A little girl, no more than three, was earnestly and very cutely deliberating over which book to choose in our village charity shop on Saturday. 

Verbally weighing up their merits to herself, she was clearly filled with joy at the prospect of taking one home. 

Her clear pleasure for something so simple stopped me in my tracks.

Excitedly mulling over books that could have been read hundreds of times over to previous owners, she couldn’t wait to get more enjoyment from them. 

Her grandma rescued her from her quandary by allowing her all three. Her elation cost pennies, and off she happily skipped. 

The joy of second-hand, of having enough and not needing new is having a moment, fashionable because it’s sustainable living in a world full of waste and excess. 

Charity shop navigation is top of my skillset and one that’s been carefully honed across Norfolk. 

My growing collection of preloved cashmere, designer labels I could never afford new, and swanky homeware are testament to my savvy rummaging. I’m known for my sixth sense to spot a Max Mara among the M&S at 20 paces. 

But, as we head to the end of October, charity shops have a far more crucial role to play than for the frivolous like me after the big find. 

They are lifelines on the run-up to Christmas for people who rely on second-hand for everything, especially for their children. 

On X – formerly Twitter – this week, Nigella Lawson and other celebrities reposted a woman’s message from a charity shop volunteer urging families to clear out children’s old toys and donate now ready for families shopping for Christmas. 

If families who knew their children would get inundated with new toys in a couple of months had clear outs now, children who would never have new, will have a chance to have presents. 

Often, it’s those who have so much who wouldn’t dream that they could bring such joy to children who have little by giving their old to charity shops. 

Those who recoil at the idea of gifting second hand are those who believe charity shops smell of musty, cabbage and old people’s homes and full of old tut and tat. 

But one child’s rubbish is another’s gold. For children who have so much, their discarded toys and books are treasure for children who have little. 

The X post said people often left clear-outs until after Christmas, which was too late the cash strapped families shopping in the next month for toys, books, clothes, homeware, Christmas decorations, even old Christmas trees lying in the loft.  

I baulk at the new stuff we had sitting around the house when my sons were young – unused toys, clothes they had grown out of, shelves of books, sports equipment hardly used, and games played a couple of times.  

Books count as a luxury today – one in five children grow up in homes with no books, which is so sad when charity shops could be full of them. 

We all need to think differently, kill any stigma about gifting second hand and imagine how our cupboard junk and clutter could spark new joy.

A charity shopA charity shop (Image: Newsquest)

I happily gift second hand. I’ve a pile of charity shop books travel, sports, politics and biographies I know my sons like for their Christmas stockings, scarves – some still with labels on – I know my friends would love, and homeware. I’m proud to tell recipients about their retrieved treasure. 

A friend kitted her daughter out for university entirely from charity shops. Nothing was new, and nothing ever got taken by mistake because her vintage Denby was nothing like everyone else’s Ikea. 

Second hand does not mean second best. It’s about new life, recycling, circular economy, sustainable living and spreading new joy. Think of the little girl with her new books. 

For many, it’s essential. A serious autumn declutter today for charity can only do good, spread the joy and relieve some worry. 

SHOULD THE CLOCKS GO BACK?

As we look forward to an extra hour’s sleep this weekend when the clocks go back, scientists are campaigning to stop meddling with the clocks twice a year to save our sleep and improve our health. 

If we stuck with Greenwich Mean Time year-round, our sleep would be improved because our body clocks are most affected by light in the mornings, they say. 

Members of the British Sleep Society (BSS), a professional organisation for medical, scientific and health workers, said evidence clearly shows that natural daylight in the morning is good for sleep patterns, while changing the clocks has a negative impact. 

Anything that means better sleep and lighter evenings gets my vote.  

AN 'OLD GUARD' VIEW

Yet another Westminster dinosaur believing fathers can do a job far better than mothers because they are more distracted by their young children. 

I’m not a fan of either Tory leader contender Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick, but Sir Christoper Chope’s decision to back Mr Jenrick because Ms Badenoch is preoccupied with her children was outrageous. 

Mother-of-three Ms Badenoch’s youngest child is five and her eldest is 12, while Mr Jenrick also has three children between the ages of eight and 13. 

Why would she be more preoccupied by her children than him? They are both parents.  

No one in the real world can give me an answer but Sir Christopher seems to be voicing an old guard view from the Westminster bubble.