How to give WITHOUT MONEY!
Donating money isn’t the only way to help charities. There are lots of cash-free ways to help change lives
Give your time
Have a talent for crafting? You could use your skills for charity. Bliss always needs people to knit toys and blankets for premature babies (call 0207 378 1122 or visit www.bliss.org.uk), while Battersea Dogs and Cats Home welcomes knitted blankets and mice for their cats to enjoy while they wait for new homes (call 0800 001 4444 or visit www.battersea.org.uk)
Alternatively, if you’re keen to be more active, download the free Charity Miles app on your phone where you’ll earn money for charities every time you run, walk or cycle thanks to the companies who sponsor the app. Mobile users can also help Be My Eyes, a free app that connects blind and lowvision people with sighted volunteers. Through the camera in their phone, you can help them navigate new surroundings, read instructions or check food expiry dates.
Volunteering, of course, is another amazing way to make a difference and there are so many options, from helping comfort bereaved pet owners for the Blue Cross bereavement helpline (call 0300 790 9903 or visit www.bluecross.org.uk to find out more), to helping children read in schools with the charity Beanstalk (call 0207 729 4087 or visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk).
Give your old things
Technology: Computers for Charities can turn old laptops and PCs into a lifeline for small charities (call 01323 848 588 or visit www. computersforcharities.org). For old phones, visit fonebank.com who can donate to WaterAid, Oxfam or National Trust when they sell your old handset. Clothes: Smalls for All welcomes bras in good condition for women in Africa. Send your smalls to: Five Sisters Business Park, Westwood, West Calder EH55 8PN or visit www. smallsforall.org to find out more. Old spectacles are also needed by Vision Aid Overseas, who recycles the glasses to raise money to provide eye-care to the world’s poorest people. To find your nearest spectacles dropoff point call 01293 535 016 or visit www.visionaidoverseas.org
Car: Charity Car will take your old car off your hands and donate its scrap or auction value to a choice of charity partners (call 0844 669 6889 or visit www.charitycar.co.uk)
Stamps: Many charities can recycle old stamps into funds, including The Leprosy Mission (send to: Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5GZ) and the PDSA (send to: Whitechapel Way, Priorslee, Telford, Shropshire TF2 9PQ).