WOULD you donate dirty underwear to a charity shop?

Passers-by in Teignmouth town centre who were asked that question last week winced in disbelief, but it is a fact that many people do just that.

Age Concern's popular shop in Bank Street was busy with customers sorting through the rails, eager to pick up a bargain. Meanwhile out at the back, staff were busier still processing the mountains of stuff that arrives each week.

The shop gets up to 2,000 bags of jumble collected door-to-door a week. Sorting through it is a full-time job for manager Sue Simpson and assistant manager Alison Corben.

'Our target is to source 1,200 items a week. It is a big shop to fill. The pressure is really on to get good quality reasonable, clean clothes,' said Sue.

All the money raised goes towards running Age Concern's Alice Cross Centre in Bitton Park Road.

Just as the recession has brought about a welcome increase in buyers, it has also meant a decline in the quality as people hang on to things for longer. Far from raising money, most of what arrives at the back entrance never sees the shop floor and ends up costing the charity money instead.

'We have to pay an awful lot to have it taken away,' said Alison.

Once upon a time Sue and Alison used to wear rubber gloves when sorting through but they got skin complaints. Now they just wash their hands a lot.

Wading through the latest delivery, Alison pulls out a polyester sheet, bobbly with wear.

'See that? Nasty, bobbly. If you wouldn't put it on your bed, why would anyone else? It is not going to sell, is it?'

She tosses it into the recycling bin, quickly followed by a computer game.

'Playstation. Too old. No memory.'

Next in goes an avalanche of empty CD cases. She examines a shirt and pulls a face.

'If it smells, we have to rag it, even if it is a really good garment. We steam it and spray it and if it still smells, we rag it.'

Frazzled old socks, dirty underwear, incontinence pads: they've seen it all.

Now Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined to form a single charity for a Wardrobe Challenge, with the slogan 'If you love something – set it free!'

What they want is not stuff people can't be bothered to throw away but wardrobe mistakes – good quality clothes that give you a guilt complex every time you open the wardrobe door.

'We are setting people a challenge to give us one single item that is worth £5 or more, rather than a bagful of nonsense,' said Alison.