DISABILITY charity, Sense has celebrated a record-breaking return to trading, as shoppers came out in their droves on Monday, with non-essential retailers reopening for the first time in over three months.

Sense, which reopened 107 of its shops across England and Wales on Monday, recorded an 85 per cent increase on its previous one-day sales record set on Saturday 5th December 2020.

Profit for charity shops, which sell a mix of new and donated goods, is modest, but Sense shops are credited as being important for engaging the public with the cause and raising vital income which supports children and adults with complex disabilities.

Sense has put strict measures in place in the store to protect staff and customers’ health and safety and say that a huge increase in stock donations, with the public wanting to move on unwanted household goods after months in lockdown, has helped get shoppers back into the stores.

Sense Director of Trading, Adrian Darkin, said:

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from our communities across the country.  We’ve had huge numbers of people coming in to donate stock and buy goods, but they’re staying to talk to staff and reflect on what’s been happening over the year.

“It’s only the beginning, of course, but to start in this fashion is a huge boost to our staff and volunteers who have had such a challenging 12-months and have put everything into the reopening.”

For those that aren’t ready to return to the high street, Sense have set up a free postal service through which the public can send donated stock. The public can also shop online and support Sense, please visit: www.sense.org.uk/shop for more information.