Devon Air Ambulance has urged residents across Sidmouth to shop 'second hand' this Christmas.

As Black Friday approaches, retailers are enthusiastically enticing bargain-hunters to shop flash sales and pre-Christmas clearance deals.

Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) is reminding online shoppers that Friday, November 27 is not only Black Friday but also 'Buy Nothing New Day' - an opportunity to support hundreds of charities that also have online shopping channels and great products to browse.

In 2017, an organisation called the 'Reuse Network' which is a charity, passionate about reducing waste and landfill, established 'Buy Nothing New Day' to raise awareness and to spread the word that second-hand doesn't mean second-best.

DAA reacted quickly to the current retail climate and the lockdowns in place throughout the summer by accelerating plans to provide an online shopping experience for customers keen to shop for sustainable fashion and more.

Within weeks shopdaat.org launched and became part of the second-hand online market, selling hundreds of pre-loved items not currently accessible in locked-down shops.

With its emphasis on sustainable fashion, the charity initially launched over 400 items of womenswear, quickly followed by menswear.

Income generation director, Caroline Creer said: "Our online shop provides a vital income stream that we are lucky to have available to the charity.

"Many charities have simply had to close their doors and are losing an incredible amount of income while lockdown continues.

"To ensure our service remains constant, we need everyone's kind support and I would invite anybody who has not yet visited our online shop to do so. Every single purchase helps to save lives."

The DAA online team is working hard to add new items daily and this week new categories have launched including Christmas Gifts and novelties plus 'Vintage and Variety' items – an interesting category to browse, with the number of categories across the website is set to be refreshed over coming weeks.

The months ahead bring great uncertainty for many charities on which thousands of people depend.

Visit the Devon Air Ambulance online shop HERE or their eBay shop HERE.