Charity Shops’ Challenge

The Charity Shops’ Challenge is the perfect opportunity for businesses of any size to engage staff and the local community while raising important funds for a great charity.

Since it began in 2011, the Charity Shops’ Challenge has raised over £450,000 for local charities.

In partnership with Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, this unique and innovative volunteer event is open to businesses of all sizes and sectors, with 13 stores taking part across Northern Ireland.

The premise is simple, businesses take over the running of a Cancer Focus charity shop for one day and compete against each other to make the most money for the charity.

Teams also participate in fundraising activities in the run up to ‘take-over day’, with the overall winner being crowned Challenge Champion.

As well as the fundraising and volunteering aspect to the event, the Charity Shop Challenge is a great opportunity for businesses of any size to raise their profile within their local community, engage with customers and suppliers and can even provide a creative training opportunity for staff.

Shop take-over day will be 29 May 2026. This is the date on which businesses will be in the store. There’s a little more to the Charity Shop Challenge than that – click below to find out more.

There are plenty of reasons for your business to get involved, for example:

• Engaging with your local community
• Bolstering staff wellbeing through active engagement and team building
• A cost-effective way to develop staff skills
• Helps raise essential funds for a local charity
• An excellent PR opportunity through an extensive campaign, led by Business in the Community

CHARITY SHOP LOCATIONS

Ballyhackamore – TAKEN BY VERSION 1
Banbridge – RESERVED
Bangor – RESERVED
Coleraine
Derry~Londonderry – TAKEN BY HERON BROS.
Enniskillen – TAKEN BY ENCIRC
Holywood – TAKEN BY UREG
Limavady
Lisburn – TAKEN BY AFLAC
Lisburn Road – TAKEN BY RPS
Newtownards – TAKEN BY DIRECT MEDICS
Newtownstewart
Ormeau Road – TAKEN BY MOUNT CHARLES GROUP

KEY DATES:

Launch Event | 25 February 2026

Join us at a special event at Cancer Focus offices to launch the Charity Shops’ Challenge. This is when the Challenge officially starts and you can begin your fundraising events with colleagues and stakeholders.

Shop Take-Over Day | Friday 29 May 2026

This is the date to drive customers to your shop and increase sales on the day.

Money and Awards Entry Deadline | 5:00 pm on 9 June 2026

This is the date that we need to receive the money from your fundraising and shop sales; and your entries for the award categories available.

Celebration Event | Wednesday 24 June 2026

Winners will be announced at a special lunch event, including overall Challenge Champion. We will also reveal the grand total raised for Cancer Focus.

For more information, please contact Lauren Cunningham.