Barnsley Hospice recycles clothes to help fund staff costs

A hospice is helping to fund its staffing costs by selling and recycling old and second-hand clothing.

Barnsley Hospice says its Retail Hub operation, based in Dodworth, provides a “vital” boost to its fundraising efforts.

Any items it cannot sell are bundled up and sent off to be recycled, with each metric tonne raising enough to pay for a seven-hour nursing shift.

Clinical services head Rebecca Lambert said: “Fundraising is so important for the hospice for us to continue our services … and the retail hub plays a really important part in that.”

The Retail Hub opened in 2020 to sell pre-owned clothes, furniture and toys to help meet the £3.5m the hospice needs to raise to run its services each year.

Members of the public can donate items at the drop-off point at the front desk and there are separate clothing stores for both men and women along with a furniture outlet.

Any items are not deemed sellable are bagged up and sold to a local textiles recycling company, where they are used to create new materials such as insulation, mattress filling, industrial wipers and even new fibres for clothing.

Since the Retail Hub launched it has recycled around 668 metric tonnes of rags to raise money for the hospice.

“If we didn’t have the money, Barnsley Hospice wouldn’t be here,” Ms Lambert added.

John Grant, senior lecturer in Climate Change and Sustainability at Sheffield Hallam University, said he was encouraged by the process adopted by the hub.

“Recycling is always a good idea but alone it won’t save the planet alone,” he said.

“We should really be wearing clothes until they fall apart but if you can recycle those clothes then that is fab.”

Younger customers interested in second-hand shopping have also been increasingly seeking out bargains at the hub.

Lewis Gelder, 25 is in charge of the retro clothing section, Rotation@ the hub, which opened in 2023.

It is this area where vintage and designer clothes are sold.

“The detail is in the sorting,” he said.

“Younger people are really into charity shopping but I also hear older customers saying ‘I used to wear this in the 80’s and 90’s’.”

Pam Orme, a retired volunteer who started working at the hospice charity shop in Penistone ten years ago, volunteers in the women’s clothes shop at the retail hub.

She said people were “very loyal” to the hospice.

“If you’ve been inside, you’ll know it’s amazing,” she said.

“Many of us have dear friends who’ve been cared for there. It’s an excellent place.”

Barnsley Hospice has asked the community to continue to help by shopping sustainably and donating to the hub this month as part of a campaign called Second Hand September.