With many of us trying to have a sustainable Christmas this year, browsing in charity shops and online for gifts and festive clothes has become the ethical way to shop – and you might just find a celebrity item too! This December, the BHF are selling a selection of preloved items from none other than Hollywood favourite, Michael Sheen.

The donated suits and clothing worn by Michael include items from high street favourites such as Zara, contemporary brand Peter Werth, and US labels Banana Republic and Club Monaco; and are available to bid on via the charity’s eBay shop, so the lucky bidder can hope to receive the coveted items in time for the new year – either to wear themselves, or as a gift for a loved one.

The BHF Port Talbot shop is a favourite haunt of Michael’s parents, Meyrick and Irene; with the couple making a recent visit to donate preloved items, including some of their famous son’s suits.

82-year-old Meyrick Sheen had a heart attack and quadruple bypass, and the family has been firm supporters of the BHF ever since. Michael’s mother Irene says, “We always donate to the BHF because we know the excellent work the charity does in funding research into heart conditions and we like to do our bit to help. So, when Michael passed on some of his clothes and asked us to find a good cause to donate them to, we came straight to our local BHF.”

“Thanks to my heart surgery I’ve been able to have an active and happy life,” says Meyrick. “The research the BHF funds has made a difference to the lives of countless families like ours, and we want to help raise awareness and donations so that more progress can be made into the causes and treatment of heart conditions.”

Store manager Anne Evans has been at the BHF for 24 years and hopes the suits raise as much money as possible to fund life saving research. “Our team of volunteers are always on the look-out for special items or anything that’s out of the ordinary,” she says. “We know Meyrick and Irene very well and were thrilled when they turned up with these items. Hopefully, they’ll raise plenty of money for the charity’s vital work.”

Bidding for Michael’s donated items closes on Monday 20^th December just after 1pm via these links:

How you can help

Whether it’s Michael Sheen’s suits or a vintage handbag, this Christmas, the UK’s largest charity retailer is calling on shoppers to explore the vast range of preloved treasures in its shops and online, to help save money and give preloved items a new lease of life – while supporting a good cause.

If you’re looking for a special gift for a loved one, a festive piece for your wardrobe or an update to your home décor, the BHF’s shops and stores are filled to the brim with a plethora of unique finds at affordable prices – from books, toys, and designer clothes to vintage furniture and retro homewares.

If you’d rather shop from the comfort of your own home, you can always explore the charity’s Depop shop or eBay site, for stylish steals, vintage pieces, and one-of-a kind collectables.

This year the BHF expects to save around 71,000 tonnes of goods from going to waste. It will do this by selling over half a million pieces of living room furniture, including 250,000 sofas, and 14,000 tonnes of preloved clothes. In one year, through the reuse and recycling of donated items the BHF will help prevent 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere.

Just £16 worth of donations can support an early career scientist in carrying out an hour’s research and £25 gives a researcher an hour’s access to equipment. If your donations raised £100, this would fund a DNA extraction kit to identify genes linked to heart and circulatory diseases.