Abandoned shopping centre stock makes charity cash

Christmas jumpers were among the items rescued from empty shops and given to charity

Stock and fittings abandoned when shops left a town centre have made thousands of pounds for charity.

The hoard, taken from stores at the vacated Market Walk shopping centre in Northampton, managed to fill four vans and included Christmas jumpers and shelving units.

The items were donated to charities including Age UK Northamptonshire by the centre's management, as the site prepares to be renovated into a new leisure hub.

Age UK said the donations had "made a massive difference".

One entrance to Market Walk tells passers by that Stack is "coming soon"

The stock and fittings were left behind by shops such as Next, Evans and Greenwoods when they closed their doors.

The building, which was previously known as Peacock Place, is due to be transformed into a Stack leisure site, with live entertainment, street food and bars.

The items have come from shops that left the centre, including Greenwoods

Mark Austin, centre manager at Market Walk, said: "Multiple tenants have abandoned both shop fittings and stock here which needed to be cleared out as part of the preparation for the start of the major strip-out works.

"I have always supported local charities, some of which had retail units in the centre, so I was sure that lots of these items could be of use to them."

An artist's impression shows the Stack leisure hub as it might look when built

Yvette Prior, retail development manager for Age UK Northamptonshire, said the items had been "an amazing donation which has really helped us out".

She said: "Everything we have received has been incredibly useful and has raised thousands for us."

Some of the fixtures and fittings went into the charity's shops and other items were donated to its day centre.

Four van loads have already been passed on to charities and Mr Austin said there were another 130 boxes and bags of items waiting to be given away.