Warning over doorstep collections

A CHARITY is warning people in Warrington to ensure goods they donate in doorstep collections do not go to commercial companies.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says in Cheshire these “middlemen” mean it loses an estimated 42,000 bags of stock a year which equates to £252,000.
It warns people to ensure that donated goods go to their chosen charity – not to third party organisations working for commercial gain. In some cases these companies give as little as five per cent of income from doorstep collections to charity.
Mike Lucas, BHF retail director said: “Companies working for commercial gain are a huge problem for charities. At the BHF, we have seen a 25 per cent drop in our household collections due to this commercial activity and we believe it will cost us £3 million in the next year – money which could be spent in the fight against heart disease.
“A hundred per cent of the profits made from donations to the BHF stay with the charity and help us continue our lifesaving work, whereas as little as five per cent can go to the charity via a third party collection.”
He said BHF carries out doorstep collections using clearly identified vans and drivers.
Mr Lucas advises people to take donations directly to a shop or donate to a charity that organises its own collections and ask the collector for identification as sometimes goods are stolen by bogus collectors. He also suggests checking collection bags to see how much goes to the charity.