Food prices have risen, the cost of fuel has rocketed and it would seem that even some of the most unlikely businesses are suffering the effects of the credit crunch.

According to a recent survey, carried out by Yougov, Yorkshire as a whole will donate 14 per cent less to charities next year because of the credit crunch, one of the biggest drops in the UK.

This will contribute to a UK-wide plunge of £655 million from the £9.5 billion donated by individuals last year.

It would seem that rather than reaping the rewards of people opting for cheaper second hand goods, charity shops are feeling not so much an economic pinch but a punch and it's hit them hard.

Claire Nutting, manager at Barnardo's, on Middle Street South, believes the trend towards disposable living coupled with the credit crunch is having a detrimental impact on business.

Mrs Nutting said: "One of the reasons we are suffering with donations is we are a throw away society. People are buying cheaper quality clothes and throwing them away, in other words they are buying disposable clothes other than the ones they are passing on.

"The other thing is people are hanging on to their clothes for longer because they don't have the money to lay out for more and the main shopper in a charity shop is a lady and at the minute the ladies have to maintain the finances and they are putting themselves last and putting the family first," Mrs Nutting added.

Mrs Nutting fears the average consumer prefers to shop on the high street but in doing so people are missing out on bargains which could be raising charitable funds.

"There's a certain person who shops in a charity shop and one difference now is they would rather go to a cheaper high street store as opposed to going to a charity shop. At the moment I understand that the high street stores are having problems so their stuff is getting cheaper."

Barnardo's is not the only charity shop in Driffield which has noticed a decline in custom and donations of goods.
Clare Welburn, manager at the St Catherine's Hospice shop, on Market Place, said: "We are not getting as many donations as before. Our takings are down which is surprising because you would think that people would want to shop with us more at the moment."

"Donations are not coming in in the loads that they used to and not with the quality that they used to have," she added.

In light of such problems Each One Counts, an organisation specialising in turning unwanted mobile phones or used ink cartridges into charitable funds, is urging consumers and charities to use recycling to make up the 20 per cent shortfall in cash donations from people across Yorkshire.

Amy Horn, Manager of the Each One Counts campaign said: "We discovered that people will be less likely to donate clothes or household items to charity during the credit crunch, presumably because these items hold their value in this economic climate and cannot be replaced as easily. So it's all the more important that every possible mobile phone and used inkjet cartridge that can be recycled is donated to a charity to make up the difference".

Barnardo's already runs a scheme whereby unwanted mobile phones can be converted into cash and Sue Ryder, who run a shop on Middle Street South, also operates a similar scheme.

Alison Holland, divisional business manger for Sue Ryder, said: "Generally we are experiencing a fall in donations particularly of furniture. People are more cautious with their money and if their sofa is not really in bad condition they will keep it a little bit longer and wait to buy a new one unless it's really necessary. We are starting to receive less donations of furniture such as armchairs, sofas, chairs and tables as people are buying less new ones".

While donations have dropped, it would seem that the number of customers passing through the doors of Driffield's Sue Ryder shop are on the up.

"We are not experiencing a fall in the number of customers walking through our doors. I would say that recently we had a slight increase in people looking for good quality bargains, but we need people to keep on donating good quality items so that our shop will have enough stock on offer for customers," Ms Holland added.

Sue Ryder Care has teamed up with Cartridges4Causes so unwanted mobile phones and used ink cartridges can be converted into a cash donation of up to £12 per cartridge and £50 per phone.

But it is not all doom and gloom for Driffield's charity shops as Sue Battams, manager of Driffield's Mencap shop on Middle Street South points out.

Mrs Battams said: "We are doing better than we have ever done. We have been inundated with donations but I put that down to the volunteers in the shop because they're so friendly and the people that come in just love the staff, they are so nice and polite and we are finding an increase in donations as a result."

"I think we are doing well to say that we are a charity shop but I don't think we are expensive either, we try to monitor people's needs and we are looking at the credit crunch and we know people are struggling so we don't want to up our prices, we want people to come in and be able to afford things," she added.

So it would seem charity shops in Driffield are not so much reaping the rewards of the credit crunch but rather joining the ranks of a large number of businesses faced with no choice other than to weather the current economic storm.

However, all is not lost as some charities are opting to diversify and head down the recycling route to not only raise vital funds but also do their bit for the environment, a winning formula that could be their saving grace.