Dozens brave wind to queue up for charity shop sale THERE are not many places you could pick up a cut-price Burberry coat, a chandelier and a Star Wars lightsaber at the same time. But then there are not many sales like the annual clear-out at the Shelter charity shop in Stockbridge. Dozens of bargain-hunters braved the weather to queue outside the store yesterday morning and make sure they got the first pick of the designer clothes and antique collectables on offer. Among the top bargains was the Burberry green wool cape worth up to £500 and priced at £80, a late 19th-century Souvenirs from Scotland book, half price at £50, and a heavily-discounted collectable Crown Devon Mikado jug with a price tag of £80. All were snapped up within just a few hours by the eagle-eyed shoppers. Laden with clothes, perfume, a chandelier and jewellery, not to mention a new pair of black boots, Katharine Henderson made sure being close to the front of the queue when the shop opened paid off. The 23-year-old nurse, who lives in the West End, said she was "chuffed" with all her purchases, which totalled £135. She said: "My mum told me about the sale after reading about it in the Evening News so I thought it was worth having a wee look to see if I could get a few designer things. I like things that are a bit different. Sometimes it's quite nice to get something that nobody else has, or not many people have. Ms Henderson, who works at the Western General Hospital, added: "I saw two women arguing over a dragonfly brooch, which was quite funny." In the first hour of the sale, the shop raked in £1366 and by the two-hour mark, the total had reached £2020. Manager Pete Jew, 53, said: "I'm pretty pleased because it was a horrible day and we still had people queuing at the door. I thought nobody would come on a day like that. The sale is popular at the end of the day and it is an event that only happens once a year, so nobody wants to miss out on it. A lot of people have gone away with things that they are very happy with because they are unique - they are all one-offs. The Star Wars lightsaber with a pricetag of £40 was among the more unusual items on sale. All funds raised from the annual sale, which is due to last a week, will go towards providing Shelter Scotland's free housing advice line and enabling the charity to help people find and keep a home in Scotland. Also snapping up a bargain yesterday were husband and wife Graham and Jessica Cochran, both 51, who purchased a Victorian bracelet for £120 and a framed picture, which cost £40. Designer delights at charity sale WHEN seasoned shoppers prepare to hit the January sales, charity shops do not tend to feature on their hit list. Better take Shelter . . here come the crowds NOBODY wanted to be the person standing in the way as crowds of bargain-hungry customers stormed through the door. Second hand pose Of course, I have my day job at The Scotsman Magazine. The rest of my time is spent honing my rummaging skills in various branches of Barnado's, Shelter and Oxfam, looking for that fabled mint-condition Biba dress among the piles of polyester blouses from C&A. My commitment has won me a few prizes - for example, a red Yves Saint Laurent 1970s bag for £2.99, which remained anchored to my shoulder for a couple of seasons.