Swap Shop raises money for cancer caring centre Maggie’s

Nottingham pub The Orange Tree has raised more than £100 after staging a swap shop in aid of cancer caring centre Maggie’s.

The event at the pub in Shakespeare Street was the ideal opportunity to swap unwanted Christmas presents, freshen up a wardrobe, bag a bargain or trade redundant items for something different.

Clothes swapping events have become particularly popular in the current economic climate, as fashion fans aim to revamp their look without shelling out a fortune. But this event went one step further by offering people the chance to swap not only clothes but anything that they no longer wanted – from unwanted gifts to duplicate items.

“It was a great success and we were delighted by the turn-out,” said Orange Tree general manager Mel Newbold. “It was a very environmentally friendly way of gaining some new outfits or new items. We estimate that around 200 items were swapped.”

The £107 proceeds from the event will be donated to the £3 million Maggie’s centre, which was officially opened in November at Nottingham City Hospital following a huge fund-raising appeal locally.

The centre, which offers free emotional, psychological and practical support to patients and their families, needs to raise £350,000 a year towards operating costs.

“We’ve supported Maggie’s for quite a while now, with our club card scheme, and we’re delighted that our customers got behind the event,” said Mel.

Any items left over from the swap shop event were passed to the Inspire charity shop, which supports people with learning disabilities, which is near The Orange Tree.

www.orangetree.co.uk

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