A CHARITY has gone from high street to high speed, in an effort to continue its work against poverty.

Oxfam has launched Britain's first online charity shop, selling items traditionally sold in its hundreds of stores across the country.

And in Darlington's Skinnergate store, which is Oxfam's biggest in the country, staff have set up an entire floor dedicated to online sales.

Oxfam's online shop features items brought in, as well as Fairtrade gifts and the popular alternative gift range, Oxfam Unwrapped.

Online volunteers select and upload the items for sale to the site every day.

Other goods have been sold through eBay to raise money for the charity.

The Skinnergate store has racks on the first floor, once used as the boutique area, with clothes to be sold online.

Several computers have been set up for staff to put on new sales.

Mike Frankland, who runs the store with his wife, Helen, said: "By taking part in this, we can showcase a range of our goods to customers throughout the UK as opposed to only our local area and we expect to increase the amount we raise as a result."

He added: "Oxfam can see we have made a success of the store.

It is really, really good here.

"You associate charity shops with old dears. But we also get a lot of young people through the doors."

The shop can be found at www.oxfam.org.uk/shops