Leeds Rhino mascot Ronnie the Rhino will be in Pudsey on Saturday (25 April) for the opening of a charity’s first shop in Leeds.
Forget Me Not children’s hospice supports local babies and children with life-shortening conditions and their families across West Yorkshire. In the last year, the charity supported 134 children, mums, dads, siblings and grandparents from Leeds, either at Russell House in Huddersfield or in families’ own homes.
The shop in Pudsey, based in the former Halifax bank building on Market Place, will offer a wide selection of pre-loved items including clothing, books, toys, homeware, and more. The first 20 customers at the open day on Saturday will receive goody bags.
Charity shopping expert @charityshopgirl Jen Graham will be on hand to share some of the rummaging and styling tips that have earned her over 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, led to a styling feature on ITV’s This Morning and upcoming appearances in a new BBC TV series.
Jen, who features in the new BBC series Shift the Thrift, began sharing her charity shop finds on social media five years ago, encouraged by her teenage daughter. Her styling tips, explaining how she would wear the items she found, where she got them from and how much they cost have been devoured by followers joining the growing trend for pre-loved clothes and sustainable fashion choices.
Jen said: “Charity shops are my beating heart, I absolutely love encouraging others to embrace them, not only because they’re an incredible way to give pre‑loved clothes a second life but more importantly, because they support such amazing causes, in this case the incredible work that Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice do!”
Jen and Ronnie The Rhino will be joined by Forget Me Not’s own Russell Bear.
Forget Me Not’s head of retail Andrea Titherington-Kay said: “Anybody who loves their fashion will be hearing lots about fast fashion and the need for us to be more sustainable in our fashion choices.
“More and more people are looking to charity shops like ours as great places to do that and find unique and special items at a budget friendly price. So it’s a thrill for us to welcome Jen, a true expert in finding the style in charity shops, for the opening of our first shop in Leeds.”
The shop, at 1 Market Place, Pudsey, opens on Saturday, April 25, at 11am.
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