Help & Trust Ltd: Charity or scam?

djdave

Hello - first post here :hello:

I got a leaflet through the door today for a third world clothing collection - click here for a picture of it.

It just rang alarm bells - primarily because they're not a registered charity. The company number (5545477) brings up a top-floor flat in Gravesend, and the only thing I can find on Google is a mention on the Rip-off Britain site.

Has anybody else come across "Help & Trust Ltd"? Am I right to be wary?

HazelEyes_3

It's a business pure and simple - they sell the clothes in the "third world". If you have saleable clothes donate them to a local charity shop. These companies will take anything so can be useful as it is better to give worn clothing to them than put them in the household rubbish where they will end up in landfill.

lamb7994

Hazeleyes is right they're a company. There's alot of these companies about.

If you have worn clothing most charity shops will accept them as they still get paid for rags the best way of doing this is mark the bag with rags and tell the person as it saves them time when sorting the clothes.


James

GiveItBack

"God will reward you for your good hearts"? Euugh.

Savvy_Sue

there are several places you can check up on the charity credentials of anything like this.

Guidestar is one place, The Charity Commission is another.

davepitchford

I agree that it's better the clothes go to the developing world than into landfill, no matter who takes them here. The truth is that even when charities send clothing to many developing countries they end up in local markets and people make money out of them (I've seen it all over Africa). But there's nothing wrong with that. It's providing a living wage (and no more) to people who need it.

lamb7994

The rag company the charity i work for sell the rags to go to london and are recycled into carpets by a major carpet manufactuer and other clothes go to a recycling company and are "stripped" the leather goes to a different company.

J

GiveItBack

Companies trading on clothing to the third world to be sold on making a profit to people over there is fine, as long as they are actually doing that, and are open about it.

But companies selling on clothes donated by people who think they're going to charity is a different matter. Companies that make profit for themselves, but not for people in need shouldn't imply they do otherwise.

Crazyangel

We get these all the time. I bet they make a hefty profit on selling the clothes, so we take them to our local charity shop instead

GiveItBack

If anyone would like to post them here for me to see, or pm me with them, I'd be interested in having a look.

GiB

lamb7994

The charity i work for are taking action along with other major charities against companies like these as some of thge mislead the public and also nick our collection bags as it's classed as theft.


James