An Ipswich family sold off their late grandmother’s vast collection of designer clothes in aid of the hospice where she died - raising nearly £4,000.
Chris Wix, 70, died on December 19 last year at St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in September 2017.
She had a life-long love of fashion - so her husband Paul, 66, decided to put her collection into a pop-up shop, selling more than 500 items of clothing, including 100 pairs of shoes and 40 handbags.
With the help of his daughter, Georgia, 15-year-old grandson Morgan Whiting and 12-year-old granddaughter Bailey, the project in St Peter’s Street, Ipswich, ran for the February half-term.
Now the family have presented the charity that cared for Mrs Wix with a cheque for £3,931.50.
Mr Wix said: “I know for a fact that my wife would have been thrilled that other people were enjoying her clothes.
“The top floor of the shop turned into an impromptu changing room on the first day. I thought the number of people visiting would tail off but we had people coming all week, some of them were coming twice.
“Chris had bought about £40,000 worth of clothing, so some people definitely got a bargain.
“Seeing things going out the door was hard but they were going to other people who had her taste in clothes and to see people complementing them was incredible.”
The shop took more than £2,000 on the first day it was open and saw over 80% of Mrs Wix’s belongings sold in aid of the charity, with the rest of the items donated to the St Elizabeth Hospice charity shop in Heath Road.
The family had agreed to split the money raised between the hospice and his grandchildren, but Bailey and Morgan decided that they should receive a much smaller amount so that they could give even more to the charity.
“They both capped the amount of money they would take from the sale, just because it felt like the right thing to do,” added Mr Wix.
“I think it was a great experience for them and I hope it’s made a lasting memory, doing something for the hospice.
“If you go to the hospital you’ll get treated, but if you go to the hospice you get cared for - I’m sure my wife would have been proud of them for doing that.”
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