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Published:
March 13, 2006
Trading
Standards advise 'caution' over clothing donation leaflets
Burnham-On-Sea
residents are being urged to be cautious about responding to a
leaflet being dropped through town letterboxes which encourages
donations of clothing.
 Scores
of the leaflets (pictured right) were delivered across Burnham
on Monday March 13th, but Trading Standards officials have asked
people to exercise caution.
The
company behind the leaflets, Cycle Aid Ltd, may be misleading
residents with the promise of sending clothing to the developing
world, according to Trading Standards officials.
They
have warned that residents should be "cautious" in relation
to the claims.
On
the leaflets, Burnham householders are invited to leave unwanted
clothing in a bag outside their door. The donated items will then
be "carefully sorted and sent to the third world to those
in need."
But
one member of Burnham-On-Sea.com's discussion forum, who received
the leaflet on Monday morning, said she suspected the document
may not be all it seems.
She
said: "Someone posted the leaflet through my door requesting
unwanted clothing be left outside in a bag for collection on Wednesday.
It states that the clothing donated will be distributed to third
world countries, but in very small print at the bottom it says
'Please note that Cycle Aid Ltd is a collecting company not a
charity'."
A
search on the Internet turned up the information that Trading
Standards officials in Monmouthshire had issued a cautionary statement
about the company in September 2005.
The
warning states: "Monmouthshire Trading Standards are advising
residents to be aware that some clothing collectors may be misleading
them with their promises to send used clothing to people in the
developing world."
 "It
is believed that once the clothes are collected, they are often
sold on, sometimes to Eastern Europe, and may not reach their
publicised destination."
"Trading
Standards are advising residents to be cautious in relation to
the claims made by the company. The
flyers left by the company can be pink or yellow with a heart
in the centre and residents are urged to leave unwanted clothing
in a bag outside their door."
"There
is a statement in very small print at the bottom, which states
'Please note that Cycle Aid is a collecting company not a charity."
The
Trading Standards statement adds: "There is a genuine company
called Cycle Aid Ltd, which is based in Lancashire, and is not
connected in any way with the business of clothing collections
- it actually specialises in legal claims after cycling accidents."
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