Got an old coat you no longer use? London's annual charity coat collection is back this month — a chance to donate your spare winter coat to help homeless and vulnerable people.
The WrapUp London campaign's in its 11th year now: more than a decade of making it easy for Londoners to donate coats to those in need during the winter — and it's arguably more important than ever, given the number of people driven into poverty by the pandemic.
Dates this year are
Till 28 November — not all collection points will be open on each date, and opening timings will vary across the different collection points, so check the map ahead of going.
Places they will be collecting from include
26 locations across London — among them Safestore Self Storage venues in Croydon, Notting Hill, Crystal Palace, and more.
WrapUp's now national — so if you're outside of London you can still donate through WrapUp Brighton & Hove, WrapUp Scotland, North West England, North East England and Wales, and WrapUp Manchester, Bradford, Bristol, Birmingham and Leicester.
You can donate
Winter coats, ideally heavy ones. Lighter coats would also be welcomed, for use as an extra layer. No sleeping bags or other items are being collected.
After the collection
The coats are taken to storage spaces across London, where they're sorted and distributed to charities and community organisations across London, prioritising ones which provide frontline services to the homeless, elderly, refugees, children and families in poverty and people escaping domestic violence. The coats are intended to be delivered to people, rather than charity shops.
The aim is also that the initial collection of a coat from a partner charity or community organisation will act as a gateway, allowing people in need of other support to create ongoing relationships with the organisations and charities best able to help them.
Financial contributions to keep the campaign going are also welcome.
Visit the Wrap Up London website for details.
