Shopping is a great gift for our animals
SO, how are you doing? Cards posted? Presents bought and wrapped? Tree and house decorated? Christmas party outfit hanging in the wardrobe? (Or possibly it’s already lying crumpled in a red wine-stained heap on the bedroom floor…)
December brings with it a huge pressure to buy ‘stuff ’. Christmas cards, gifts for family and friends, a festive jumper, advent calendars, some new decorations for the home, perhaps a nice new hat and scarf now the weather’s colder, maybe a new table for the Christmas dinner, a new sofa to relax on after the aforementioned dinner, crockery, table linen, candle-holders…the list goes on!
The good news is that you do not have to spend a fortune – all of these things can be found in your local charity shop.
We have three shops within our branch area, in Hillingdon (12 Crescent Parade, Uxbridge Road UB10 0LG, 01895 272 279), Ashford (89 Church Road TW15 2PE, 01784 423 882) and Cippenham (Unit 3, 23 Elmshott Lane SL1 5QS, 01628 662 219).
All are full to bursting with good-quality festive items – many in ‘as new’ condition.
Our Ashford shop has a good selection of furniture and all shops carry an ever-changing selection of clothes, books, household goods and bric-a-brac.
Come along and admire the jolly festive displays that our talented staff and volunteers have put together in the windows. You will receive a warm welcome and be able to tick a few items off your list as well.
Charity shops are a happy antidote to the consumerist world in which we live.
As Gaby Hinsliff wrote in the Guardian this week: “People don’t like to feel as if they’re draining a finite supply of raw materials just to buy things they don’t need.”
Concern for the environment makes us want to recycle more and avoid buying too many mass-produced things which are destined to be discarded. Many of us would like to do more for charity, but are restricted by our finances. Charity shops are the answer.
You can find unique, individual gifts, decorations and homewares – pre-loved, vintage, antique, or still new and boxed – at very reasonable prices, as well as beautiful Christmas cards, and know that the money you spend will be going to a good cause.
Without our three charity shops, we would not be able to help the thousands of animals we help each year.
As a self-funding, independently registered charity, our shops provide a huge part of our income.
Everything you buy provides much needed funds to help animals in need.
So this Christmas, please make an effort to go into your local RSPCA charity shop and see what you can find.
As well as bagging a bargain, you can also donate to our Christmas appeal in-store – you will find collection boxes on the counter.
Why not consider a new year’s resolution to volunteer some time in one of our shops – just ask a member of staff for more details.
Over in the cattery, the busy kitten season which started in the summer is finally coming to an end.
We now have a number of young kittens and older cats who are ready to be adopted into a caring new home, so that they can start their happy new lives.
Bridget (tabby) and Jason (black) are two of our kittens hoping that their dreams of a new home will come true.
They are 13 weeks old, and looking for a happy life with a family who will love and look after them.
Visit www. rspcahillingdonclinic.org. uk to view all of our animals and download an adoption application form.
As the days turn wetter and colder, we are grateful for any donations of old sheets and blankets to use for bedding for the animals.
These can be brought into our clinic at 16 Crescent Parade, Hillingdon UB10 0LG.
We are also urgently in need of kitten food, as we have a lot of young feline mouths to feed. Thank you.