TAVISTOCK is home to a wealth of charity shops supporting many valuable, good causes.

I volunteer several hours a week in one of them, in a specialist capacity. Tavistock residents are incredibly generous, both in their donations and purchases.

However, unless you have worked behind the scenes as I do, the public don’t realise how incredibly arduous and soul searching the sorting and pricing process is. Inevitably, some donations cannot be used for safety and cleanliness reasons.

So perhaps before you drop off your black bags and boxes, think carefully whether you would wish to buy what you are giving away, or actually, should you be making a trip to the tip with those unwanted items instead?

Sally Brock