Treats up for grabs as Swap Shops return

Swap Shops, which give people in the Wyre Forest district the opportunity of exchanging unwanted goods free-of-charge, are to make a comeback.

Television celebrity Keith Chegwin launched the Swap Shop scheme in January last year when he visited Worcestershire. Events have proved so popular they are to be held again this year. Worcestershire County Council arranges the events.

They are aimed at offering a positive way for residents to find a new home for unwanted Christmas gifts as well as any household items that are no longer needed.

In exchange people can pick up something they themselves want. The first Swap Shop in north Worcestershire will take place at Newstarts Furniture and Appliance Re-Use Centre at Willow Road, Bromsgrove from 10am to noon on January 10.

This will be followed by one being staged at Kidderminster Town Hall on January 15, between 10am and noon, in partnership with the Odell Centre. So far more than 2,100 people have attended Swap Shop sessions arranged in Worcestershire.

Young and old have swapped an array of random items from battleships, hula hoops, roller skates and jigsaws to computer games, paintings, suitcases, china, clothes and books. Officials say that the Swap Shops help drive home an important message about the benefits of re-using items.

The events are also a useful tool in helping to reduce the mountain of waste discarded by families every year and which eventually find their way to landfill sites. Councillor Derek Prodger, the council's cabinet member for the Environment, said: "These events are a great way of getting the community together and a fun way of reducing waste."