Swishing is not for the faint hearted but it is for those with more dash than cash. It's a great way to find a new home for the nearly new clothes you don't want anymore and to welcome some new additions to your wardrobe. And dash you certainly need to do when the swishing event is declared open, as I found out when I attended the UK Aware sustainable lifestyle exhibition at Kensington Olympia a couple of weeks ago.
When you trade in your unwanted clothes (initially for tickets) you are reminded of the rules of etiquette before the rugby scrum begins. I gave a new home to the solitary black raincoat left hanging all alone on the rail and to three very distinctive batik patterned mens shirts that were crying out not to be separated. Not one single guy to be seen in the rugby scrum however.
Does swishing mean that our charity shops will suffer as a result? I am inclined to say yes, judging by the limited range in my normally flourishing local charity shop. It now even has a bra bank, lagging behind Brighton and Hove Council which has ten of them around the district, bright pink and situated next to the usual recycling receptacles and looking somewhat incongruous. I understand that second hand bras command more money than second hand clothes in the world of recycling. I shouldn't really highlight that fact as I wouldn't want anyone else diving into their bra/clothes bank and getting stuck like the guy featured on the news a few days ago.
With that thought I shall depart, until next time.
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