A CHARITY which provides home-based hospice care says it has been overwhelmed by the amount of items that have been donated by people since opening a second-hand furniture and electrical warehouse a year ago.

Herriot Hospice Homecare launched its Furniture and Electrical Warehouse at the end of 2013, originally selling goods once a month from a single unit in Thurston Road, on the Omega Business Village, Northallerton.

But in order to cope with the amount of items being donated, and to meet demand for the items, the charity expanded into an adjoining unit and moved to a weekly sale.

And in 2015, it is looking into the possibility of moving to twice weekly sales and possibly opening another warehouse elsewhere in North Yorkshire.

Kevin Donohue, furniture shop manager, said: “We have three vans that can pick up items free of charge and if people buy goods and are unable to transport them back, we can do it for a small charge.

“On an average week we get 70/80 people coming to buy goods and that is without much advertising, and we also have our own page on ebay as well.”

Mr Donohue said the store has received some weird and wonderful donations over the last 12 months, including old organs, old fashioned music boxes and even a Victorian hand massager.

He said: “People generally pay the price we ask and there is not much haggling, which is great.

“I think they appreciate that the warehouse is not run to make a profit and that all the money we make go towards the services Herriot Hospice Homecare provides.”

The Electrical and Furniture Warehouse is open every Saturday from 9am until 5pm. People who would like to donate items can call 01609-777413 or 07975-541531. The Warehouse will re-open after the Christmas break on Tuesday, January 6.