Working here is an experience that she thoroughly enjoys. Her role in the shop is varied and includes being on the register; hanging donations for steaming, and putting out stock that the manager has prepared. She also meets and interacts with lots of people and she’s gotten to know the regular customers quite well. Liz is based in the shop for a full day each week and she will sometimes do an extra shift if another volunteer isn’t available to work. However, as she explains, “there’s no pressure on you to do that. You can do whatever suits you.”

There’s a great atmosphere in the Waterford shop, says Liz, and a wide range of age groups volunteer here. “The number of young people who come in and ask about volunteering on weekends is incredible,” she says.

She believes that people are now embracing the concept of charity shops in a way that they never did before, fueled by the growing awareness that buying pre-loved items is better for the planet.

“What amazes me is the volume of college-aged people who are coming into the shop,” says Liz. “One person came to the counter with an armful of clothes and remarked that she would have to pay a lot of money elsewhere for these. She also said that these clothes have a story, and that you’re helping the environment. Donating to and shopping in the Irish Cancer Society shop is one of the best forms of recycling. If you have something you don’t wear and you feel you should be wearing, you can donate it rather than throwing it out. You’re sending it off on another journey and you’re raising vital funds as well.”

Something else she has also observed is that there is a buyer for everything. “There are some things I’d put out and I mightn’t even know what it is or what you’d use it for, and somebody comes in and buys it. It’s so interesting.” Beautiful clothes regularly find their way into the shop, to the delight of customers, including items like brand new handbags with the tissues still on the straps. “People are very good in terms of donations,” she says.

For anyone who is considering volunteering their services to an Irish Cancer Society shop, Liz encourages them to get involved.

“You meet lots of interesting people,” she says. “It’s also a very worthwhile thing to do. Cancer is such a big thing but we can help in a small way by volunteering.”