Cabinet Office staff join
the Donate Don’t Dump campaign and support Age Concern and Help the Aged
Today, Cabinet
Office employees got behind the Donate Don’t Dump campaign to
raise money for Age Concern and Help the Aged by donating items of
clothing and accessories.
The Cabinet Office atrium was transformed into an Age Concern and
Help the Aged charity shop for the event. Members of staff donated
over 900 items of high quality unwanted clothes and goods to the
event. Donations included a tie from the Prime Minister Gordon
Brown, a dress from Sarah Brown, a suit from Head of the Civil
Service Gus O’Donnell and a coat from Minister for the Third
Sector Angela Smith.
The Donate Don’t Dump Campaign, which was set up by the
Association of Charity Shops, featured in the BBC programme Mary
Portas Queen of Charity Shops. The campaign aims to improve the
quality and quantity of donations to charity shops and to
encourage more people to give. Especially as donations are vital
income sources for many charities.
Staff brought in clothing worth five pounds or over that they no
longer wear and donated them at the event. The donations were
collected by Hugh Forde Managing Director of Retail, Trading
& Training of Age Concern and Help the Aged.
Whilst speaking at the Cabinet Office event, Mary Portas, Queen
of Charity Shops, said:
"You get the Civil Service behind your campaign and
Minister for the Third Sector and it takes it to another level.
This is just what we need."
Minister for the Third Sector, Angela Smith said:
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to support the
third sector and in particular Age Concern and Help the Aged. I’m
really pleased to see that so many Cabinet Office employees have
joined me in supporting this important cause. By joining Mary
Portas’s campaign to raise the quality of donations to charity
shops we can all make a real difference.
"It is currently more important than ever to donate as
many charity shops have suffered from a drop in donations during
the recent difficult economic times."
Hugh Forde, Managing Director of Retail, Trading &
Training at Age Concern and Help the Aged said:
"It is vital the charity receives high quality donations
so that we can continue to make a real difference to the lives of
older people. Therefore, I would like to thank the staff at the
cabinet office for selecting Age Concern and Help the Aged as
their chosen charity for the Donate Don’t Dump event and for their
generous donations."
The Cabinet Office are committed to supporting the third sector
and also leads the way in volunteering by pledging earlier in the
year to allow all staff up to five days off a year to volunteer.
Volunteering brings significant benefits both to the employer and
the employee. It builds the employee’s skills, gives wider
perspectives and helps support stronger communities. For the
employer, it brings new skills and ideas to the workforce and is
clear way of showing the support the organisation is giving to the
local communities in which it works.
Notes to editors:
1. The event ran from 1pm to 2pm at the Cabinet Office and
pictures are available from PA Newswire
2. Further information
about Donate Don’t Dump can be found at:
http://www.ddaydonate.charityshops.org.uk/
3. The decision to support Age Concern and Help the Aged was
taken following a vote by Cabinet Office staff on which charity
they would like to help through the Donate Don’t Dump
event.
4. Age Concern England and Help the Aged have joined
together to form a single charity dedicated to improving the lives
of older people.
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