All you need to know about donations

This could fund specialist nursing care on our Inpatient Unit and in people’s homes for 24 hours.

This could fund the cost of our Physio and Occupational Therapy service for 1 week.

This could fund the running of the Hospice for 2 days, delivery personalised care for patients in their final days.

We accept men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and shoes. This also includes accessories such as belts, bags and jewellery. Donated underwear and socks must be brand-new with tags.

We welcome books, toys (soft, metal, wooden and plastic), complete jigsaw puzzles and board games, outdoor toys, and action figures, to name just a few. (Please ensure all donated toys have the CE mark).

We welcome quality donations of homeware accessories such as cushions, lamps, decorative pieces and ornaments, kitchenware, photo frames and mirrors. We also accept some electrical items. Please check against our list below for electrical items we do not accept.

We would love your pre-loved fiction and non-fiction books, as well as children’s books. We also welcome pre-loved vinyl of all genres.

From sofas and wardrobes to garden furniture and clean / unused mattresses, we accept a variety of furniture donations. We also offer a free furniture collection service. Find out more about this here or scroll down this page for more information. Furniture must have a visible fire label.

Our treasure hunters are always on the look out for rare, vintage, or collectable items that we can sell on our Dorothy House specialist store.

• Used duvets and pillows
• Upholstered furniture that has no fire label
• Flat packed furniture without instructions
• Soft furnishings prior to 1988
• Candles without warning labels
• Baby/toddler beds and cots
• Baby carries, car seats , buggies and prams
• Carpet remnants
• Old coat hangers
• Glass TV stands
• Pianos

• Personal items  – shavers, foot spas, etc.
• Chainsaws
• Items without a CE or UKCE label
• Items that require wiring into the mains ( e.g. ceiling and wall light fittings)
• Electric blankets
• Electric showers
• Sun-beds and tanning equipment
• Waste disposal units
• Older style CRT TVs (deep back)
• Plasma TVs
• Gas appliances – mains or bottled
• Gas cookers or patio heaters
• Oil filled radiators without thermostats
• Mobile oil heaters
• Oil and gas agas

• School uniform
• Clothing and items marked with name tags
• Hooded clothes with a draw cord
• High chairs
• Toys without a CE or UKCE label
• Soft toys without a CE or UKCE label
• Children’s bicycles
• Buoyancy aids, lifejackets and inflatable dinghies
• Safety helmets – cycling, motorcycle and riding
• Safety harnesses of any sort

• Computer and laptops unless the hard drive has been professionally cleaned or removed
• Mobile phones that have not been restored to factory settings
• CDs and DVDs given away free with publications
• Used computer software
• Computer games without original packaging/age warning labels
• DVDS that re not regions 0 or 2. DVDs rated R18
• Home recorded DVDs, video and audio tapes
• Home recorded games or software on recordable CD/ DVDs

• Fireworks
• Knives of any kind unless in a complete cutlery set
• Firearms –real or imitation
• Swords, sword stocks and crossbows
• Guns, air rifles, BB guns and ammunition
• Lighters
• Counterfeits or fakes of any type
• Medication including vitamins
• Perishable goods, food and drink
• Alcohol
• Prescription spectacles
• Cleaning agents, solvents and Adhesives
• Nightwear without fire warnings
• Clothing with real fur
• Ivory goods after 1947
• Petrol or diesel fuelled garden tools
• Used unwrapped underwear and socks
• Unsealed toiletries

Please note that, for safety reasons, we can only accept donated items, such as toys and furniture pieces, which have a visible CE mark or fire safety label attached to them.