Gioia Minghella-Giddens is to open the new premises for Dress for Less, the Island Dress Agency supporting Sight for Wight on Saturday 10th June at 10am.
Staff and Volunteers at the Newport based Dress Agency are so excited to welcome Gioia to cut the ribbon to open their new shop this weekend.
Dress for Less has been selling their client’s pre-loved clothes and accessories for five years and to celebrate have invested into moving to a new shop offering easier parking and access for their customers.
A strong supporter
Gioia lives here on the Isle of Wight at the helm of Minghella Ice Cream, recently mourning the very sad loss of her late sister, Jazz singer Edana.
A strong supporter of the Charity, Gioia has helped at many events, including the annual Short Story Writing Competition.
50 per cent
At Dress for Less, clients bring in their new and nearly new items which are then displayed for sale and when sold the client receives 50 per cent of the sale value donating the other 50 per cent to Dress for Less.
All excess income that Dress for Less takes is then donated to Sight for Wight providing vital funds for the Charity.
The Island’s oldest working Charity
Sight for Wight is the Island’s oldest working Charity dating back to 1865, even predating the RNIB; the Charity provides support to Island residents living with Sight Loss to help them live safely, independently and confidently.
With just under 1,000 people living with severe sight loss and a further 6,500 people living with failing sight, the Charity is a real lifeline for people providing one to one support where and when it is needed.
Hollyhead: All items are checked to ensure they are of the highest quality
Lisa Hollyhead CEO of Sight for Wight said,
“Our Dress Agency offers local people the chance to get value from their new and nearly new clothes whilst helping Islander’s living with Sight Loss.
“All items are checked to ensure they are of the highest quality before they are accepted, giving peace of mind to our customers that their new outfit will be flawless.”
Durbridge: Constantly changing stock
Debbie Durbridge said,
“Every day here at Dress for Less is so wonderful, I absolutely love my job; people come in, often disheartened, and together we look at different colours and styles of outfits to suit them as an individual.
“When people send me photos of their special day with huge grins on their faces, it makes everything worthwhile.
“But it is not just formal wear, we stock a very wide variety of clothes and outfits ranging from casual day wear to Mother of the Bride and with constantly changing stock, it is always worth popping back in.”
Loyalty scheme
Of course, selling pre-loved clothes not only helps to reduce our carbon impact but it also gives our clients an income from their sale and provides reduced cost, but not reduced quality, clothing to our customers.
The loyalty scheme means for every £50 you spend you receive a £5 voucher.
Debbie goes on to say,
“Without the unrivalled support of our volunteers the shop could not exist so a HUGE thank you to each and every one of them.”
The new premises can be found at 57 Pyle Street, Newport.
Article edit
8am 9th Jun 2023 – Address added
News shared by Chris on behalf of Sight for Wight. Ed
