The Myton Hospices Distribution Centre manager Garth Melling told us about the work he and his team do to keep donations to Myton moving between shops, customers and donors.

Do you carry out house clearances to source donations?

We ask people to bag up clothes, shoes, bags, linen and let us know how many bags there are, and to box up breakable items like ornaments, bric-a-brac and again give us an idea of how many boxes there are. We will also look at any larger items like three piece suites, tables and chairs, washing machines, fridge freezers etc. and if they are in a saleable condition we can collect them too. We don’t charge for this service but we can only take saleable items.

Can businesses get involved with donating too?

Yes! We love to hear from anyone who has end of line stock, surplus stock, and seconds; we are always happy to come and see if there is something we can sell on. People can call and arrange a collection or items can be dropped off at the distribution centre Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm.

Where do you get the items to sell on The Myton Hospices eBay store?

Some of our charity shops send us items to sell on eBay which they think will do well being sold online. We also go through items in the distribution centre too – the volunteers may find a pair of designer trainers or something similar which we will sell on eBay.

Do you find some items harder to sell than others?

As trends change, we try and follow them where furniture is concerned. Things do go in and out of fashion.

Do the hospices and patients make use of some donations?

The physio department, especially at Coventry, ask for items like rise and recline chairs for patients who want one for home. Rather than them paying £1,000 plus for one of these chairs, if we’ve got one in, we can offer it to them for a more reasonable price.

How does your collection system work?

People often can’t fit bigger items in their car so we can go to them and have a look at the item. If it is saleable we can either take it there and then or arrange another day and time for collection.

Can you deliver big items bought in Myton charity shops?

If people buy a big item from one of our shops we can deliver it to them. We usually charge £10.

How can volunteers get involved with helping at the warehouse?

Volunteers can register their interest on our website by clicking here and choose Coventry Distribution Centre as preferred location.

Most of the volunteers we have at the moment have heard about us through other volunteers. We do also get people from the job centre that come on a four week work placement. When the placement is over lots of people come back as regular volunteers and help out a couple of days a week.

You can call the Distribution Centre on 02476 459 342 or visit www.mytonhospice.org/myton-warehouse for more information.