Rspca

shaun_from_Africa

wary wrote: »

If the case relates to a cat, in particular one that needs rehoming, best bet is to contact your local Cats Protection League group.

I've only had the need to contact Cats Protection once but when I did I found the staff that I dealt with to be extremely friendly and helpful.

NYM

hollydays wrote: »

The problem with some local charities, imho, is the bag collection system them use. People think that when they donate their best clothes via the bag it goes to the shop, but in fact it nearly always goes to a money making rags business of dubious business practice. The shop will get money for the rags which is well below the value of the clothes donated, so if you push them hard on whether all the clothes profit is from the clothes being handed back to the shop , the answer will be no. They just see the bag as a rags revenue stream.

Is that right?

I've bagged up at least 5 bags of clothes ready to leave at the local school for collection.

ALL the clothes are extremely good quality - some never been worn. Suits my husband no longer wears (none cost less than £500) jumpers, shirts. I'd like for them to go to someone that needs a quality suit for interviews etc...

My 15 year old boys are always buying new stuff and rarely get around to wearing everything they get. My 14 year old daughter is worse for buying stuff - just for it to be hung in a wardrobe for months and then 'it's old now Mum...'

So what should I do with them now? If the Charity shops don't get these, where do they get the clothes that they sell?

Pollycat

NYM wrote: »

Is that right?

I've bagged up at least 5 bags of clothes ready to leave at the local school for collection.

ALL the clothes are extremely good quality - some never been worn. Suits my husband no longer wears (none cost less than £500) jumpers, shirts. I'd like for them to go to someone that needs a quality suit for interviews etc...

My 15 year old boys are always buying new stuff and rarely get around to wearing everything they get. My 14 year old daughter is worse for buying stuff - just for it to be hung in a wardrobe for months and then 'it's old now Mum...'

So what should I do with them now? If the Charity shops don't get these, where do they get the clothes that they sell?

I'd be inclined to take them into a charity shop rather than using the bag collection system.
See my post above.

teddysmum

I agree and would never donate via plastic bags.


Some years ago,I had a collection of little worn or unworn clothing, the local residential home (no longer there as the supporting hospital was demolished) for those with mental health problems was delighted to take . The nurse, who took the items in for me, said they had people of all shapes and sizes, some of whom had no family to provide clothing, so had very little. Even out of fashion clothes were useful for those who enjoyed dressing up; evening dresses (I didn't have any) especially being welcome.

Kaye1

NYM wrote: »

Is that right?

I've bagged up at least 5 bags of clothes ready to leave at the local school for collection.

ALL the clothes are extremely good quality - some never been worn. Suits my husband no longer wears (none cost less than £500) jumpers, shirts. I'd like for them to go to someone that needs a quality suit for interviews etc...

My 15 year old boys are always buying new stuff and rarely get around to wearing everything they get. My 14 year old daughter is worse for buying stuff - just for it to be hung in a wardrobe for months and then 'it's old now Mum...'

So what should I do with them now? If the Charity shops don't get these, where do they get the clothes that they sell?

Try and take them to a local charity shop- they can then sell them in that particular shop. We have a local hospice shop and if I have anything particularly nice, I stick a little post-it note on it (some of the volunteers may not know if it is a designer label.) I've seen the items then being sold for slightly more, so I am glad they are getting the benefit.

Left over clothes are taken to a weighing facility. I was involved with the school jumble sale and everything that was left over was taken to be weighed. (We sorted the clothes for anything really nice which we then sold at the summer fayre.) We had 7 bin bags completely full of clothes- things like old pyjamas (!!) and torn things that people had sent in. We were given £15 for all of it. However, when I was there, I saw them sorting some lovely clothes from other people and still only giving 35p per kilo for it.

I know our school changed to doing the jumble sale from the collection of bags to be weighed by the outside company. We made about 4 times the amount for the school by doing this.

sheramber

The collection bags are given out by companies, not charities. If you read the leaflet carefully it will tell you this.


They send stuff abroad to places like Romania where they are sold in secondhand shops there.

The company gets the profit.

The goods do not go to poor people in this country.

lincroft1710

I think it is reasonable to assume that those charity bags which say they will accept donations of books and bric-a-brac as well as clothes will actually sell the contents in their shops. From memory, Age UK and BHF accept non clothing donations in their bags

NYM

Thanks all for your replies. The bags I've filled have Clothes Aid printed on. Collecting for Macmillan Cancer Support.

There's a note printed on the bags that says;

Warning: The contents of this bag, having been given by the householder, are the property of Clothes Aid which is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support. Only authorised Clothes Aid collectors are permitted to collect this bag. If you are not authorised by Clothes Aid or Macmillan Cancer support to remove this bag or its contents, you are committing a criminal offence and may be prosecuted :eek:

Really?

I think I'll take them to a local Hospice shop but I'll have to put them into other bags first....

Pollycat

NYM wrote: »

Thanks all for your replies. The bags I've filled have Clothes Aid printed on. Collecting for Macmillan Cancer Support.

There's a note printed on the bags that says;

Warning: The contents of this bag, having been given by the householder, are the property of Clothes Aid which is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support. Only authorised Clothes Aid collectors are permitted to collect this bag. If you are not authorised by Clothes Aid or Macmillan Cancer support to remove this bag or its contents, you are committing a criminal offence and may be prosecuted :eek:

Really?

I think I'll take them to a local Hospice shop but I'll have to put them into other bags first....

A good choice, I think.

sheramber

http://clothesaid.co.uk/where-do-your-clothes-go/

We export clothes across Europe and Western Asia to second hand department stores. Here the demand is high for stylish UK clothes and gives us the opportunity to return a larger amount of profit to our charities.