Oxfam sell second hand items (books, clothes, brick-a-brack etc.) in aid of the charity…read more The items in this shop are cheap but they cost a bit more than they would in other charity shops. It's always clean and tidy but I often find it difficult to get around the shop if it's quite busy because it's not a very big shop. They seem to have a strange policy of not selling anything from the window displays so don't bother asking!

This is the best Charity shop in Middlesbrough by far. You often find individual, unique pieces as…read morewell as vintage pieces for no more than a few pounds. The staff are always lovely and very helpful if you are looking for something in particular. If you want to try something you may have to wait though because there is only one changing room. Although this is a charity shop the prices are very reasonable and they always seem to have a lot of stock for everyone including brand new items. Only thing is they shut at 4pm so you need to be quick if going after work etc.

This is a very well organised charity shop, probably one of the best layouts i have ever seen. As…read morethe previous reviewer said, no more trailing through cluttered rails to find hidden bargains! Lots of items they sell here and many are designer pieces so you can pick up a real bargain if you are willing to look for it.

I wouldn't normally bother reviewing a charity shop, but the Oxfam Boutique is something else. It's…read morethe first boutique charity shop in the UK opened by Oxfam, meaning that the best donated stock from all over the UK is shipped into Durham to delight buyers. It's laid out as a boutique too, so no more trawling through endless rails of rubbish. Being a charity shop it is still hit and miss whether you'll find anything that you like, but chances are you will. There's a good mix of vintage, retro and second-hand designer clothes and shoes, with none of your ordinary half worn-out charity shop clobber. They also stock new fairtrade gift products and new clothes from the People Tree range of ethical fashion. There is a fancy dress hire service as well; they've kept back some of the best vintage things and will hire them out as costumes for £5 a time. Definitely worth a rummage.

This shop is one of the largest in the area for selling second hand clothing. It's well laid out so…read morethat you can find the kind of thing you're after pretty quickly. Sections cover mens and ladies and also childrens. A lot of the clothes are set prices (like £2.99 for a pair of shoes) so sometimes you can get a good bargain. The shop also has a small selection of books, fair trade goods and at Chistmas they stock wrapping paper and cards. Each week the Manager has a special which is advertised in the window and usually involves a type of clothes (like ladies skirts) being half price. Always worth a browse around if you have the time.

This is a large Oxfam store and is well organised, laid out well and is a pleasure to shop in. In…read moreaddition to the wide range of second hand items that you would expect in a charity shop, there are also ranges of new items including fairtrade items, greeting cards and they also stock their oxfam unwrapped gifts which basically mean that you purchase something useful like a blanket, water supply, an animal or emergency food for someone in need on behalf of the person who will receive a card. At the moment Oxfam has a promotion running which gives you a £5 M&S voucher if you make a clothing donation to the shop which includes at least one M&S item.

Barnardo's is a lovely little charity shop located in the middle of Church Street. Always has…read morefriendly voluntary staff who provide great service. Usually have a very broad range of good quality items for sale, but this of course changes practically week on week.

This is one of my favourite charity shops - although all times, or most at least, are second hand -…read morethis shop doesnt ever put out rubbish where as some charity shops do. They have a good range of books and video and even dvds, children's toys, clothing, bedding, and miscellaneous items such as jigsaws, china and glass, kitchen items and the like.It is clean and tidy and well set out with a changing room to try on items of clothing. There is ample room to navigate a pushchair and teh staff are friendly, cheerful and helpful. I have picked up some fantastic bargain in Help the Aged with some top quality goods at very reasonable prices!

Help the aged is perfectly placed in a side mews off the main high street, which runs through to an…read moreabsolutely huge Tesco so it has the advantage of having a massive foot flow past it on a daily basis. The other great thing is that its customers can take advantage of the massive car park at Tesco - ideal for when you are dropping off all those donations. There is usually a nice colour co-ordinated window display of items and you are given a warm welcome as you enter the store from the people who volunteer to help there. They usually have a good choice and range of stock, all clean and neatly displayed. They are competetively priced and the service is always given with a smile.

This charity shop has now moved next door, to slightly larger premises…read more Kidney Research UK (formerly known as National Kidney Research Fund) unfortunately conducts testing on animals but apart from that, it's a great little charity shop. They often have baskets outside with bargains in, like books for 20p each. Everything else in my previous review is still accurate - they sell a good range of items at reasonable prices.

It's hard to criticise a charity shop, after all, it's charity. I do like to wander around the…read morecharity shops looking for that forgotten gem, particularly books and records, and there are quite a few in this part of Billingham Town Centre. This shop has quite a good stock of both books and records, along with the usual other items like clothes and ornaments. The only problem is I really think they ask too much money for things, especially the books. I've seen second hand books in there for £3, which is really too much for something I just wanted to buy on a whim.

This is a fantastic charity shop; the place is clean and tidy, the stock is always in excellent…read morecondition and you can pick up some lovely bargains while helping out a great cause! I have had some fantastic buys from this shop; most recently I bought my daughter the full set of the Narnia books in paperback for 70p for the lot! They were in excellent condition. I also got my baby son a lovely ring stacker toy in there for £1.50 a few weeks back. It can be very difficult to get in the door with a buggy; however the staff are very friendly and helpful and there's normally someone there to hold the door for you. It seems that lately a lot of the designer stuff the stock used to stock is now being sent to the Butterwick charity shops in Yarm and Northallerton. This is a little annoying as I've had loads of great designer buys in the past; my mother-in law actually got a Jean-Paul Gaultier jacket in there a couple of years back for about 5 pounds! However, I can understand that all the proceeds go to charity, and they need to move the stock to where they feel it will sell best.