Caroline Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 (age 57–58) |
| Occupation | Window dresser |
| Known for | Raising money for Cancer Research UK after the death of her mother |
Caroline Jones (born 1968) [1] is an English window dresser from Chester. She started volunteering for Cancer Research UK as a window dresser in Harpenden shortly after her mother's death in 2014. She was awarded the UK's Points of Light award on the last day of 2015 for her work wearing second-hand clothes every day that year.
Caroline Jones was born in Chester, Cheshire in 1968. She started volunteering in Harpenden, Hertfordshire at a Cancer Research UK charity shop as a window dresser shortly after her mother Mary Benson, aged 72, died of breast cancer in October 2014. [2] At the time of her mother's death, she had been a Cancer Research volunteer for thirteen years. [3] She also established Knickers Model's Own in 2015 to commemorate her mother's death and to financially support Cancer Research UK. [1] [4] The name signifies that exempted knickers (a type of underwear) from the charity shop challenge. [4]
Jones is known for buying second-hand clothes from charity shops. She almost never buys them new clothes except for underwear. Between 1 January and 31 December 2015, she posted pictures of herself wearing second-hand charity clothes every day on social media for a year. [5] She initially projected that she would raise £1,000 in a year. However, it has gone well over her expectations. Therefore, she raised the target to £36,500 in June 2015 after earning over £11,000 in the first five months. In the end, she has raised more than £43,500 in 2015, £7,000 over her June predictions. She was awarded a Points of Light award on 31 December 2015 by then prime minister David Cameron for her charity shop challenge. He said that "Caroline has come up with an innovative way to pay tribute to her mother and raise a fantastic amount of money for charity". In addition to raising money for Cancer Research UK, "Caroline has [also] helped raise awareness of the benefits of shopping in charity shops and that with a little styling outfits can be ethical and fashionable" [6] [7] She responded to the award saying it was "a huge honour", which was "a wonderful way to end [...] the hardest and the most rewarding year of my life". [7]
She restarted the challenge a decade later, posting new pictures with the corresponding one from 2015. [8] She was invited to Buckingham Palace in 30 April 2025 for her fundraising support where she met the King while wearing an £8.50 dress. [3] [1]