Byronswell Charity Blog

Byronswell solution for unwanted clothes

2011-10-19T17:22:00.000+01:00

The average piece of clothing is disposed after less than a third of its useful life. Usually, old clothes and shoes end up in a landfill. This is the worst possible solution. By contrast, giving unwanted clothes a second chance, Byronswell helps terminally and seriously ill children in the UK and poor families in Eastern Europe and Africa. Moreover, environmental damage is reduced and people gain the satisfaction to have done something useful.

What we can collect?

2011-10-19T17:18:00.001+01:00

Here is a summary of what is collected by Byronswell:

Bag Collections	Textile Banks	No Thank You
wearable clothing paired shoes towels sheets blankets curtains jewellery cosmetics bric a brac household items toys videos, cd's and dvd's	wearable clothing belts, hats and handbags paired shoes towels sheets blankets curtains	soiled items carpets rugs electrical goods glass metal paper rubbish liquids

I have received a bag showing the name "South West Textiles" - is this ok

2011-10-19T17:17:00.001+01:00

Yes. With the charity's approval in some areas Byronswell are using up stock of older bags bearing the names of highly reputable recycling companies which have previously supported Dreams Come True, i.e. "European Textiles" and "South West Textiles". Donations of items in these older bags are definitely included in the monthly collection data received by the charity.

How to support Byronswell charity

2011-10-19T17:13:00.000+01:00

Donors across the UK are asked to donate unwanted clothes, shoes and household items using the official collection bags delivered by Byronswell. Those who want to actively support Byronswell can also organise one-off collections in their councils, schools or churches.

If there is a need, Byronswell will provide local communities with collection banks to facilitate their donations of clothing and shoes. Byronswell operates a special protection scheme to safeguard the donated goods from theft and so-called bogus collectors. All such incidents are immediately reported to the police. Besides, members of the public can use a helpline or the company’s website to directly contact Byronswell.

The company itself does not work in a legal vacuum, since people or organisations collecting money or goods for charitable purposes are legally bound to provide accounts showing the amount of money they have raised and passed to charities.

The code of best practice

2011-10-19T17:06:00.000+01:00

Byronswell Code of Best Practice

Here are some of the key points from the Code of Best Practice:-

Monthly data reporting to the charity
Regular meetings and reports to review progress and any problems
Training and feedback sessions for the Byronswell team
ID cards for all drivers and collectors
Charity's logo and registration number on all vans
Full information on our website
A link on the Byronswell website to www.dctc.org.uk

Byronswell partnership with Dreams Come True in textile recycling

2011-10-19T17:04:00.000+01:00

Byronswell is pleased to announce the launch of a new recycling initiative with the goal of building charitable donations from the recycling of textiles and other household items to at least £200,000 pa and that Dreams Come True is to be their exclusive charity.

Byronswell has previously trialled this concept and has also recently carried out extensive research. As a result, Byronswell has decided to increase business, starting in the South of England during the early months of 2011.

Read more on DCT official website: Byronswell partnership with Dreams Come True

Door-to-door collections managed by Byronswell

2011-10-19T16:54:00.000+01:00

The door-to-door collections managed by Byronswell are transparent and straightforward. Donors receive waterproof bags bearing the distinctive logo and name of Dreams Come True to make their donation of unwanted textiles, shoes or household items. The leaflets attached to the bags inform about all collection details. Byronswell collection vans are marked with the Dreams Come True logo. Company’s collectors wear uniforms and carry ID cards. They are not allowed to make any business deals with donors. Moreover, Byronswell and Dreams Come True have not only concluded a formal agreement to regulate their relations, but also adopted a joint Recycling Code of Best Practice to establish how donated textiles and other items should be properly collected.

New DCT contract with Byronswell will incease cash donations for children.

2011-10-19T16:52:00.000+01:00

According to the contract Byronswell is allowed to use the charity’s name and brand for collection purposes. In return for that, the company is obliged to make donations to the charity. The amount of these donations is also stipulated by the contract. There is no secret that Byronswell must cover its costs and make a profit form the collecting operations performed in favour of the charity. But, as part of the contract, Byronswell has to assure the full transparency and auditing of its account books.

In practice, acting on behalf of its charity partner, Byronswell collects and brings to market second hand clothes and household items, including towels, sheets, blankets, curtains, household articles, toys, videos, CDs and DVDs. These articles donated by the public are sold in Europe, Africa and Asia. The income generated provides Dreams Come True with substantial funding at no financial risk. Byronswell guarantees the charity a minimum annual donation. However, there is no maximum limit to how much the company actually will donate to Dreams Come True. This amount depends on the revenues coming from the sale of collected items. In other words, the more clothes donors can give the more money the company can donate to the charity.

Byronswell launched a new initiative to help terminally and seriously ill children.

2011-10-19T16:49:00.000+01:00

Byronswell Ltd and a well-established national children’s charity, Dreams Come True have launched a new initiative to help terminally and seriously ill children. That is why Byronswell would like to increase its cash donations to the charity to at least £200,000 per year. The company is an organisation collecting goods for charitable purposes. Byronswell and Dreams Come True have been cooperating for two years. This cooperation is strictly regulated by a contract. Generally, Dreams Come True uses professional collectors for fundraising. One of them is Byronswell. That is a common practice implemented by UK charities.