Story Donated By Helen Darroch

I found these shoes when living in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam on a street called Hazenstraat. It is a brilliant little second hand shop, run by the most laid back lady, with the biggest curly hairdo you have ever seen…well she does live in Holland I suppose (refering to her temperament, not her hair)… Whenever I would go in, she would be sitting in exactly the same place, a huge armchair, puffing on a cigarette in what could only be described as a den of soft furnishings and piles of higgledly piggledy bargains. This place has an air of excitement; a feeling of impending brilliantness (not even a word but you feel my excitement right?!) Upstairs there were baskets of hand-made lace,a vast array of fabulous shoes and a red velvet chaise longue in which to try on all the shoes.

I have big feet - UK size 7.5 and it was just my luck some rather large Dutch lady had given up her shoe collection of which I bought a few pairs.

I wore these particular shoes to my civil wedding ceremony along with a white trouser suit.

Thanks, oh big footed Dutch lady………
Helen Darroch

Story Donated By Boff Whalley

I got this fantastic safari suit from a Charity shop in Armley about fifteen years ago. I thought it would be perfect for that Morecambe & Wise ‘Riviera Touch’ look. I love it so much.

Unfortunately I have never found the perfect event at which to wear the suit. It sits in my clothes pile and waits to be worn. Sometimes I get it out and put it on, then decide it isn’t the right moment. One day I’ll wear it in public and people will say, “Hey, you’ve got The Riviera Touch”.
Boff Whalley

Story Donated By Emma Adams

I found The Spanish Lady at a massive car boot sale in Leeds. I was making a short film at the time and one of the sets needed to be totally rammed with charity shop glory. So, I was there with my Art Director (Mark Mathews where have you gone?) who is really good. He was holding the purse strings, trying to stretch the budget as far as he could. We were going round and I saw her and I just fell in love with her haughty stare, her creepy sprayed on lacey vail and her chipped nose. I said ‘Mark can we have her?’ and he was like, ‘She’s too expensive and we don’t need her’. I knew he was right but I was sad as we walked away from her box… But then it got towards the end of the morning and people were drifting off and I saw that she was still there! Her price had dropped. Mark bought her and gave her some dignity back by touching up her nose.

She looked ace in the film.

After the shoot I bagged her up and took her home. The Spanish Lady has ever since been my pride and joy. Her showbiz days are not over either. She had a cameo role in a play I wrote last year.
Emma Adams

Story Donated By Helen Darroch

I found this dear little blue bag on a trip to Woodstock, New York on our way to visit friends for New Years Eve.

The shop is called “Castaways” and if anyone is ever in Woodstock, I highly recommend a rummage. I have been there 3 times and come out with great stuff on all occasions.Home of the famous festival (although it didnt actually take place in the town, but somewhere in a 100 mile radius), one would expect to find wild patterned polyester numbers and crocheted kaftans - and you can!

This village has a rich history including a large arts and crafts artists colony that started in the 1920’s. There are mountains, glittering streams, forests and lots of fresh air that many a New Yorker craves, making it a common place for New yorkers to have a second home.

This bag could have belonged to any one; a cocktail bag for a socialite from the Upper West Side? Someone’s Sunday best…who knows. But I love it and have worn it on many an occasion.

At the moment it contains a handful of sour gummy bears that I speedily emptied from a typically enourmous bag of candy we bought whilst at the cinema with my husband and four year old son.
Helen Darroch

Story Donated By Abby Dix

I’ve been collecting these chintzy pictures of flowers for a while now. They’re kind of creepy - a bit like the porcelain dolls that my Nana collects - but they have (scuse the pun) grown on me. The two large roses I bought in the YMCA charity shop when we were doing a Hearts Content event, much to the annoyance of my friend Nomie who wished that she’d spotted them first.

The roses are a nod to the lady who used to own our house. She lived here for nearly forty years before she died and in lots of ways it still feels like her house. I’d like to think that she’d be happy with how we’re looking after it and I know she loved roses because she planted loads in the garden, so I think she’ll approve of these pictures.

I’d not really mentioned the increasing collection of chintz on the wall to my partner but I did think I was pushing it a bit with the bigger pictures. About a week after I put them up he said ‘Are those pictures new?’ but I told him they’d been there for ages.
Abby Dix

Story Donated By Gene And His Mum

We found a copy of Busy Busy World, a book by Richard Scarry. My Mummy liked this book when she was a little girl and she had been searching for the book for me to read as well. We looked everywhere and then we found what we were looking for right on our doorstep in Bramley!
Gene and his Mum

Story Donated By Jean

Jean bought a Ewbank Carpet Sweeper from the PDSA (Peoples Dispensary For Sick Animals) in Bramley. She prefers it to the hoover because its not so heavy. She does her excercises at the same time as cleaning the floor - but not the splits! She’s bought two in the past year and given one to her daughter and kept the other. She thinks her sweeper is a cracker!

Jean

Story Donated By Maisy Orr

I bought this painting from a Charity Shop in Pudsey. I picked it out because I like the dog and it’s a real painting, not a photograph, so you can tell someone has spent a long time painting it. They must be very good at painting. The dog looks a bit like my Mom-Mom’s dog in Delaware. She’s called Betty. The dog, not my Mom-Mom.
Maisy Orr

Story Donated By Al Dix

I have been playing backgammon for 30 years and in that time reckon I’ve won as much as I’ve lost (more or less). Backgammon is special in that you can be very skillful but you still have to rely upon an element of luck. I’ve had great times playing against some of my very best friends, and sometimes I’ve had the luck as well. The quality of the backgammon board is important to real enthusiasts, and the example here is one of the best. It was bought for me by one of my daughters and her mum about 15 years ago from a charity shop somewhere near Bradford - possibly Bingley or Keighley and it’s one of my favourite possessions. I’ve now taught my grandson to play, and look forward to playing him for money when he starts earning a decent living. Trouble is, he seems to keep winning…..
Al Dix

Story Donated by Andiee
@ Age Concern, Pudsey, Leeds

I bought a pair of black Converse high tops at a charity shop recently - it was magical timing as I had been reminiscing about my college days - the last time I had a pair! I used to wear them with miniskirts NOWADAYS the mini skirts are gone but the Converse still make me remember a particular Ramones concert in Philadelphia!

Andiee

Story Donated By Michelle Sykes
@ YMCA, Armley, Leeds

I bought a necklace for 10p in the YMCA in Armley. I took it for the jewellers for a new clasp - he told me the clasp would be about £30 becasue the necklace was 18 carat and he said it was worth between £3000 and £5000. I was shocked.

It was the best 10p I’ve ever spent. Now my Mam has the necklace as she said it looks better on her than me.

Michelle Sykes

Story Donated By Sandy
@ YMCA, Armley, Leeds

My favourite thing I bought from the YMCA was a lemon clock powered by the juice of lemons.
One lemon lasts a week.

I’m going to try an apple next week.
Sandy

Story Donated By Sarah Howells

Not a combination that immediately springs to mind when considering a snack, this Cheese Sardine Set is very prescriptive for a somewhat challenging taste sensation (in my book at least).

It is a celebration of stainless steel and teak, and, judging by the picture on the box they should have called it Sardines in Tomato Sauce and Edam Set - but if you felt rebellious I am sure you could serve something else on it. I’m sad enough to look at the box and really wish I also had that formica topped table that the set has been photographed on.

This was another 20p (!) purchase made eagerly by me, whilst the lady behind the counter of The Community Shop, Armley, tried gamely to hide her incredulity at my enthusiasm.
Sarah Howells

Story Donated By Amy Seaward

I have recently started the wooden toys collection above, and it is still quite small, but perfectly formed.The Russian dolls at the back, came from Prague and were incredibly cheap, the smallest one has inexplicably disappeared, but will hopefully return home one day.

The sailors came from Ashton-Under-Lyne flea market and were about 50p, I think their facial expressions are great, they don’t look very happy.

Unlike Mr and Mrs Tall, the two red toys who came from Leeds Thursday Market from the Faggy Lady Stall (so nicknamed by me and my friend, Sarah as they smoke all over everything) for 50p, I think. Mr Tall’s head keep falling off and I am forever sticking it back on with superglue.
Amy Seaward

Story Donated By Claire Anderson

I rescued these scales from the flea market in Shipley a couple of years ago. They cost 50p and I had to buy them cos I felt sorry for them. They now live on the top of my cupboards collecting dust.. However, they came in extremely useful a few months ago cos I used them, on several occasions, to weigh my little baby.

Being a second born, I didn’t get around to attending clinic for her regular weigh-in sessions, so whenever I was curious about how much my bundle of joy was growing, I popped her into the handy baby-sized tray, and bob’s your uncle.

They’re now back on top of the cupboards collecting dust.
Claire Anderson