Thanks to the enormous generosity of our community, our Donation Centre at Kiln Farm processes hundreds of thousands of donated items each year to sell in our shops. This raises more than a quarter of the income needed to provide the Hospice’s life-changing care each year.
Between Monday 21 September and Sunday 4 October we’re temporarily closing our warehouse to donations, so that we can make some improvements. This means you won’t be able to drop off any donated items to us during this time. However, you can take up to two bags into one of our high street Hospice shops.
Over the two weeks we’ll be working hard behind the scenes to create a better environment for our staff and volunteers, and for you our supporters when you visit with your donations.
We’ll be opening our doors again on Monday 5 October to accept your good quality, pre-loved clothes, homeware, furniture, books, music, toys and more.
Our furniture store at Kiln Farm, next door to the Donation Centre, will still be open as usual during this period. We’ll also be continuing with our furniture collection and house clearance service, which you can book an appointment for online.
Thank you for your support. We’re looking forward to telling you more about our ‘autumn clean’ once we’ve reopened, and how the improvements have helped our teams.
Frequently asked questions
I still want to give my items to Willen Hospice – can I drop them off somewhere else instead?
Yes, during this two-week period you can take a maximum of two bags of donated items into one of our high street shops. We’re especially keen to keep receiving your secondhand homewares and bric-a-brac.
Why are you doing this?
A huge amount of donations are processed in our warehouse, which is open six days a week for you to drop off items. As the number of Hospice shops grows, we need to make sure we’re running as efficiently and safely as possible, and providing our staff and volunteers with the right space and resources to carry out their roles as best they can. Using feedback from our teams, we want to take this time to make improvements to the warehouse and our processes. This will mean the Donation Centre is in the best shape to keep supporting our shops over the next few years.
What are the dates of the temporary closure?
The Donation Centre will close at 3.30pm on Sunday 20 September and reopen at 10am on Monday 5 October.
I volunteer at the Donation Centre – should I still come in?
Yes, please! We’ve communicated the details of the temporary closure to all of our Donation Centre volunteers by email and through an in-person event. If you’re a volunteer and you have any questions, please contact the Donation Centre directly on 01908 578250.
