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Shame of charity sweet cheapskates
Reporter: Janice Barker
Date online: 18 March 2010
Oldham’s Mayor is urging council staff and visitors to do like Jim and pay for their charity sweets.
The Macmillan Cancer Support toffees are offered in bags for a £1 donation to the charity at various council locations.
But a sign at the Rochdale Road reception desk says the charity is experiencing large losses — £1,339 in three months.
And the Mayor, Councillor Jim McArdle, is now urging staff and visitors to pay up when they take the sweets.
The losses have been publicised on the internet blog site Oldham Oracle calling on whoever took the bags without paying to hang their heads in shame.
And the Mayor added: “It is a good way to give money to a charity and get something back.
“I have bought them to take into meetings and people should be mindful when they take sweets out of that box that there is a cost and it is a charity which deserves their donations.
“A lot of people use that entrance, not just staff and officers, and if they pay £1 to the charity they are also getting something for their money.”
The sign tells visitors it believes the losses are down to forgetfulness or IOUs not being honoured and adds: “We respectfully request that all sweets are paid for upon removal from the box.”
A spokesman for Macmillan Cancer Support explained that the boxes are provided by a company called Sweets4, with a small percentage going to the charity.
Sarah Disney, the charity’s regional corporate development manager, said: “We are grateful to local people who support us in this way. We are unaware of this notice and will contact Sweets4.”
Macmillan will now be looking into what has happened, but it is understood the boxes are placed in offices and workplaces by agents
Comments
Although people should pay for the sweets,I would like to know what does 'a small percentage going to the charity' actually mean?
10% - 5% - 1%?
The Mayor's comments 'if they pay £1 to the charity they are also getting something for their money', are inaccurate. People are not paying a £1 to the charity, people don't know what they are paying to the charity
The note attached to this box does not relate to events at that location. There is a box where I work with the same sign on. It has only been re-filled twice and the box arrived with the sticker already on. There are much better ways of supporting Macmillan as just 5p per sale goes to the charity.
How does this promotion sit with the various Oldham Council Healthy Eating campaigns?
I refer to my earlier comment. Sorry I got the amount to charity wrong. It's 15p per £1 bag.
Have Your Say
Typical greed - no thought of the reasons the sweets are there. Easy target but it is theft.
When I was fund-raising for Dr Kershaw's I recall the despicable actions of a thief who grabbed the collection box from a 'chippy' counter and then dashed off down Ripponden Road. Probably bragged about it to his cronies afterwards. These low-life types have no sense of shame.
By dramasingapore @ 18/03/2010 13:10:36