The Marie Curie Spring Clean appeal gathers high-quality, undamaged items which can be sold in charity’s local shops.
Last year’s appeal saw almost 750 bags donated in less than a week, thanks to the generosity of people in Angus, where Petra lives.
However, Marie Curie spent an astonishing amount of cash disposing of waste items that could not be sold – with one particularly unusual flying donation!
Petra launched the charity’s Spring Clean appeal during lockdown last year.
She told me “Folk really came up trumps for us last year. We had some fantastic donations, including designer clothing, handbags and shoes, a vintage sewing machine, golf clubs – single items that really impact on our bottom line.
“We know the last thing our supporters want is for their donation to cost us money.
“So, we know they will appreciate it when we say, ‘Please think twice before you donate – is this something you’d like to buy again yourself in one of our shops?’
“We had one person who donated a bird cage. Unfortunately the budgie – alive and chirping – was still in it.
“Thankfully the SSPCA stepped in, I’m not quite sure how we would have priced that one…”
Petra has also led an expedition to the Everest base camp to raise money for the charity and embarks on all kinds of things with celebs like Kris Kamara.
Based at Jessie’s Kitchen in Broughty Ferry and supported by Bank of Scotland staff from Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and Fife, 2021’s Marie Curie Spring Clean appeal was launched during lockdown when all charity shops were closed.
The appeal saw Petra and her sister Gwen Erika swamped with hundreds of donations in a matter of days.
Money raised helps fund free professional nursing care for terminally ill people in their own homes.
This year, Petra hopes to hone the harvest by asking donors wherever they are to refocus on what they give: “High-quality items, luxury handbags, shoes or outfits, or well-packaged china or crystal, for example.”
Cutting down on waste
At one time, charities could bank on the average bag of donations earning around £30.
Today that’s dropped closer to £8, as more people donate more goods which charities just can’t sell.
The money spent disposing of waste items in 2021 could have provided free professional nursing care to terminally ill people at home, or in one of their nine UK hospices.
The Marie Curie Spring Clean appeal runs from March 11 to 13 and March 18 to 20 at Jessie’s Kitchen in Dundee.
Donors are asked to package their goods, as if for a house move, in two water-tight bags.