Oxfam shops have seen a 15% decline in donations as people hold on to items during the economic downturn.

Oxfam is appealing for more donations to its shops as it reveals a 15% drop in donations over the last 12 months – despite an increase in footfall on the high street.

Oxfam said its latest results are evidence that the recession in the UK is far from over, despite a surge in sales that many of the big retailers including John Lewis, Next, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have seen over the Christmas period. 

The 15% drop is a 3% increase on the figure from 2008, and Oxfam says that the severe weather which has battered the UK over the last month may also have an effect on donations.

It says that if everyone in Britain donated just one item in January, it would have more than enough money to fund all of Oxfam’s emergency humanitarian response for a year.

Marks and Spencer (M&S) is urging more people to support Oxfam with its ‘Clothes Exchange’. Since January 2008 people who donate a piece of M&S branded clothing to Oxfam have been given a £5 voucher to spend in M&S in return and the retailing giant says that the exchange has now been extended to soft furnishings.

Promoted in shops and in press advertising, M&S claims that over one million people have already donated unwanted clothing helping to raise more than £2.5 million so far.

David McCullough, Oxfam’s Director of Trading, said: “This is a crucial moment for us. Over the last eighteen months, people have been buying less, replacing less and therefore donating less to Oxfam.”

Oxfam are hoping that the well documented rise in sales for many of the high street shops over Christmas could mean a welcome boost to donations as people have a clear out and bag up clothes and house items to hand in.

“Without continued donations of everything from clothing to cookware, Oxfam shops could not continue to play such a key role in communities across the UK,” added Mr McCullough.

However, it is not just the UK that will suffer from the downturn in donations Oxfam and many other charities on the high street may be experiencing. Today (13 January) the Caribbean country of Haiti has suffered its biggest earthquake in 200 years and thousands are feared dead, highlighting the need for charity emergency response teams to be well prepared.

Oxfam said that it will be mobilising its emergency response unit for South America. Jane Cocking, Humanitarian Director, announced: “We are well prepared with a public health, water and sanitation team in Port au Prince ready to respond. We also have emergency supplies in Panama that we are preparing to send in as soon as possible.”