Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
"charity" clothing collection
Also today a clothing collection company posted its yellow bag through my letterbox. At first I thought it was a great coincidence and that I would be saved the effort of lugging heavy bags to the high street.
However, I did decide the inspect the "charity" further.
The company in question is called The Hand of Help Ltd and shows a picture with a silhouette of a mother and two children on a yellow package. It also claims to have "helped" disabled children.
From my research I have discovered that is actually a registered business and not a charity. They have claimed to give some money to charity but there is nothing to back this up.
There is an article about them here too...
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/02/warning-hand-of-he...
I'm annoyed that I was almost caught out and I'm sure there are many more who will be.
It's fine for people who are just throwing clothes away but for people like me who prefer some charitable good to come from them be warned and in future check these clothing collectors using the guidelines on the following website...
http://www.charitybags.org.uk/how_to_tell_if_a_clothing_collection_...
And if you're still not sure make the effort to visit a legit charity shop.
Suzanne Charlton
Tags for Forum Posts: charity collections, clothing collection, scam
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Thanks for alerting people about this company, Suzanne.
At one stage we seemed to have dozens of such companies distributing leaflets in Tottenham Hale where we live. I made a small collection of leaflets and checked them carefully as you've done. I also strongly support your advice for people to look up the website CharityBags.org.uk which is run by volunteers.
It's fair to say that some of these companies do donate to charities. Several have formal partnerships with a registered charity. Normally you can find this out from company's or the charity's website.
Personally I have no criticism of companies which state openly and honestly that they run commercially. Or if they donate to a charity - how much they give, After all, they are in the recycling business and offer a collection service from your door. Given accurate information, it's up to residents if they use the bag service; or carry stuff down to a local charity shop; or to the Council's Recycling banks.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Charlton on
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Thanks for your reply Alan. I completely agree with you here. I have no problem with a business that picks up your unwanted items for free. It was just this particular company seemed deliberately misleading in who they were. Just advice for those who want to give to charity.
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Permalink Reply by Isabelle on
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That's interesting, we just got one of these in the letterbox today. I did think they were a charity of course – couldn't be more confusing because it looks so much like the usual collection bags!
Even their tag line "... who helped disabled children and will do so in the future" is misleading. I mean, they clearly don't say that they are currently not helping these children. Errr... exactly, spot the difference, most people would just see the clothes bag, friendly logo, read the words hand help disabled and children and think straight away that they're charity. It does feel a bit like being purposedly fooled!
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