St Gemma’s Hospice

When I lived in Kirkstall I had this habit of spending any days off I had wandering around the plethora of charity shops in nearby Headingley. Maybe myriad is a better word… anyway, there are about seven in Headingley. Now we’ve moved to Chapel Allerton I’ve had to quit my habit as there’s only one. This one. And even though I bought a lovely white summer skirt at the weekend for £3.99, that’s the first thing I’ve bought after three visits on different occasions and even then the, um, ‘mature’ volunteer lady behind the counter was proper, and I mean proper, grumpy. Actually like she’d started working there thinking she was getting paid and then realised she was being jipped, and guess what, it was all my fault.
But I can’t diss the charity shops too much on account of they do good work, so I’m only knocking two stars off. And they try and do the ‘colour co-​ordinated stands’ thing and they have lots of furniture too. But beware the jabberwock. I mean grumpy volunteer.

This cute little charity shop is well suited to Chapel Allerton. I wandered in and was welcomed by the sound of Radio 2 and browsed through the clothes (arranged by colour) to the back ground chit chat of the 2 elderly ladies working there. As they discussed the relative and declining state of their deafness I spotted a few nice pieces of clothing.
St Gemma’s Hospice is a really good cause, caring for the terminally ill. Buy purchasing anything from here you are supporting this cause and there is plenty to choose from. There is a large selection of books, pieces of furniture and the mandatory miscellaneous objects always found in charity shops such as vases, crockery, and ornaments.

Sometimes I feel I take way too often. I’m greedy and materialistic. Okay I’ve said it. So now and again I try to give something back and a very little way of doing so is by using one of the many St Gemma’s Shops.
St Gemma’s does amazing work and should be supported in the fullest. The amount of people they’ve helped in their darkest hours cannot be highlighted enough. So I spend what I can in the Chapel Allerton branch when I’m in the area. It’s not just doing your bit for charity; they also have some cracking stuff too. You’ve got a nice mixture of second hand clothes, books, bric-​à-​brac and some hidden delights that you’d just not think of. I’ve actually picked up a retro jacket from there and had many remarks on it when I’ve donned the number. I also like to stock up on some bedtime reading and hate spending the cash at faceless chains when I can get a nice, worn book which is actually going towards helping someone in need rather than a fat cat director.
The shops are sprinkled around the city so if you pass one go in and have a look. They are also always crying out for more goods, so rather than ebay or cat boot them, think about donating here.
Exceptional work that I’ll continue to support in my own little way.

I love St. Gemma’s Hospice shops in general, but there are a few in particular that I have a special fondness for and this is one of them. St. Gemma’s Hospice was opened in Leeds in the 70s and is a hospice that specifically cares, and helps to care for terminally ill patients, so you couldn’t really find a more worthy cause.
The difference this charity shop makes in Chapel Allerton is quite important — it certainly breaks up the theme of gift and knick knack shops that are almost wall to wall here! Since Chapel A is a rather up market little town the items donated are of a much higher quality than most places, so there are always really good bargains to be found. It also makes quite a positive alternative to the many gift shops near by — often I’ve gone to purchase a hand bag or similar and ended up buying one a little cheaper here than in the boutiques not so far away — plus it all goes to a good cause!
The staff are amicable and will offer advice too if you need some ideas! For an ethically good and usually bargainous find, this is a grand little edition to Chapel A living.