Monday 28 May 2007 11:31 pm
Last Monday I visited Islington-based group ClothesAid with Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson to meet their motor cycle patrol and highlight their fundraising work.ClothesAid, who work to support Great Ormond Street and other children's hospitals, are warning kind-hearted Islington residents to be aware of bogus 'charities' who mislead households, taking donated clothes intended to help sick and needy children, and instead selling them for profit.
In some cases, commercial operators are even stealing the bags put out for genuine collectors. In an attempt to stamp out this heartless crime, ClothesAid have employed a team of motorcyclists to patrol the area and deter the thieves.
Liberal Democrat campaigners are backing the Islington-based group's campaign to raise awareness of bogus 'charity' collectors and to protect their fund-raising efforts.
The bogus organisations are preying on the good nature of Islington residents and diverting resources away from the real good causes. The clothes thieves are stealing donations intended for Great Ormond Street - how much lower can you go£ And the groups are having to invest in extra protection for their collections as a result. I fully support ClothesAid's campaign for action against these heartless thieves.
Jo tabled an EDM (Early Day Motion) 127 in support of ClothesAid "That this House condemns the practice of clothing collection companies which deliver literature claiming clothing donations are urgently needed for the developing world but, as profit-making companies, then sell the donated clothes for financial gain; notes with concern allegations made by Clothes Aid that on an estimated 1,000 occasions representatives of such companies have been witnessed stealing clothes left out for legitimate charities; and calls on the Home Office, the Office of Fair Trading and the Charity Commission to establish a joint review to ensure that law enforcement officers have the ability to take the maximum possible measures against collection companies that deliberately act in a dishonest way."
Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn has signed the motion, but Emily Thornberry MP has so far failed to support it.
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