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New drive to end the clothing collection con

A new consumer awareness drive is launching today across England and Wales (Monday 3 December) to help people check if a clothing collection is for charity or not. The aim is to ensure that people who want their donated clothes to go to a charity know what information to look out for on leaflets and bags that come through their letter box in the run-up to Christmas.

The vast majority of leaflets distributed to households are from genuine registered charities. Some leaflets can, at a glance, look like they have come from a charity, but are actually from a company that profits from collections. The initiative is being driven by a group of bodies including the Charity Commission, Cabinet Office, Trading Standards, local authorities and the Association of Charity Shops.

The Association of Charity Shops estimates that charities lose between £2.5 million and £3 million a year through theft and people giving clothing to organisations that they think are charities but may be commercial companies collecting for profit. While clothing companies may be acting legally, their leaflets may be largely indistinguishable from charities, unless people know what information to look for.

The group of bodies has produced a leaflet for householders with top tips to help check clothing collection leaflets. The leaflets are being delivered by Clothes Aid to households in particular areas where problems have been reported; the West Midlands, North-East London, Bristol and Gloucester.

Additional top tip leaflets can be printed off from all the participating group websites including www.consumerdirect.gov.uk [External website]. Posters will be also displayed in charity shop windows.

Top tips for spotting a genuine charity collection:

• Does the sack or leaflet say the collection is for a registered charity? If so, what-s the registered charity number – call 0845 3000 218 or visit the online register of charities at www.charitycommission.gov.uk [External website] to check that it's genuine.
• Do they only give a registered company number? This just means that the organisation is registered with Companies House.
• Is the charity actually named? Be wary of wording that just says ‘families in need’ or ‘sick kids at Christmas’
• Does the leaflet or bag give a phone number? The absence of a phone number may mean the collectors don't want to answer questions.

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector said:

“Donating your clothing and other goods to genuine charities is a great way to help people who are in need. For many years giving in this way has been a part of British life but now charities are losing substantial sums of money to anonymous ‘bogus’ collectors that mislead donors into thinking they are charities. While the law can deal with those that falsely claim to be either charities or collecting on behalf of charities, it is extremely difficult to trace these anonymous collectors. It is therefore important for the public to know that their donation is going to a genuine charitable cause. I urge everyone to keep giving, but read the leaflets carefully and make sure you know who you are giving to.”

Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission said:

“We must stress that most of the leaflets that come through your door are from genuine registered charities. This initiative will help members of the public if there is any doubt in their mind. Christmas is a really important fundraising time of the year for many charities, and they need every penny from your donations they can get. If you want to make sure your unwanted clothes are going to help a genuine charity, use our top tips.”

The full list of participating partners is: Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, Charity Commission, Trading Standards Institute, Advertising Standards Authority, Office of Fair Trading, Association of Chief Police Officers, Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services and the Association of Charity Shops.

Notes to editors

For interviews and filming opportunities call:
Charity Commission: Sarah Miller on 020 7674 2366.
Association of Charity Shops: David Moir on 020 7255 4483
For interview bids for Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector call: Cabinet Office press office – Steve Coomber on 0207 276 0317

Colour copies of the awareness leaflet and poster are available.

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity in England and Wales. See www.charitycommission.gov.uk [External website] for more information.
2. The Office of the Third Sector sits at the heart of government in the Cabinet Office. It is responsible for government policy towards charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and other third sector organisations and aims to create the conditions for them to thrive. See www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thirdsector.
3. The Association for Charity Shops represents charities that run shops as part of their fundraising activities. It has 270 member charities, ranging from the largest national charities to locally based hospices that together run 6,700 shops. In 2007, they will raise £110m for charitable causes. See www.charityshops.org.uk [External website].
4. Commission spokespeople are available for interview and comment, with regional statistics and data on charities and charitable giving.