Do your bit, and help this great cause! (Cancer Research UK)

Member Name: charltonFC

Product:	Cancer Research UK
Date:	11/12/08 (182 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Knowing your helping such a great cause

Disadvantages: The loved ones that we lose to cancer

None of us like to hear about the dreaded C word, but unfortunately the majority of us has either been affected by this disease or knows somebody who has.

Cancer affects people of all ages, and causes about 13% of all deaths. During 2007, 7.6 million people worldwide died from the disease.

I support my local Cancer Research shop because myself, I know a lot of people who have suffered with cancer, and died from it. Every time I am out shopping in my local town centre, the first shop on my list is the Cancer research shop. The cause is a great one, and is in need of as much money as possible to help fight the disease.

My partners mum is a volunteer at Cancer research on a Saturday in her local store, and she does this because she lost her mum to cancer about 20 years ago, and wanted to help as much as she can help fight the disease. Every year on her mum's birthday she gives £50 to the charity because to her, it's like buying her a birthday gift.

** My local Cancer Research Shop**

I love my local shop because the staff are all very friendly and helpful, and a lot of the volunteers are there because they have lost loved ones to cancer in the past, so really do everything they can to help, and see that the shop does well.

Everytime I go in, I always find plenty of bargains. It has a range of clothes, furniture, books, dvds, handbags, toys and plenty of bric a brac items.

Clothes - The clothes they sell in the shop are always of very high quality, and well looked after. If you're very lucky, you can usually find yourself real designer items of clothing for bargain prices. I have found several designer coats, and they have been in excellent condition.

Toys - If you have children, I would always look in my local shop for toys, so many people give away new toys. I saw a brand new kid's laptop, still boxed in my shop last week, it had never been opened, and I bought it for £6 for my niece. I really resent paying silly prices in the big department stores, so I now make sure I look in Cancer Research and any other charity shop before buying anything, as I'd rather the money going towards to good cause.

Books - if you get through books at the rate I do, and don't live local to a library, then make sure you look in the charity store. So many different books are given in once read, so I found a lot of the books I was going to buy in a charity store, and most are sold for around 50p. Also, if you enjoy reading Autobiographies, these can usually be found in the store as well.

Antiques and bric-a-brac - A lot of the cancer research stores I have been to are given lots of old antiques and bric-a-brac. I have seen lots of lovely antique bits, but unfortunately I know very little about antiques, otherwise I would collect all the lovely pieces I see, because they do sell some lovely bits.

A lot of people go in to find prom dresses and suits. You would really be shocked how many people give away their old dresses or men's suits to charity. A lot of people (I'm pointing at my sister when saying this) think charity shops is full of old junk, that nobody would want anymore, but hopefully after some of you reading this, you won't walk past your local Cancer Research shop now and think nothing of it, you will go in, and have a look.

I had been on the hunt for an old fashioned cheese cutter for months, and the day I popped into the shop, I found one. It was marble and in pristine condition, so I snapped it up for £6, bargain.

If you stuck this year for Christmas ideas for people, have a look in your local store. They also sell a wide range of new items, including hand bags, lavender heat wraps, diaries, and lots lots more.

Please everybody, do everything you can to help this wonderful cause. None of us know when we or a loved one will be contracted by his illness. Every penny really does help.

Summary: Every penny counts, pleas help as much as you can.