Bargain-hunters reveal their charity shop gems

Diana Ward is used to people admiring her designer clothes and handbags, which look like they have cost hundreds of pounds

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But the art teacher at Wolverhampton Grammar School admits she gets most of her top-of-the-range clothes from charity shops.

Her favourite item at the moment is a woollen Fenn Wright Manson coat which should have cost around £200 but she snapped it up for £15 from a Compton Hospice charity shop.

Walking into work, the briefcase that students see every day swinging from her hand is a Whitehouse Cox costing over £1,000 – but she paid just £9 for it.

For almost 20 years Diana has been shopping at the Compton Hospice store at their main site in Compton Road West.

"Now I nip to the shop in my lunch hour to see if I can pick up a bargain, but I started visiting the store when my two children were young," says Diana, who lives in

Adbaston, near Eccleshall, with her husband Alan and two children Rebecca, 21, and Olivia, 19.

"When the girls were toddlers I bought their clothes and toys from the shop as we used to live in Finchfield.

"Now I like visiting the shop because you never know what you are going to find – it is not just about saving money, it is about finding something unusual and getting good vintage clothing."

Diana says she often snaps up items which are good for the theatre department at the Grammar School as well as old shirts, which are useful for when students are painting.

"When you find a bargain it is quite exciting and you know that your money is also going to a good cause," she says.

Diana has also bought lots of items for her home including rugs priced at £10 each, Denby ceramics and a coffee set for £9.

"I'm not struggling financially but everyone has a certain amount to spend and going to charity shops helps your money go further," she says.

"You see a lot of people in charity shops who are wealthy but they like to spot something a bit unusual or unique.

"Often they are very frugal people and no one knows they are buying their lovely clothes from a charity shop," she added.

Another frugal shopper is Lisa Bockhoefer from Wombourne who has been visiting charity stores since she was a teenager.

"When you are young you haven't got the money to buy new clothes, but by going to charity shops you can kit yourself out in some great items," says Lisa, who lives with husband John and works as a fundraiser for Compton Hospice. "I usually visit the shop in my lunch break and I start getting withdrawal symptoms if I don't go for a few days.

"When I spotted the coat that Diana was wearing I kicked myself for not having seen it before her – it looks great."

Among Lisa's best buys are a Radley bag which would have cost £100 but she snapped it up for £10 and a red checked coat from Coast which had an original price of £150 but she only paid £5.

"In the Compton Hospice shop in Wombourne I found a Jean Muir jacket which is a collectable item and you can't really put a price on it – I managed to get it for £5," she says. "People shouldn't just drop into a charity shop once and then give up – you have to visit regularly to spot the bargains.

"I pop into the shop every day but probably only buy one item a week."

Lisa says she has also bought hats and jewellery from charity shops and even finds items for her friends and family.

"Sometimes you will spot something which you have to buy, and if it doesn't fit you, it will probably be perfect for a friend," she says.

"I have felt like keeping my charity shopping a secret – not because I'm embarrassed, but because I don't want anyone else to snap up the bargains before me."