POVERTY FOR MORE

The continuing fall in the real value of the basic state pension, which is not currently linked to earnings, and the lack of any help for pensioners in the budget is worrying charities in the sector.

Mervyn Kohler at Help the Aged told Daily Telegraph: “There simply isn’t enough in the Chancellor’s statement to address the growing needs of an ageing population, or to tackle the fact that a fifth of pensioners currently line in poverty”. And Gordon Listman, Age Concern’s director general said: “It is extremely disappointing that the Government has yet again failed to bring forward the date for re-linking the state pension to earnings. Without quick intervention the real value of the basic state pension will continue to fall”.

Currently a single person will get a guaranteed weekly income of £124.05 from April 5, 2008 and couples £189.35.

NOT TO BE SNORTED AT?

High flying sportsmen in their 20’s are too concerned with blowing money, or snorting it, to be much use as givers to charities.

This is the view of Philip Beresford, author of the Sunday Times Rich List who told Third Sector magazine that such “collisions of having a lot of money with testosterone” are nevertheless invaluable as the “PR fronts” for charities. According to a recent article in the Daily Telegraph the number of 16-24 year olds prepared to admit taking cocaine Continue reading

MORE ON CHARITY SHOPS WASTE

The over-charging of charity shops by councils to collect and then dispose of their waste costs each shop around £400 per annum.

This is the view of the Association of Charity Shops (ACS) which points out that councils are subject to the Controlled Waste Regulations which state that waste from charity shops is classified as household, rather that commercial waste and that councils may therefore only charge for collecting it, not also disposing of it (See Charity Matters, Issue 5, THE COUNCIL WASTE CON). Continue reading

BAD PRESS FOR ONE CHARITY

Age Concern reportedly spent £16.4 million on Hayday, its membership organisation for the over 50’s, to recruit 44,000 members against a target of 796,000.

These damaging figures were published in the latest issue of Private Eye, which also recorded that a director of one of the charity’s trading arms Tony Page has left Age Concern and been paid off with £815,000 over a dispute with senior management.

SUPPORTIVE PRESS FOR OTHERS

Meanwhile Private Eye also reported on the arguably bad decision of a judge who ruled the German car giant BMW could divert a 2,000 year old public bridleway to develop its plant at Cowley, Oxford.

The diversion was opposed by the Ramblers Association and the British Horse Society who now have to pay nearly £50,000 in costs to Oxfordshire county council, which supported its major employer. Continue reading

MORE FOR THE BIRDS

The Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has bought Wallasea Island, eight miles north of Southend, to develop as a 1,800 acre wetland sanctuary for wild birds, such as spoonbills and Kentish plovers.

The project is expected to cost more that £12 million and work will begin in two years.

Meanwhile for those waiting to do their bit for birds in there gardens, especially the declining numbers of once common house sparrows, starlings and some thrushes, the RSPB is advising plating shrubs or climbers such as honeysuckle or roses. They also advise leaving patches of long grass to attract insects, an eco-friendly approach likely to be popular with those wanting an excuse not to mow the lawn.

SUPPORT ALL THE MR FAYEDS, OR A CHARITY

Those wanting to make donations to charity by buying charity Christmas cards should avoid purchasing them from Harrods, Boots, Marks and Spencer, Next or Cards Galore.

This is the suggestion from a survey of stores selling charity cards by the Consumers Association now called Which? This found that the cards sold by the above gave a miserly percentage of the retail cost to the charity, commonly less than 10%. Worst was Harrods, owned by the very rich Mohammed Fayed which gave a range of 4-10%. Continue reading

Charity Matters December 2007 ISSUE 7

POVERTY FOR MORE
The continuing fall in the real value of the basic state pension, which is not currently linked to earnings, and the lack of any help for pensioners in the budget is….

NOT TO BE SNORTED AT?
High flying sportsmen in their 20’s are too concerned with blowing money, or snorting it, to be much use as givers to charities….

MORE ON CHARITY SHOPS WASTE
The over-charging of charity shops by councils to collect and then dispose of their waste costs each shop around £400 per annum….

BAD PRESS FOR ONE CHARITY
Age Concern reportedly spent £16.4 million on Hayday, its membership organisation for the over 50’s, to recruit 44,000 members against a target of 796,000….

SUPPORTIVE PRESS FOR OTHERS
Meanwhile Private Eye also reported on the arguably bad decision of a judge who ruled the German car giant BMW could divert a 2,000 year old public bridleway to develop….

MORE FOR THE BIRDS
The Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has bought Wallasea Island, eight miles north of Southend, to develop as a 1,800 acre wetland sanctuary for wild….

SUPPORT ALL THE MR FAYEDS, OR A CHARITY
Those wanting to make donations to charity by buying charity Christmas cards should avoid purchasing them from Harrods, Boots, Marks and Spencer, Next or Cards….