Clothing call to aid the needy in Marlborough (From This Is Wiltshire)

The India Shop in Marlborough is marking its 25th anniversary by launching its first clothes collection scheme in aid of GOONJ, a charitable movement that redistributes clothing and fabrics to the poor in rural India.

Anne Wyles, founder and managing director of the shop, which now also has branches in Salisbury and Wantage, is aiming to collect a suitcase full of good quality secondhand jeans, shirts and jumpers for distribution by Friday, October 12.

The shop imports and sells Fair Trade handicrafts from all over the subcontinent to provide sustainable employment for disadvantaged producers and to keep the legacy of Indian handicrafts alive.

Over the past ten years GOONJ has grown rapidly in India, redistributing clothes to the needy in rural areas.

When Mrs Wyles next visits India to source goods for her three shops, she plans to take a 23kg suitcase of re-useable clothing with her.

Good quality clean clothing can be left at the shop, in Hilliers Yard, Marlborough.

The shop is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5.30pm, and Sundays, 11am to 4pm.

Mrs Wyles, who lives in the Pewsey Vale, started the Marlborough shop in 1987 after visiting India for the first time.

She said: “I saw the wonderful handicrafts that came from India and I also saw the poverty. At that time there weren’t many Indian lifestyle products available in the UK.

“I aimed to help the artisans in India by starting a shop here that would sell the handicrafts to everyone.”