Winter's closing in at Howell's House Clearance

It’s that horrible time of the year after the clocks go back, where it gets dark earlier in the late afternoon. I sometimes walk my dogs in St George’s Park, Felpham and last week I was late getting back from a house clearance job in Midhurst – it was as if we were going out in the middle of the night – poor boys were really not up for a long walk.

We started the clearance of a bungalow in Selsey recently, doing all the outbuildings and garage first. The lady occupant had recently moved into a care home in Chichester and in the garage was boxes and boxes of all sorts of cleaning products and toilet rolls. Her daughter who instructed us said her mother would buy anything that was discounted with the saying, ‘Always come in useful’. As luck would have it at some stage she must have had a dog as we found four boxes of good quality poo bags. Her daughter had already removed a vanload of boxes from the property and was happy for us to find homes or salvage of what remained at the bungalow. Well, I won’t have to buy any poo bags for my boys for the next year – a very good result.

Also in the garage were some strong bin liners that contained blankets and some coats in good condition so these were donated to a charity shop in Bognor Regis. I know there are many people who think that charity shops have taken over many high streets and towns, however I think many of the shops there would otherwise be empty. Even in the so-called upmarket towns Midhurst, Petworth and Arundel, charity shops have a presence. In these difficult times many older folk and families have had to rely on finding clothing and household items in these shops.

I do try to support a few shops in Bognor Regis and Chichester that I have got to know over the years; one is a bit off the beaten track so they don’t get as much support as others and are always so grateful for any donations. The staff at this shop are amazing – one retired lady gets the bus three days a week all the way from West Wittering as she feels it’s her way of helping the local community. She was born and went to school in Felpham and has a real connection to the local area.  

House clearance fair exchange

I have noticed many church and village halls are now open around lunchtime for people to enjoy a warm environment with a cup of tea and some company. In Hunston on the Selsey Road, outside a hall, was a sign: ‘Warm welcome and chat for all’, and over in Emsworth, ‘Free soup and roll – come and chat in the warm’. This is in West Sussex – allegedly wealthy!

I do think that even at local council level more needs to be done to support the elderly who are trying to survive on their state pensions. Recently we cleared a beautiful retirement flat in West Chiltington; there was an as new reclining electric chair that also extended forward. I had made a fair allowance when quoting for the clearance and placed it on a for sale website. The daughter of a lady who had recently come out of hospital following a fall contacted me. The lady lived in Walberton, one of the five villages, and it was obvious from the phone call that she desperately needed the chair but the family could afford it only at the end of the month when they got paid. We took the chair to her; she was a lovely happy-go-lucky woman who was thrilled with the chair. She had no idea it would help her to get up from a sitting position. Anyway I did a very good deal with her daughter – I swapped the chair for a large homemade apple pie with apples made from the lady’s garden. Sometimes it makes your day when you know you’re helping people.

I just think that local authorities need to provide, say, a minibus to transport these elderly people to the warm halls that are open. At the other end, families with young children need all the help they can get with the huge rise in food, housing and energy. Many can’t feed or keep their young children warm. I have noticed that more and more young families contact me when we are selling basic household items online. I recently delivered a fridge freezer to Goodwood, just outside Chichester, where a young family had saved the £70 needed over a month and had not had any refrigerator in their home for that period of time. How difficult must that be with toddlers to feed?

I know this hasn’t been the happiest of blogs and unfortunately my last slot of news is close to my heart as a retired police officer. A very good friend of mine, a retired journalist from the good old Fleet Street says he was in Littlehampton town centre. He is a very moral man and when an altercation between youths and a woman occurred he intervened. He was then brutally assaulted by the youths, laid unconscious and ended up in hospital. Obviously the police were called and some three months later he was contacted saying that one of the youths will be spoken to. My friend has scars from the incident and only now realises his injuries could have been so much worse. He did the right thing but unfortunately I don’t feel the police have the ability to investigate all reported crime. As with many government agencies things do look bleak. 

I promise my next blog will have some happy news. If you need any advice regarding the clearance of any property please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. Happy to attend, offer any advice and a no-obligation quote.

We have a busy week clearing a bungalow in Lavant outside Chichester, a couple of sheds in Slindon and a large garage in Hambrook.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.