Make 2026 the year you give something back; the year you do something totally amazing - like holding a charity vintage or retro sale - for your local cancer and bereavement charity.
Each month, we’re giving you a fun, easy and impactful fundraising idea that you could take on in aid of CancerCare. There’s something for everyone!
The concept of fundraising can be daunting if you’re new to it, but CancerCare’s friendly and experienced team of fundraisers are here to help you every step of the way.
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November: Hold a vintage or retro sale for CancerCare
Thinking about hosting your own vintage clothing sale to raise money for a good cause? It’s a fun way to bring your community together, give pre-loved clothes a new lease of life, and raise valuable funds.
From finding the perfect venue to deciding how to sell your donations, here are some simple steps to help make your sale a success.
Plan ahead
Choose your venue: Church halls can be a great choice for a traditional, retro-style sale. Or, why not approach your local pub and see if they would be happy to host a vintage clothing or wine and vintage sale?
The possibilities are endless!
Just make sure your chosen venue has enough space for the clothing, the people attending and any additional activities you are planning. Remember to check whether the venue charges a hire fee and factor this into your fundraising plans.
Get Your Donations Together
Start asking friends, family, colleagues and members of your local community for clothing donations.
Be prepared — you may receive a lot of donations!
Encourage people to donate good-quality, pre-loved clothing that they no longer wear but that someone else could enjoy.
Sort Through Your Donations and Decide How to Sell
Once your donations start coming in, it’s time to sort through everything and decide how you want your sale to work.
There are lots of fun ways to do it. You could:
Have models wear the clothes and parade them down a runway.
Display the clothes on rails or racks for people to browse.
Organise a “fill a bag for £X” sale.
Create different sections for different types of clothing.
Think about what would work best for your venue, your audience and the amount of clothing you have collected.
Spread the word
Start promoting your sale as early as possible.
Create posters and put them up around your local community, and use social media to let people know when and where your sale is taking place.
Don't forget to include all the important information, such as the date, time, location and what people can expect to find at your event.
The more people who know about your sale, the more likely you are to have a busy sale with lots of purchases being made.
Celebrate Your Success
Once you've completed your challenge, let us know! We'd love to celebrate your achievement and, with your permission, share your story and photos on our social media channels.
Thank you for supporting CancerCare through your vintage and retro sales.