Christmas 2014: Donate your unwanted presents
A charity is urging people to drop their unwanted gifts in to one of its shops
Laura Nightingale
The British Heart Foundation is appealing for unwanted presents to sell in its charity shops dotted across Surrey and north-east Hampshire.
Profits raised from the charity stores will help fund life-saving research into heart disease.
Around 61% of people from the South East said they receive two unwanted Christmas presents every year.
With the average price per Christmas gift at £21.75, more than £2.7 billion pounds worth of unwanted presents could be donated to charity this year.
British Heart Foundation charity shops accept all of your unwanted gifts, everything from candles, Christmas jumpers, socks, games, handbags, books, DVDs and other items you no longer want.
Diane Locke, deputy retail director from the charity, said: "It's incredible that there's £2.7 billion worth of unwanted Christmas gifts in the UK this year.
"Every year people receive presents that are just not to their taste, are the wrong size, or even two of the same gift.
"These unwanted presents can make an extraordinary difference to BHF shops.
"We're encouraging South East people to donate their unwanted gifts and help raise vital funds in the fight against heart disease."