AN annual Colchester Arts Centre event has more than doubled its profit while giving hundreds of residents the opportunity to grab a bargain.

The 2024 edition of the Great Arts Centre Jumble Sale saw 278 adults pay £1 to walk through its doors and peruse a variety of unwanted goods for sale.

The three-hour sale resulted in the arts centre raising £1,288.77, up from last year’s total of £639.70. 

With an array of items such as clothes, books, and toys costing around 50p and higher, all items donated over the course of January 4 and 5 were “reasonably priced”.

The most expensive item sold was a £20 bundle of velvet curtains

Gazette: Busy - A wide shot of customers at the Arts CentreBusy - A wide shot of customers at the Arts Centre (Image: Steve Brading)

Colchester Arts Centre Trustee, Julia Stephen, has been organising the sale for the last few years and loves it.

She said: “We want it to be a service to the community, so people can get rid of things they no longer need, they can be recycled to new customers, whilst making money for the Arts Centre.

“The main reason we do it is so we can give free tickets for people that can’t afford to visit the venue, those that are struggling financially, anybody who comes as a carer, and for refugees.

Gazette: Trustee - Organiser Julia Stephen Trustee - Organiser Julia Stephen (Image: Steve Brading)

“I feel tired but absolutely elated, we have such a lovely bunch of volunteers and the people that come in, everybody thoroughly enjoys it, they go away with smiles clutching their bargains."

The next jumble sale will take place on January 4, 2025.