St Mary's Hospice
As of , St Mary's Hospice publishes donation guidance covering 41 of the 110 items in this directory: 29 they can't accept, 8 they may accept in some cases and 4 they accept, plus 1 category-wide rule.
Registered as 'Hospice of St Mary of Furness' but trades publicly as 'St Mary's Hospice'; runs a dedicated Furniture Warehouse (Barrow-in-Furness) for large/bulky furniture and white goods, separate from its general high-street shops.
Toys & games
1-
Accepted
Listed under 'Items We Love to Accept' at the Furniture Warehouse.
Their wording
“Children’s toys and games”
Furniture
4-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Damaged furniture or items with missing parts”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Upholstered furniture without a valid fire label”
-
Check first
Refers to chipboard flat-pack furniture with a white veneer finish, listed under 'Furniture & Housewares'.
Their wording
“Flat-pack/chipboard furniture with white veneer”
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Check first
From the Furniture Warehouse 'Important Notes' section; mattresses must have a valid fire label and be free of marks, tears or stains.
Their wording
“Upholstered furniture (including mattresses) must have a valid fire label attached and be free from marks, tears, or stains.”
Homeware & household
2-
Can't accept
Candles without instructions/labelling.
Their wording
“Petrol/diesel garden tools, candles without instructions”
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Accepted
Listed under 'Items We Love to Accept' at the Furniture Warehouse.
Their wording
“Homeware and accessories”
Electrical
11! Check first Listed as a standalone bullet within the 'Electrical Items' section of the main donation guidance page — electrical items without a CE mark are implied to be refused. — “Must have CE mark”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets, showers, sunbeds, tanning equipment”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets, showers, sunbeds, tanning equipment”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Any gas appliances (mains or bottled)”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Storage heaters that are hardwired”
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Can't accept
Refers to oil-filled or mobile (portable) heaters.
Their wording
“Ovens with glass doors, oil-filled or mobile heaters”
-
Can't accept
Includes tanning equipment.
Their wording
“Electric blankets, showers, sunbeds, tanning equipment”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Waste disposal units, power tools without instructions”
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Check first
Accepted only via the Furniture Warehouse and only in excellent condition; the warehouse page adds 'must be in excellent condition and working order'.
Their wording
“White goods (unless via our Furniture Warehouse, in excellent condition)”
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Check first
Only cathode-tube (CRT) televisions are specified as excluded; the page does not address flat-screen TVs or computer monitors.
Their wording
“Cathode tube televisions”
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Check first
Accepted only if unused and in sealed packaging.
Their wording
“Used personal care items (e.g. shavers, foot spas) unless unused in sealed packaging”
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Accepted
Listed under 'Items We Love to Accept' at the Furniture Warehouse.
Their wording
“Sound and vision equipment”
DIY & garden
1-
Can't accept
Refers specifically to power tools without instructions.
Their wording
“Waste disposal units, power tools without instructions”
Safety equipment
2-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Helmets, buoyancy aids, inflatable dinghies, skateboards, scooters”
-
Can't accept
Buoyancy aids specifically.
Their wording
“Helmets, buoyancy aids, inflatable dinghies, skateboards, scooters”
Mobility & medical
1-
Can't accept
Includes vitamins.
Their wording
“Medicines, vitamins, perishable food or drink”
Health & beauty
2-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses, toiletries, cleaning agents or solvents”
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Can't accept
Toiletries specifically; no 'used/opened' qualifier is stated for this particular line — the source appears to refuse toiletries generally, which is a superset of (and therefore still supports) 'used or opened' toiletries.
Their wording
“Prescription glasses, toiletries, cleaning agents or solvents”
Sharps & weapons
2-
Can't accept
Guns, including replicas.
Their wording
“Knives, swords, crossbows, guns (including replicas)”
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Can't accept
Swords and crossbows also listed as bladed/sharp items.
Their wording
“Knives, swords, crossbows, guns (including replicas)”
Hazardous materials
3-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Firefighting or safety equipment”
-
Can't accept
Cleaning agents and solvents specifically.
Their wording
“Prescription glasses, toiletries, cleaning agents or solvents”
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Can't accept
Petrol/diesel garden tools specifically.
Their wording
“Petrol/diesel garden tools, candles without instructions”
Food & drink
2- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Perishable drink specifically.
Their wording
“Medicines, vitamins, perishable food or drink”
Media & books
4-
Can't accept
DVDs without official age (BBFC) ratings.
Their wording
“VCR videos or DVDs without official age ratings”
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Check first
Vinyl records are refused; CDs are not addressed.
Their wording
“Vinyl Records”
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Check first
Only VHS tapes without an official age (BBFC) rating are refused; rated tapes may be accepted.
Their wording
“VCR videos or DVDs without official age ratings”
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Accepted
Listed under 'Items We Love to Accept' at the Furniture Warehouse.
Their wording
“Books and media”
Restricted materials
2-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Ivory, fur”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Ivory, fur”
Bedding & textiles
1-
Can't accept
Also restated under 'Other Items' as 'Used pillows and duvets'.
Their wording
“Duvets and pillows”
Sport & outdoor
3-
Can't accept
Skateboards specifically.
Their wording
“Helmets, buoyancy aids, inflatable dinghies, skateboards, scooters”
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Can't accept
Inflatable dinghies specifically.
Their wording
“Helmets, buoyancy aids, inflatable dinghies, skateboards, scooters”
-
Check first
Not accepted at general shops, only via the Furniture Warehouse.
Their wording
“Bicycles (only accepted via Furniture Warehouse)”
Other things they mention
More rules from their donation guidance, in their own words — these don't have their own page on this site yet:
- Can't accept Stained furniture/household items — “Stained Items”
- Can't accept Ovens with glass doors — “Ovens with glass doors, oil-filled or mobile heaters”
- Can't accept Scooters (non-electric, kids) — “Helmets, buoyancy aids, inflatable dinghies, skateboards, scooters”
- Can't accept Home-recorded/burned DVDs, CDs, tapes or software — “Home-recorded DVDs, CDs, tapes, or software”
- Check first Gardening tools — “Gardening tools (accepted at our warehouse) or any other sharp implements”