This year, a weekly series was launched to spotlight unique items found in Jersey's charity shops by a bargain enthusiast who wanted to spread the word about supporting local causes.
Fiona Walker set-up her social media platform – Upstylejersey – to highlight bargains that could be found in local charity shops.
Express partnered with her to showcase these finds – and 'Charity Treasures' was born.
Pictured: Fiona Walker partnered with Express to highlight her charity shop finds this year.
Since the series began, items found by Fiona's beady eyes have ranged from a giant stuffed dog, vintage tea sets, and designer clothes, to signed memorabilia, and even a totem pole.
What's more, Fiona's Upstylejersey24 account now has almost 1,000 followers.
Fiona said: "When I set up Upstylejersey back in the spring, all I wanted to do was promote local charities on social media, but I had no idea how much fun it would be!
"You never know what you’re going to find when you visit a charity outlet, but with the great range of shops we have here in Jersey, it could be anything from a totem pole to a diamond ring…and just about everything in between.
"The other real pleasure has been meeting some of the brilliant people who work in the shops, many of whom are volunteers, and their dedication deserves praise and recognition."
Fiona also wanted to share a few key lessons about charity shopping she has learnt this year:
Some of Fiona's favourite finds which have been highlighted in the Charity Treasures series over the last few month are a genuine baseball glove and ball for £5, a vintage Jersey Pottery coffee set, and a Roberto Cavalli dress worth £1,000.
Fiona added that her "proudest moment" since starting the series was the reaction she got from one charity shop worker who told her that takings had jumped 50% since Upstylejersey was launched.
She explained: "Beth Le Poidevin, who runs the pop-up shop for Clic Sargent at Reg’s Garden told me that their takings had gone up by a massive 50% since Upstylejersey started promoting them."
Express has estimated that, throughout the 2024 series of Charity Treasures, over £1,000 would have been raised for nine different charities if all of Fiona's finds were sold.
That money would have supported many people who use the vital services of local charities – from army veterans, to islanders with autism, those needing mental health support, islanders with terminal illness, and international aid support.
The charities the Charity Treasures series highlighted this year were:
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