The British Red Cross plans to generate additional funds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire by selling thousands of excess clothes donated in the wake of the disaster.
In statement released today, the BRC said it had been overwhelmed by generous donations from the public and had received 40,000 boxes of excess clothes, enough to fill 107 lorries or three football pitches.
As part of the Shop For Grenfell campaign, the best new clothes would be sent to Grenfell for the families to choose from, the charity said, and other items would be sold through the charity’s high-street shops. Any unusable items would be sold for recycling, the charity said.
All the clothes would be labelled "Shop For Grenfell", the charity said, and every penny raised would go directly to help those affected by the fire through the charity’s London Fire Relief Fund, which has so far raised more than £3.2m.
An operation to sort and distribute the clothes among the charity’s 200 shops began today and would be the biggest and most complex logistical retail operation the charity has ever attempted, the statement said.
A spokeswoman for the charity said it was unable to say how much money was likely to be raised at this stage.
Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: "We have seen an incredible outpouring of donations for the people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
"Over the past week we have taken stock of the scale of the donations and listened to what people think we should do with the excess clothes.
"‘Shop For Grenfell’ offers everyone an opportunity to make a difference, either through the items they have already donated or by shopping in one of our many shops across the UK.
"The goods will be converted into cash to help people who have been left bereaved, injured or homeless as a result of the fire. Every penny will go to those people."
Read Adamson’s blog explaining the charity’s decision here.