To prove anyone can look stunning in pre-loved clothing, Longfield gathered nurses, fundraisers, volunteers and their families, and challenged Sam Duffy, the new manager at their Minchinhampton shop to transform them into glamorous partygoers using only clothing donated to their shops.
The photoshoot took place at Longfield’s Wellbeing Centre in Minchinhampton on Sunday, featuring clothes from Monsoon and Burberry to New Look and Lipsy, the models’ Christmas party outfits cost between £10 and £49.50 and gave them a unique look and proved that no one has to compromise on style to be sustainable.
Thousands of bags of pre-loved clothes are donated to Longfield’s shops every month. Sometimes it’s clothing that’s been loved just a bit too much – those items get packaged up and sent off to the textiles recycling centre to start the journey to a whole new life – but quite often, the quality of clothing is ‘absolutely fabulous’.
Income from Longfield’s 19 charity shops contributes 53 per cent of the funds required to provide desperately needed hospice care, but there’s still a shortfall. This year, Longfield’s winter appeal reveals a startling fact: If you die between 9am and 5pm on a weekday, you’re more likely to have a better death.
Out of hours care when someone’s dying is unpredictable. Fewer hospital staff work weekends, evenings and overnight, and GP surgeries are closed. In those last precious days and hours of life, patients and their families want to know support is available – whenever it’s needed.
Longfield’s nurses and healthcare assistants work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, delivering free and expert hospice care in the comfort of people’s homes.
Longfield Community Hospice’s Director of Care Services, Sue Parris said: “It’s a truth we rarely speak about, but in the evening or at weekends, if you need help or advice to care for someone in their last weeks, days or hours of life, you may struggle to get help, or even find the right numbers to call.
“I hear from people who are at their wits’ end. It can be a terrifying and exhausting time. That’s why we’re raising funds to make sure we can get desperately needed help to people when it’s most needed.”
If Longfield can raise £30,000, they can provide 450 hours of hospice care in homes across the county. If you would like to donate, go to longfield.org.uk/urgent-appeal to give online, or call 01453 886868.
Credits: Matt Bigwood – photographs, Viki at Vik’s Hairdressing – hair styling, Wendy Kent – make up.
