‘Fill a bag for a fiver’ returns to Hull charity shop with a Black Friday bonanza and lots of festive goodies

A charity shop supporting rescued dogs is holding a “fill a bag for a fiver” initiative, hoping to give local families some real pre-Christmas bargains as well as a boost to funds.

Oakwood Dog Rescue charity shop, in King Edward Street, runs the offer about once a month, when it sees a real upturn in trade. On this occasion, with a full Black Friday weekend of opportunities available to buyers, the shop is hopeful that it will see lots of new people through the doors on top of its regular shoppers.

Meg Morris, manager of the city centre charity shop, said: “We do a ‘fill a bag for a fiver’ sale where customers come in, pick up one of our bags and fill it to the brim with clothes, books, DVDs, bric a brac etc - and only pay £5. We get whole families coming in and they pick up a bag each to fill.

READ MORE: The catchy festive tune written and recorded in Hull that could be Christmas number one

READ MORE: Hull & East Yorkshire MPs split on smoking ban plan

“We’re running the next one from Friday to Sunday, November 29 to December 1. It’s a chance for people to shop more sustainably, do some Christmas shopping, get a winter coat and boots, and all for £5.

“We’ve got books, shoes, DVDs, hats, gloves, scarves, coats, some Christmas jumpers and kids’ books plus toys, plus we have Christmas items like stockings, baubles, all sorts. We supply the bags and we actually help to push the contents down so people can fit more in their bags; it’s anything from the shop.

• Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter

“The ‘fill a bag for a fiver’ days are usually our best days for trading. A regular amount is around £170 a day but we see about £300 in takings on fill a bag days, so it makes a lot of difference to us as a charity.

“People can support us in all sorts of ways, by donating items for us to sell, coming to buy from our shops, and we also encourage people to save their small change in recycled jars that we provide in the shop. They fill them with their pennies and bring them back full.

“People also help by sharing our posts on social media and spreading the word. We are a Hull charity and everything we make stays in Hull.”

Oakwood Dog Rescue saves dogs from the “kill line” in Romania. “We always want to do more and rescue more,” said Meg. “We have just had a good number of adoptions but as soon as one dog goes out, there is another rescue one.

“Saving more lives does get more and more expensive. We do keep our prices low in the charity shops; we’re trying to do our bit for the local community as well rescuing the dogs, so people can afford to come in and get the winter clothes and shoes they need.”

Oakwood Dog Rescue charity shop, at 45 King Edward Street, will be open for its “fill a bag” event on Friday and Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm and on Sunday from 10am to 3pm. For more information, find Oakwood Dog Rescue Charity Shop King Edward Street on Facebook.