“I’ve always loved charity shops and doing this gives me an opportunity to find new ones and help raise their profile along the way. It also allows me to connect with my audience and make my art accessible to everyone” – TikTok sensation Sophie pays a surprise visit to Royston
Sophie Tea met fans and posed for photos at the town’s East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) shop on Friday afternoon.
The visit was part of her Charity Shop Friday series, where she buys an item, gives it a new lease of life and then returns it to be sold at the same price.
She uses her social media channels to drop clues about the location of the store and her posts led to an eager crowd gathering.
Sophie, who has nearly a million followers on TikTok and 300,000 on Instagram, bought a plain white biscuit barrel for £4.
She took it away and worked her magic, turning it into a colourful masterpiece, before handing over the revamped item later that afternoon. The 31-year-old then posted this magical video about her day.
Sophie, who has a gallery in Carnaby, said: “We had such an amazing, wholesome day and the irony is that we were actually heading for Cambridge.
“Then there was an announcement on the train saying we were stopping in Royston so we ended up filming there instead.
“The EACH shop was the first charity shop we came across, although Johnny, my videographer, knew of it and knows Royston.
“It worked out perfectly and everyone was so friendly and supportive. They got into the spirit and totally embraced the idea.
“The biscuit barrel was ideal for me to work on and I was drawn to the large surface area, which gave me plenty of space.
“I loved doing it and was shocked when we went back in the afternoon and saw the crowd. It was an amazing response.
“I’ve always loved charity shops and doing this gives me an opportunity to find new ones and help raise their profile along the way.
“It also allows me to connect with my audience and make my art accessible to everyone.
“It’s a way of giving something back and I’ve learnt so much about these wonderful causes and the impact they have on people’s lives.”
Sophie’s visit was her seventh Charity Shop Friday adventure, previously transforming an antique clock and luxury handbag in locations including Bristol, Worcester, London and Solihull.
EACH shop manager Terri Rolph described it as a ‘fun, eventful and exciting’ afternoon.
She said: “People saw the clues on social media and were coming in asking if they were in the right place. It got busier and busier and quite a crowd gathered by 4pm.
“Customers were buying our cards and caps for Sophie to sign and, in the last hour of trading alone, we took nearly £200.
“It was a great experience and, as a team, we’re so grateful to Sophie.
“She was absolutely lovely and had time for everyone. She chatted and listened and knew what she was doing would help raise awareness of our charity, for which we’re very grateful.”
In the interests of fairness, with the new-look biscuit barrel in such high demand, customers interested in buying it were given a raffle ticket.
By chance, the winner was one of the shop’s new volunteers, Valerie Whyborn.
“I checked it would be ok to enter the draw, as I hoped to buy the finished jar for my 16-year-old granddaughter, also called Sophie,” she said
“She volunteers too and is about to go to sixth form college to study art. She would have loved to have been there in person, but was away on holiday.
“It was £4 well spent and a special keepsake of an afternoon I’ll never forget.
“I never win anything, so it was a lovely and very surprising turn of events. I’m still buzzing now, nearly a week on.
“Sophie’s got a huge following and I find her artwork absolutely fascinating.”
Valerie previously worked for an international boarding college in Cambridge. Last Friday was only her ninth shift in the Royston shop.
“I’ve loved every moment so far,” she said.
“Being in the shop gives me my ‘people fix’ and every week something lovely or interesting happens.
“I love being around people and that’s probably the one thing I’ve missed since finishing work.
“Being here, serving customers on the till, gives me the opportunity to chat and meet new faces, which I love.”
To find out more about volunteering in Royston, pop in for a chat, email Terri via Terri.Rolph@each.org.uk or call 01763 290004.
Sophie’s artwork has previously sold for up to £25,000 and, in April, her show Send Nudes Live sold out at The London Palladium.
Her following has grown to over a million people, captivated by Charity Shop Friday. Along the way she is aiming to raise awareness about the importance of shopping locally and supporting second-hand stores. To nominate another charity shop for her series, head to sophieteaart.com
