The Mancunian Way: Christmas shopping at the tip

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On paper it doesn’t sound like the most festive day out ever. But Dianne Bourne had a ball when she went Christmas shopping at the tip in Altrincham.

Dianne visited the Renew secondhand shop on site there and was pretty impressed with some of the stuff on offer. “I'm wandering around a shop stuffed with bargains in a rather unlikely location.” she writes. “There are rows and rows of bikes for £30, there are toys for £2, there are Christmas trees for a fiver, and decorations at five for £1.”

It’s one of three Renew shops at Greater Manchester household waste sites - the others are in Eccles and Oldham - selling the things that people have thrown away.

And with times still pretty tough for a lot of people the shops are a God-send for anyone struggling this Christmas. “Bikes I'd been looking at buying for my son that cost an eye-watering £150 for new, are priced at £35 here and I'm staggered,” writes Dianne.

“A ride-on push-along Mini car that pretty much ANY toddler would absolutely love is an absolute steal at £5. If you look online to buy this, it costs £99.99 new.”

And as well as snapping up some pretty incredible bargains, you can also feel good about your purchase, with all funds raised going directly to charity. Since the shops launched in 2021, they've already raised a massive £1m for good causes in Greater Manchester.

Manchester’s Christmas Markets are shutting up shop this week. But with the cost-of-living crisis, trains strikes and bad weather it’s been a difficult year for many traders.

“People just haven’t got