It is said that charity begins at home, and 1) ..... in the UK seem to have put these words into practice. Their enthusiasm for 2) ..... others shows in the 187,000 charity organisations that exist in the country. Some of the most famous ones are Oxfam, Age Concern, the RSPCA¹, the British Heart Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care. People donate money to charity organisations or volunteer to help raise money. Many of these organisations run charity shops. 3) ..... raise money. The 4) .... charity shop in the United Kingdom was established by Oxfam in Broad Street, Oxford. Oxfam has the 5) ..... number of charity shops in the UK, with over 800 stores. Charity shops sell goods at very low prices. The items for sale are 6) ..... second-hand and donated by members of the public. These include books, records, clothes, accessories, household items, furniture and costumes for special occasions. There are bargains for everyone! Some charity shops also sell new goods that are somehow 7) ..... to the cause they support. In Oxfam shops, for example, you can find fair trade food and crafts. The staff who work at charity shops are volunteers, so 8) ..... of the profits from the sales go towards the charity. In the US, where charity shops 9) ..... 'thrift stores', this kind of shopping is so popular that it has got its own word, it's called thrifting!