At Stripey Stork we’re passionate about reusing and recycling. We just love it when the things that your family no longer need, can quite literally transform the lives of another family. A cot that you have been tripping over in the garage for months gets donated to us and then becomes a safe, clean bed for a baby that has been co-sleeping with its parents by necessity rather than choice.
There are some limitations on the items we can accept. Some items are too big for us to store, and others are subject to safety standards that mean we can’t safely pass them on. Here you can find a list of what we can and can’t rehome, and why. We’ve created this handy guide with suggestions of other places you can take your donations – just because we can’t take them, doesn’t mean they aren’t useful to someone else!”
Electrical items
We’re unable to accept used electrical items as we’re not resourced to safety (PAT) test them. In addition, many items like baby monitors start to deteriorate in performance after prolonged use and we don’t want to take a risk on items which families rely on.
DEBRA in Crawley specialise in refurbishing and selling good quality furniture and electrical items, and they offer a collection service. For more information, please call 01293 277212.
The British Heart Foundation offer a collection service for electrical items, which can be booked via their website or by calling their main number 0800 128 6556.
Bikes
We don’t accept used bikes because we aren’t qualified to service them, and test brakes and gears.
Bikes Revived in Crawley repair and relocate unwanted bicycles with the aim of helping people from all walks of life get out on two wheels and be an inclusive and empowering experience.
Horley friends of St Catherine’s Hospice recycled bikes has a Facebook Page – they take old bikes, and service them to sell at reasonable prices, with all proceeds going towards St Catherine’s Hospice.
Wardrobes, chest of drawers, feeding chairs, changing tables
We don’t have the space to store these large items and often the families we are helping don’t have the space either.
As an alternative for these larger donations, Furnistore are a great charity based on the Holmethorpe Trading Estate, Merstham. Items donated are shown a little love from volunteers, and sometimes completely upcycled, then made available at affordable prices, or at discounted prices for those on means tested benefits. You can contact them on 01737 773133.
There is a Surrey Revive shop in Earlswood, Leatherhead, Woking and Witley’s community recycling centres. They take unwanted items and sell them at very competitive prices, with 10% of their profits being donated to local charities voted for by shop users – Stripey Stork have previously been one of the charity beneficiaries.
If you’re in the wider Surrey area then please visit http://www.surreyreusenetwork.org.uk for more projects that may be closer to you.
Locally, some charity shops may take these larger furniture donations. If getting to them is an issue, British Heart Foundation offer a collection service for such items, which can be booked via their website or by calling their main number 0800 128 6556.
Duvets/bedding for double beds, household crockery, pans, plates etc.
As we focus on children and families, we don’t have a need for double bedding and need to streamline our stock.
YMCA Hillbrook House accommodate up to 51 young people aged between 16-30, and have a need for duvets, blankets, bedding as well as other essential items such as plates, kitchen equipment. Please call them on 01737 773089 before donating.
Maternity clothing, nursing bras or any adult clothing
Our focus is on items for babies and children so we don’t stock these items.
Local charity Their Voice, who support survivors of modern slavery, accept donations of pre-loved maternity wear, get in touch on info@theirvoice.org.uk. Local charity shops may also take these donations
National project Smalls For All collect nursing bras. More details of where to send them and how they are used can be found on their website.
SmartWorks provide interview clothing and coaching to women facing hardship. You can post your donations to them or drop them off in person, their nearest centre is in Croydon – Smart Works South London, Unit 52-53, Lower Mall Centrale Shopping Centre, 21 North End, London, CR0 1TY.
Other ideas
- There are a large number of Facebook groups dedicated to buying, selling and giving away pre-loved items – and accessing a local one means you’re more likely to get a prompt collection. A good example is Redhill & Reigate Parent Network Buy & Sell.
- Freecycle remains a popular way to trade items you no longer need.
- The Olio app which now allows you to pass on non-food items as well as surplus food.
- There are lots of suggestions including details of local clothes banks here.
Items not currently on our wish list
At times we have to restrict the items we can take – the wish list we publish monthly is a handy guide of what we currently need and what we don’t. If you have baby items and clothes to donate that we’re not currently accepting then here are some alternative options:
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- On our website we have a map of other Other UK baby banks. Maybe there’s another group local to you that needs the items you have available?
- Local charity Their Voice, who support survivors of modern slavery, sometimes accept pre-loved donations, see their website for details on what they are currently accepting.
- In the run up to Mother’s Day each year, retailers JoJo Maman Bebe and Mothercare collect baby clothes and shoes in their stores for their “From a Mother to Another” initiative and Gift a Bundle, working to reduce the amount of clothing waste going into landfill whilst helping families in need.
But please keep checking our current wish list – just because we’re not accepting items one month, doesn’t mean that we won’t be the next. It’s always the pinned post on our blog, Facebook and Twitter.
We’re always interested to hear of additional options for recycling or reuse. Please let us know of any other places you know of and we’ll be happy to add them to the list!
