Other options

• The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) run Nearly New Sales for children's clothes and toys – you can buy and sell items – visit http://www.nct.org.uk/
• Vintage sales – you can buy and sell retro clothes and textiles at these sales and pick up some real bargains

Shoe recycling

You can recycle shoes in the textile banks at Household Recycling Centres, try to keep shoes in pairs where possible (put an elastic band around shoes without laces or tie laces together), otherwise they cannot be reused.

Charity bag recycling

There are an increasing number of textiles recycling bags being delivered to householders in the two counties. Some of these are being delivered by legitimate charities, however many are being delivered by companies or businesses who are collecting clothes to resell for profit. Often they cleverly create the impression that they are associated with a charity when they are not.

It is recommended that individuals carefully read the small print on the bags to ensure that any textiles donated will go to a legitimate charity. If you have any concerns you can check with the Charities Commission.
Should you think that the collection may be a scam you can contact Consumer Direct who will refer the matter to the most appropriate Trading Standards or Regulatory Services team.