Pregnant doll among the weird and wonderful donations at Alnwick Mind charity shop

It is on a shelf of weird and wonderful things donated to the Alnwick Mind shop over the past year.

While some shoppers would be surprised, the employees and volunteers here have seen it all.

Helen McMillan, manager at the Alnwick Mind shop, said: “The pregnant doll is complete with a removable 'bump' to reveal a hidden baby which can be taken out, and a stomach that flips to a flat one for when the baby's been born - like that happens!

“We keep it on our shelf of weird and wonderful things - dolls with eyes hanging out, that sort of thing.

“We once had a bag full of rubbish, where they'd obviously mixed up the bag of donations with a bag of rubbish! That one didn’t make it to the shelf…”

Donations help prevent waste going to landfill, provide an eco-friendly option for shoppers, and raise money for mental health.

The average bag of donated items is worth around £30, and all the proceeds raised go to running Mind’s services, such as the Infoline which provides confidential information and advice.

“Even the unusual stuff really does well,” says Helen. “Ukeleles, interesting pots, unicycles, that sort of thing.

“These items will help the employees and volunteers serve their local community, while ensuring that Mind can keep helping the one in four of us who will experience a mental health problem this year.”