Charity bag donations 'sold at car boot sale'

Published 28 Jul 2010 09:00

Doorstep donations are ending up at car boot sales or in the hands of commercial companies - instead of helping charities, it has been claimed.

Gail Miller contacted the Post this week after seeing some of her donations she had put out for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) at the Yoker car boot sale.

The Yoker resident said: "I donated seven bags plus some I had from the shops.

"I was angry to find ten days later that a lot of my donations were on a stall at Yoker car boot sale.

"A lot were instantly recognisable because some of the clothes had never been out of the package.

"It's not the first time my mum and I have recognised donations at the car boot sale."

It is not known whether Gail's bags were stolen by people operating for their own selfish gain or picked up by a commercial collection company, which normally sell the clothes abroad.

This week the BHF claimed such actions are "akin to robbing people with heart conditions of a better quality of life".

The BHF says a surge in the profits to be made from "rag" have seen more and more commercial collection companies being set up.

Marrion Murray, BHF area manager, said: "All profits raised from goods donated to the British Heart Foundation Shops go directly to fighting heart disease, which remains UK's biggest killer.

"Household appeals are a vital source of income for our BHF Shops.

"Stealing bags that have been left out for our charity is akin to robbing people with heart conditions of a better quality of life."

BHF advises looking out for marked vans and asking collectors for ID to make sure they are from a legitimate charity.

The charity is also happy to be passed on details of any suspected bogus collectors, such as van registration numbers. It can be contacted on 02075540000. It also advises to report any suspicion of theft to police.

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 28 Jul 10

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