Recently gave to alzheimer's charity and pay into postcode lottery and national lottery. Have been known to give a Mcdonalds to homeless.
Give to the RBL by direct debit and alway buy Poppy’s, and some UK based one like air ambulance. But can’t help question if the money gets to wear it should, to many people in charities getting paid far to much at the top of the food chain.
I was in a local Morrisons last night, there was a desk at the back of the checkouts. It had a note on saying "reserved for poppy appeal" or something like that. But, there was nobody there so I'm going back tomorrow. I always like to buy a big poppy for me and poppies and bracelet things for my grandaughters. They like to wear them.
Goes without saying - totally support the poppy appeal - used to supply armoured vehicles to attract interest. One year we got permission to fill the foyer of Tesco with motorbikes - again to attract interest.
The wife and I support with monthly donations a few local charities and always the poppy appeal each year. Like many have said the amounts that actually reaches the good causes can vary greatly.
Charities and "causes" hit hard on the elderly as they are easy marks for quick cash. We are going through this with my in-laws, who write checks to just about every huckster and political cause. They are burning though their savings. I suppose it's their own money and if they want to burn it... it's just difficult to swallow. There are a lot of good charities and organizations that actually provide a service locally. Search them out. Many want time more than money. The need for mentors, listeners, and helpers is great, doubly so with COVID.
I always support the Poppy appeal. For years I collected for them locally and, throughout the year I would collect all my small change in a jar that would be the first thing in the tin before I set out but in the last few years it has become rather pointless to go collecting here as it would seem that hardly anyone has actual cash or have already given by the time the tins come out. Last time I went out collecting I think knocking on doors added only a couple of quid to what I had put in the tin. I will also give to the RAF benevolent fund and local fundraisers. The wife has a direct debit for Guide Dogs. I refuse to give to any charity that puts adverts on the telly which basically display some poor impoverished person or child on the other side of the world couched in terms where they might as well hold a gun against the persons head and hit out with 'Give us your money or we'll blow this poor bastard away'. I don't respond well to blackmail so they can all get bent besides I am of the opinion that, if the residents of the countries where these things happen think that handout's will always come from the big nasty, guilt ridden wealthy western world they will never put their own house in order.
Monthly donations to a local hospice and the air ambulance also a generous donation to the poppy appeal to help the lads and lasses that gave so much for this country.
Poppy appeal all day long and any air ambulance pots always get some change, they saved the life of a very good friend of mine who now devotes a lot of his time raising money for them.
this comes down in the first instance to ... what money .......at the end of the month there's sod all left and hoping the bank manager isn't feeling sarcastic if the bike fails the MOT on anything more than a few quid next month it's off the road time
I give my time and effort to the Polio Fellowship (as both my mother and wife were sufferers) as an able bodied member at meetings and outings. The National Police Aid Charity takes a lot of my time as well by collecting donated items, mostly orthotics from orthopaedic footwear through callipers, lumbar supports, Zimmer frames, walking sticks etc. in fact most external aids for people with disabilities. All of the donations that we collect go to help disadvantaged people in underdeveloped countries, currently sub Saharan Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, and recently The Gambia. Although we are named Police Aid very few of us are current or retired police. The bulk of our collections are school, office and hospital furniture which along with the disability aids we pack around nine to ten tonnes into 40 foot shipping containers every three or four weeks. Only in exceptional circumstances do we provide money as the charity world has it " cash to the third world is poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries" ie the Mercedes tribes. see our internet site npac.org.uk for more info.
I donate but I am selective. Organisations like the RNLI and the Salvation Army do incredible work and I am always happy to support them. Beyond that I prefer that my money benefits the community in which I live and I therefore keep it local.
I can remember when I was about 6, a few of us held a little jumble sale by the bus stop in the village where we lived. We raised a few quid, got in the local weekly paper which was seen by our headmaster who commended us. We sent the proceeds to the starving kids in Africa. Things is, that was 60 years ago and so all that money that's been sent over the last 60 years, well, you've gotta ask yourself, has it done any good when there's still starving kids in Africa ?
rspca will never get a penny from me. My wife was a district nurse and one friday found one of her old ladies who'd fallen down the stairs. She had multiple fractures and was admitted to hospital under blue light. rspca refused to take the ladies elderly labrador as my wife could not provide the dogs innoculation papers! A local dog sanctuary stepped in and took it at 8.30 on a friday night god bless 'em. Now they seem to spend spectacular amounts of money on taking legal action against fox hunts which no doubt will keep the left very happy. I give to teenage cancer trust, air ambulance, poppy and salvation army. sally army comes from my grandad who was at dieppe in WW2 and when he returned i quote 'the only buggers there to meet us us was sally army so always give 'em a few bob lad ' I f youre watching grandad....I still do pal !
I was recently left the entire contents of a garage by a neigbour , I found a load of railway stuff (loco number and shed plates etc). I sent the lot off to auction and then donated the cash to local dog and donkey sanctuary's. Animal charity's only for me,apart from regular donations to Somerset and Dorset air ambulance.
I open my garden every year as part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS). I charge visitors £4.50 and raise around £1000 per year. Done it for 12 years now. The garage is temporarily converted into a cafe, with the bikes carefully shifted to the back or shipped out to neighbours. Always surprises me how many people show an interest in the bikes and want to chat about them. All the money goes to the NGS who divide the takings between several charities, including Marie Curie and the Macmillan Nurses, who get around £500,000 each. So together we raise a fair chunk of cash.
Each year the Yellow Book is published, containing details of every garden involved in the scheme (there are somewhere between 600-700), in every part of the UK. Or you can check out the NGS online for the same info. My garden is open on the first weekend in May 2021, near Wilmslow 12-5pm. Look forward to seeing you .
