Threads for Care – Our latest collaboration with PB Textiles

Last month’s Sustainable September campaign saw the launch of our new Retail umbrella brand, Threads for Care. A collaboration with local makers, creators and stylists, Threads for Care has been designed as a new and innovative way to reduce waste across our Retail estate while also generating vital income for the Hospice.

Currently, the 11,000 charity shops in the UK divert over 330,000 tonnes of textiles from landfill each year, however many of them have reported an increase in poor quality donations. Looking at our 29 charity shops, for every bag of donations we receive, only 29% of the items can be sold. The rest must be recycled or disposed of at a cost to us. Each month, it costs us £4,600 to dispose of items that are damaged, incomplete or have missing pieces. To put that into perspective, this could fund our Spiritual Support Service for one month, helping people to explore their spirituality at an emotional time.

Threads for Care was created as a way of reducing waste across our 29 charity shops, offering up-cycled and re-worked pieces created out of preloved and unsaleable items from our retail waste. Not only does this reduce the number of textiles we’re sending to landfill, but it also creates a new range of unique, sustainable clothing and accessories. While Threads for Care was a key strand in this year’s Sustainable September campaign, we’re hoping it continues long into the future with more exciting collaborations in the pipeline. We’re delighted to announce our latest collaboration with Paige Blackwell from PB Textiles, which will be launching in selected shops from 15 October.

PB Textiles – Our newest Threads for Care collaboration

Paige creates unique, sustainable clothing and accessories out of repurposed materials sourced from family, friends, and local charity shops. All the products she creates are hand-sewn and screen-printed with care, designed to be sustainable and stylish, as well as offering a one-of-a-kind alternative to fast fashion. Paige also credits her family as a huge part of her business, helping with everything from pattern cutting and sourcing materials to creating stands for markets.

Under the Threads for Care brand, Paige will be creating a range of re-worked denim items that will be sold in our Find Ubiety shop in Bath and our Pop-Up shop based in The Shires in Trowbridge. This will include a selection of denim jackets and skirts, as well as pocket bags, denim scrunchies and re-worked jewellery, all created from waste fabrics. In addition to her passion for sustainable fashion, Paige also has a personal connection to Dorothy House. Before starting her textiles degree ten years ago, she and her brother volunteered with us. Around the same time, a family member was being cared for by our team.

“Working with Dorothy House is a full-circle moment for me. Now that I’ve taken my business full time, this collaboration feels like the perfect way to start expanding my customer base while supporting a charity that’s always been close to my heart.

Through these reworked pieces, I want shoppers to feel confident, individual, and connected to something bigger. Each garment is one-of-a-kind and made with purpose. On a wider level, reworking clothes is about more than fashion, it’s a step towards more thoughtful consumption and creating positive impact through creativity.”

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be showcasing Paige’s work on our socials, including behind the scenes snippets of her creative process.

Feel-good fashion

Paige joins Threads for Care alongside other makers who have been creating unique re-worked pieces for sale in our shops. Local screen-printer and applique artist Amy Laws from There’s Only One has created limited range of bespoke t-shirts using waste fabrics, which are currently for sale in Frome Clothes, Bath Argyle Street, and our Find Ubiety Shop. A selection of Amy’s shirts are also for sale on ourvirtual shop, so you can still bag one if you’re not local to Bath or Frome. Hurry though, once they’re gone, they’re gone!

We’ve also partnered with Sharon Goold from Eco Bunting, who has been upcycling some of our waste fabrics into new, bespoke pieces, as well as creating a selection of re-usable tote bags which have been sold in our The Shires Pop-Up shop in Trowbridge.

Threads for Care also featured in a broadcast of BBC Points West last month, which you can watch below. In the interview, we hear from Amy and Sharon about their creations, as well as our Head of Retail, Rowena Rees, about what the partnership means for the Hospice.

The importance of supporting your local Dorothy House shop

Our shops play a vital role in helping us to deliver our care, and currently the income generated through them outweighs the financial support we receive from the government. In 2024, our shops raised an incredible £5.8 million in sales, a whopping £2 million more than the funding we received from the government that same year.

Whether you’re a big fan of our monthly Warehouse sales or you’re a regular in your local Dorothy House shop, when you shop with us and donate your preloved goods, you’re helping us to provide personalised end of life care to those who need it most.

Paige’s creations will launch as part of our Threads for Care range from 15 October and will be available to purchase from our Find Ubiety Lifestyle Shop in Bath, and our Pop-Up at The Shires in Trowbridge. In the meantime, you can see more from her by following @paigeblackwelltextiles on Instagram and TikTok.

You can also keep up with all the happenings in our charity shops by following our dedicated Retail account on Instagram and Facebook – search for @dorothyhouse.shop.