity shops will be allowed to reopen their physical stores from Monday April 12.
At the beginning of the year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national shutdown across the whole of England.
Charity shops are classified as non-essential, so they were among those that had to shut up shop to customers.
This includes retailers such as Barnardo’s, Oxfam, Mind, Marie Curie, British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross and Sue Ryder.
All these sellers will be allowed to open their doors from tomorrow, if they want to.
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Lots of charity shops have been embracing selling online and now offer click and collect.
For instance, customers can shop online from the Mind and British Red Cross eBay stores and Oxfam has an online shop on its website.
You can support Marie Curie by visiting the eBay store or the online shop
Meanwhile, Sue Ryder has an online shop where you can order new goods as well as an ebay store too, dedicated to preloved items.
The delivery fees on eBay vary between items, while Oxfam charges £3.95 for standard home delivery.
Which charity shops are planning to reopen from Monday 12?
The Sun has checked some of the most popular charity shops to see which are reopening their doors.
- Barnardo’s says shops in England and Wales are opening on the 12th of April, and in Scotland on the 26th April. Shops in Ireland will stay closed.
- Mind Shops in England will open on April 12.
- Oxfam says stores will reopen when possible, in line with government guidance.
- Marie Curie says that some of its stores may have different hours depending on volunteer availability. You can see individual shop y shop updates here.
- British Heart Foundation says all its Wales and England shops will reopen their doors at 10am on Monday April 12.
- British Red Cross has not yet updated its website to show whether shops will be open tomorrow.
- Sue Ryder says it will “look forward to sharing news of reopening as soon as safely possible”.
Can I still make donations to charity shops?
While charity shops such as Mind, Oxfam and British Red Cross are closed, you won’t be able to make donations to them in-store.
However, some will allow you to make donations through the post.
For example, the British Heart Foundation lets you send smaller items such as branded clothing, jewellery and children’s toys for free.
Simply download a label on its website and head to your nearest Collect+ drop-off point with your package, as part of your essential shopping trip.
Once charity shops reopen, donating items will likely be different to how it was before the pandemic.
The Charity Retail Association (CRA) says donations should not be left outside of shop doors or in doorways.
Donors may be directed to “donation’” points, such as empty shops or warehouses, instead.
It is likely that all donations can be quarantined for a minimum for 72 hours to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Some charity shops may accept donations for online sales, so make sure you check their websites.
If you’d like to donate money, most charities will let you do this on their websites too.
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The Prime Minister also announced that Hairdressers will open from April 12 along with gyms.
Working from home measures will remain in place until at least June
A full list of businesses that must stay closed until April 12 was released earlier in the year- with cinemas and bingo halls to stay closed until May 17
Awkward moment Matt Hancock swipes ‘but I’m the health secretary!’ as he’s grilled over lockdown easing timeline
