Letters - Charities & Appeals

LETTERS - CHARITIES & APPEALS

Hope '08 churches working together
Dear Editor,
A completely different tack from many other letters on your site, so I hope it's ok to add this.
You may be aware of a national initiative called Hope '08 (www.Hope08.com) which encourages churches to work together in their local areas. One of the ideas is to help the community, or individuals in the community.

Churches in Tarleton and Hesketh Bank have already started this in a small way by providing drinks at the lighting up of the Christmas tree and at some local football matches.

We would like to do more and so are looking for some suggestions that we may be able to help with. This could be for individuals who need a helping hand or a bigger project. All things considered!
Linda Hawksley, 27th March 2008

CHARITY BOOK SALE
The national registered charity "Families Need Fathers" has some books called "For the Sake of the Children" available that are brand new but are the final few left over from the 1st edition print run.

This book is essential reading for those going through divorce or separation, and also offers advice for grandparents / parents of grown up children involved in "Child Custody/Visitation problems.

The book normally sells for £7.95, but these few are on offer for only £1 per copy but need to be collected from Rufford. Please email Arthur lancastrian (at) btinternet.com

Families Need Fathers is a Registered Charity providing Information and Support on Parenting Issues in Family Breakdown to Divorced and Separated Parents irrespective of Gender, Race, Creed or Marital Status Since - 1974.

Clothing Collection - Mission without Borders
I received through my door a leaflet from Mission without Borders asking me to leave unwanted clothes and shoes for adults and children in a plastic bag outside my front door. The leaflet claims Mission without Borders supports Albania, Bosnia, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Charity shops have recently reported a falloff in contributions because of traders masquerading as charities seeking clothes and even in some cases stealing clothes left out for other charities. Typically the document that is provided by fraudsters does not carry the registered charity number issued by the Charities Commissioner nor do they give a name, address or land line telephone number. This is the case with the Mission without Borders leaflet which should therefore be treated with caution. The leaflet does carry a Companies House Number for Europe Suppliers Ltd which is NOT the same thing as a registered charity number. Residents should also note that there is a proposal by the Registrar to strike this company off the Companies Record.

To make sure that your contribution to the Charity of your choice gets to the right place please either call in with your donation at their shop or call them. Many charity shops operate a collection service. Registered Charities are legally bound by the Charities Commission to act in good faith in dealing with the public and their beneficiaries. Fly by night traders are not.

There are a number of ways of putting fraudsters out of business - one is not to put out clothes for them and the second is if you see anybody filling a van with charity bags is to take a note of the number and pass the details back to the editor - we will pass them on to the Charity Commission and Trading Standards. The third possibility is to put out bait - we know when the collectors are coming back because their leaflet says so - so "Mission without Borders" if you are genuine registered charity collector you will have no difficulty but if you are not you could find a cool reception in Hesketh Bank and Tarleton.
Bob Robinson B.Sc. F.C.A, 29th September 2006

Tsunami Appeal - International Aid Centre
Dear Sir,
The International Aid Centre in Longton has been featured on the local television news over the past 2 nights. I took some items up there and volunteered to help. By spending a few hours assisting to pack goods for shipment gave me the satisfaction that I was able to help as well as making a donation. The atmosphere amongst the volunteers was very friendly and everyone got on with whatever task they were given.
If you are thinking of giving your services then it is easy to find - go up the A59 and take the first off the island just past where the Little Chef used to be. They are open from 10 each day and would welcome any help - just turn up.
Yours faithfully,
Joyce Rydings, 5th January 2005

Dear Editor,
On another discussion group, the topic was where to send money to assist and which was the best charity ie the one with the smallest overhead management charge. One member described a small Sri Lankan charity which he remembered from when he had lived there as a child. The charity can be found at www.aflacinternational.com. When I looked them up, I was impressed enough to write the following:

I was pleased to see Andrew's post with the details of a Sri Lankan charity which he remembered from his time in that country.

Earlier on today, I was listending to Bill Clinton on the radio talking about his idea that individual countries should sponsor particular areas of the diaster zone, and take full responsibility for recovery. It was a longish drive and I was on my own, so my mind wandered to how this idea could really work out well. I thought how appropriate it would be for the UK to take on responsibility for Sri Lanka (still Ceylon in my mind), and then worked through a plan where my village could help a particular Sri Lankan village, and the local school could "twin" with theirs, etc. etc.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to send some money myself to this little charity, and then try and persuade friends and neighbours to do the same.

If there is a management overhead of some 18% like some other posts have been discussing is the case with some UK charities, then it won't matter. Any overhead that there might be would be spent in Sri Lanka and would therefore help the local economy. EDIT - I've just re-read their website and it says "An important aspect of AFLAC is that no part of any donation received is reserved for administration costs. All administrative expenses are borne by the executive committee and participants as part of their own contributions to AFLAC. All donations from individuals are channeled directly to recipients without any form of dilution."

Is anybody else willing to join me in supporting AFLAC? Their website lists some contacts in the UK, so I'll give one of them a ring in the morning and ask if he'd take a cheque from me. I know it's a step in the dark, because before Andrew's post I'd never heard of them, but I'm sure it's safe to trust ......

If anybody else also thinks that this charity deserves some help, a bank account has been arranged at Barclay's Bank in Bridgend, Glamorgan. Details of where donations can be made are:

Aflac International Welsh Branch
Sort code: 20-12-25
Acc no: 50152498

I'm sure many of you have already given to the Disaster Emergency Committee, or one of your existing charities. If not, perhaps you could consider Aflac.

I've sent my donation, but now I'm going to give some thought to how I can do something a little more difficult than just writing a cheque - I'm going to try and build some sort of link between Tarleton/Hesketh Bank and the charity Aflac. Even if it ends up with only me giving something from time to time, as the charity's website says "It's better by far to light one solitary candle, than to curse the darkness".

Yours,
Glenys Simpson, 31st December 2004

Sir,
The village of Tarleton and its people are getting two free gifts this Christmas.
There is the magnificent Christmas tree in Mark Square, organized by the Douglas Cardiac Trust but paid for by local village businesses. The Trust has organized the purchase, erection, and insurance of the tree while all the costs have been covered by the business sponsors.
Then this Saturday (18th December) at 6.30 pm is the gift of carols and readings from the members of local churches assembled in Mark Square. The work for this has been done by the inter-church team who organize the Ecumenical Walk of Witness each June.
Both the tree and the event are gifts to the rest of the village.
It's not that either the Trust or the Walk of Witness (and its constituent churches) don't need to raise money. They do, and they do so at other times. But at this time when we remember the greatest free gift of all from God to humankind, these are genuine gifts from some of the village to the rest.
A Happy Christmas to all who see the tree and hear the singing - and to all those who rush past without noticing.

Ian Wells, 13th December 2004

Most of you by now will know of the First Responder Group in the area, its function and its supporting arm the” Douglas Cardiac Trust”. For those of you who don’t, let me explain. The First responders are a group of volunteers who give up their free time and give emergency cover in the area 24hrs /day 7days per week. The group has attended at the request of the ambulance service over 500 callouts in the 2years of operation. The incidents we have covered are from the patient who has chest pains, difficulty in breathing, unconscious casualties to cardiac arrest. The earliest attention is vital in the latter.

I am appealing to the business community to support the group and the Douglas Cardiac Trust. This year we are erecting a large Xmas tree in the centre of Tarleton (Mark Square) promoting your Local Charity. A number of businesses have already come forward with offers of help; we are asking you if you would like to donate in a small way and have a box placed on the tree with your name attached. Hopefully a list of sponsors will appear on the village website and in the local press.

If you are interested in supporting the fund we would welcome your assistance.
A suggested donation for a box is £10 or £20 or whatever you think is desirable. Interested companies should complete the appropriate form and forward to the address below. Many Thanks.

Yours Sincerely,

Stan Farrington (Chairman)

Donations can be sent direct to:

Douglas Cardiac Trust
C/o Gerard Twigger (Treasurer)
Long Acres
Guide Rd
Hesketh Bank
Preston
PR4 6XS

Stan Farrington, 14th November, 2004

LETTERS PAGE

Don't Just Spectate - Participate!
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY - EMAIL THE EDITOR
Please don't forget to include your name and subject of your letter.
Anonymous letters will not be published. Contact details are required.
(Address and telephone number - these will not be published or kept but are required for validation)

Are YOU paying too much for your gas, electric or telephone calls?
It costs nothing at all to find out how much you could save if you changed your gas, electric or telephone supplier - get an independent comparison of utility costs for Hesketh Bank and Tarleton and see exactly how much cheaper the best deal is. No commitment, no hassle and no doorstep sales so there is nothing at all to lose but lots to gain by finding out!
Click here to compare gas, electric and telephone charges