Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stunning dresses donated to charity
IF all you want for Christmas is a glitzy gown — then you may just be in luck.
A total of 220 brand new bridesmaid dresses — worth as much as £200 each — have been donated to a Dundee charity shop and are being sold for £25 each.
The dresses were donated to St Margaret of Scotland Hospice unit in the Wellgate by a Broughty Ferry bridal shop. The store has chosen to remain anonymous.
The gowns, all bridesmaid dresses but also ideal for glitzy dinner dances and parties, are all unworn and with original labels attached.
The dresses were handed in to the shop after manager Paul Smith completed one of his weekly drives around the city earlier this year, distributing leaflets asking for donations.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted at this donation, which is a total one-off — especially for a small independent charity like ourselves.
“We are grateful for every item and carrier bag which we receive but this is an extra special boost, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
“It’s a win-win situation, we boost our funds considerably and the customers get a brand new dress at a bargain price.”
Paul continued, “We have many customers who want to give back to the hospice, where perhaps their mum or dad have spent time.
“In fact, we were the first St Margaret of Scotland Hospice shop to open outwith the Glasgow area so they really took a chance on us.
“However, eight years on, we’ve been so busy and the Dundee people really have taken us to their hearts.
“We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the donors of these dresses and to everyone else who has handed goods in within the last year.”
Wellgate manager Peter Aitken said it was a “fantastic story” which highlighted the generosity of Dundee people. He added: “It’s a lovely gesture.” St Margaret of Scotland Hospice is the oldest and largest hospice in Scotland.
It welcomes people from all over Scotland and Paul routinely receives donations from local people whose family members have spent time there.
Since its doors opened in 1950, the hospice has touched the lives of thousands of patients with advanced lifelimiting illnesses and older people with complex medical and nursing needs.
A number of the dresses have already been sold.