Charity shops vital to helping people back into work, says Demos survey

According to research by the think tank, two-thirds of charity shop volunteers felt this had helped their employment prospects

Volunteering at charity shops plays a vital role in helping unemployed people gain paid employment and has a positive effect on local communities and high streets, according to new research from the think tank Demos.

The research, which is based partly on a survey of 650 charity shop managers and volunteers carried out in 2016 and 2017, follows similar research released in 2013. Researchers this time found that two-thirds of charity shop volunteers felt their role had improved their employment prospects.

Seventy-five per cent of the volunteers surveyed said they gained new skills, and 73 per cent said volunteering at charity shops had helped their self-esteem and confidence.

Most charity shop managers said they believed charity shops were positive additions to high streets, with about two-thirds saying their premises would otherwise be left empty if the charity shop did not exist.

Demos also found that charity shops saved local councils £27m between 2015 and 2016 by diverting clothes and other goods from landfill.

A separate poll of 2,000 members of the public found a generational divide on whether charity shops were positive for high streets, with younger people more likely to see charity shops as cost-effective, environmentally friendly and trendy.

In contrast, many older people said they thought that the appearance of charity shops was a sign of an unhealthy high street.

According to the research, three-quarters of charity shop managers were satisfied in their roles, although 55 per cent found the job either stressful or very stressful.

Volunteers were generally motivated to help out at charity shops in order to contribute to the specific charity, charity in general or to their communities, the research found.

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Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said: “From environmental benefit and getting people back into work to improving the confidence and wellbeing of the more vulnerable members of our society, charity shops continue to give far-reaching benefits to their local communities.

“In addition, this report makes it clear that a volunteering revolution would not only benefit the sector but would also help communities all over the country.”

The report’s author, Peter Harrison-Evans, said that the charity shop sector faced an “image problem”, despite its positive impact on communities and volunteers.

“Exactly half of those polled wanted to see fewer charity shops on the high street,” he said.

“That said, Demos finds that this view is strongly mediated by the use of charity shops and demographic factors, with younger people far more likely to see them as valuable assets.”

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Modernising of legacy law is vital, says Remember A Charity

The legacy consortium is backing proposals in a consultation on the issue launched by the Law Commission

Plans to modernise the law on the making of wills could be crucial to encouraging more people to leave charitable donations in their bequests, according to the legacy consortium Remember A Charity.

The Law Commission has launched a consultation on proposed changes to legacy law, which it says is outdated and often does not allow courts to implement people’s wishes, even if they are clear, because they have not followed legal procedure entirely correctly.

Under the new proposals, the Lord Chancellor would have the power to make provision for electronic wills and the age for being able to make a will would fall from 18 to 16.

The commission has proposed giving the courts the power to recognise a will in cases where formal rules have not been followed but the will-maker has made their intentions clear.

It has also put forward measures that would overhaul the rules protecting anyone who makes a will from being unduly influenced by another person.

The proposals include an update to the rules around mental capacity to reflect modern medical understanding of conditions such as dementia and to provide statutory guidance for doctors and other professionals when assessing someone’s mental capacity.

Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, said the moves could raise millions for charity each year by closing the gap between the 35 per cent of people who say they would like to leave money to charity in their wills and the 6 per cent who actually do.

“When you consider that hundreds of thousands of people in the UK die intestate each year, leaving no clear guidelines as to how any assets should be divided among their family, friends and good causes, it is long overdue that the will-writing process is made more accessible, helping to ensure that people’s final wishes are met,” he said.

“If the legal sector succeeds in making it easier for people to write wills, while putting adequate safeguards in place for the public and minimising the opportunity for contested wills, this could be a critical step forward for legacy giving.

“Ultimately, the more people that write wills, the greater the potential for including charitable donations.”

The Law Commission consultation will run until 10 November.

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