A CARLISLE charity shop has been inundated by community donations after announcing in an emergency social media appeal that "the storeroom is empty".

The OpShop in Denton Holme was faced with an empty storeroom for possibly the first time in its 32 year history on Thursday. 

There were no clothes or bric-a-brac items for volunteers to put out on the shop floor once stock has been sold.

But, when manager Andy Blake issued the appeal on Facebook, people were quick to get in touch to offer their support.

Within the first hour of opening on Monday morning, at least a dozen people had stopped by with "armfuls of stuff" to donate.

"I've been amazed," he said.

"The responses go through OpShop's Facebook page and Cornerstone and a number of private messages.

"I'm planning on opening on Saturday for an hour, so people who want to donate could come for drop off stuff if they need to."

More people are now looking to charity shops for quality items at an affordable price due to the cost of living crisis which turns places like the OpShop into a "lifeline" for those in the community who are struggling financially.

Mr Blake believes that the crisis is also playing a role in the decrease of donations to both the charity shop and the St James and Cornerstone Food Bank which he also manages.

He said: "The community has always supported the OpShop, and up until maybe last year, we never had to appeal for donations because we were always inundated.

"It's since this sort of trend with the cost of living crisis that we've noticed it.

"It's not just been in the OpShop. It's a trend that's going across the board."

Community is at the heart of everything the OpShop does which is why Mr Blake is keen to keep prices as affordable as possible.

"We don't have huge overheads or anything like that, so we can focus purely on supporting those in need," he said.

"As long as we're covering our bills, then we're happy and that means we can make sure our prices reflect that as well."

The OpShop, on Denton Street, is open between 9am-4pm from Monday to Friday and Cornerstone will also be open between 9-10am on Saturday for those wishing to donate.