We’re calling on people to ditch Black Friday and instead join others across the country in showing support for the more sustainable and affordable Buy Nothing New Day, held this year on 27th November.
In contrast to Black Friday, which sees customers rushing to make impulse purchases as retailers slash their prices for one day, Buy Nothing New Day aims to raise awareness of consumerism and encourage customers to shop more ethically, using their spending power to have a positive impact.
We support up to 44 people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion and we raise money through our social enterprises. This includes Joan’s Coffee Shop and selling a wide-range of good-quality pre-loved items, including furniture, clothing, books, toys and home accessories, as well as many collectable items through its shop and online. While our Landbeach shop has been closed through lockdown, we are still selling items on eBay and via our new online store.
eBay – www.charity.ebay.co.uk/charity/Emmaus-Cambridge/16326
Online furniture shop – www.emmauscambridgeonline.co.uk
The funds generated from selling donated items helps Emmaus Cambridge provide a home, meaningful work, daily support and funded training for people who have experienced homelessness or social exclusion.
Gary has been living in an Emmaus community for eight years, moving to Emmaus Cambridge in March this year. Like all Emmaus companions he works within the charity’s social enterprises, and part of his role is to support the online selling team. He said:
“Life before I moved to Emmaus was really hard. I slept rough for about four years, spending the winters sleeping in a multi-storey carpark. I have lived in an Emmaus community since 2012 and moved to Emmaus Cambridge just before the first COVID-19 lockdown this year. Life is now really good.
“I support the online selling team, sorting donations and photographing the items to be listed. I really enjoy researching what everything is worth, and have even found quite valuable items, including a book which sold for £600 on our eBay site!
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who has generously donated items to us and to all our customers who support Emmaus by buying from us, either in our shop or online.”
Diane Docherty, Chief Executive of Emmaus Cambridge, said:
“Here at Emmaus, we’ve known for a long time that second-hand does not mean lower quality, and now we are seeing a real move towards more people choosing to buy pre-loved items.
“Our supporters donate some amazing items to us, from designer clothing and accessories through to solid wood furniture so there is always something amazing to be found by browsing our shop, either physically at our Landbeach shop or online.
“When you buy from an Emmaus shop you are not only supporting us with the work we do here in Cambridgeshire, but you are also significantly reducing the amount of items that end up in landfill each year, and paying a lot less for them – it’s a win win situation!”