Kerbside thefts of donated clothes are potentially costing a charity thousands of pounds used to help save lives.
The Great North Air Ambulance Service’s recycling arm said it had seen a rise in bags of clothing intended for the charity being stolen, leading to a loss of vital funds.
John Ballan, who manages the charity’s trading company said: “We really appreciate everyone who fills their bags with unwanted clothing and other items to support GNAAS, but unfortunately, we have seen an increase in bag thefts.
“There have been reports of people in unmarked vans picking up our bags which clearly display our name and logo and are obviously not intended for them.
“Every time one of these bags is not picked up by our team, the charity is losing money, which could have been spent on providing life-saving care in region.”
The trading company raises on average £15,000 a month which covers the cost of three missions carried out by the charity’s critical care team.
To help combat the issue of bag thefts, the trading company offers a service Monday to Saturday, where people can book in a collection at a pre-arranged time, so they can feel reassured that their donated items are going directly to GNAAS’ recycling team.
This service can be booked over the phone or via GNAAS’ Facebook page.
Mr Ballan added: “We visit different areas during the week to pick up the bags and all our vans are clearly identifiable with GNAAS branding.
“We’ve seen an increase in arranged collections since the pandemic as we can provide contact-free doorstep collections, and it also means that the public don’t have to wait for a bag to be delivered through the door and can use a bin bag or another container for their unwanted items.”
In addition to collecting from individuals’ homes, there are several supporters who host community collections at their homes, as well as locations such as business premises and village halls.
Jordan Mattinson, 29, of Whitehaven, is just one of the supporters who has used spare space to store clothing donated by the local community.
He said: “We decided to utilise the empty Whitehaven Rugby Club and make use of the spare time we had on our hands. Little did we know the first collection would amass over 10 tonnes of clothing.
“It shows how much the local community value the services of GNAAS.”
To book in a pre-arranged collection or are interested in hosting a community collection, call 01325 308 139 or message GNAAS’ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GNairambulance
