A Peckham taproom, has become the collection point for a charity that collects unwanted coats to keep at-risk Londoners warm through winter.
“The Brick Brewery is a good site for Peckham,” said Jon Meech, chief executive officer of Hands on London, whose Wrap Up London initiative started collecting surplus coats 12 years ago.
“We try to make sure that there is a local drop-off point for people,” said Meech, adding that initiatives like Wrap Up London expand into more areas “mostly by word of mouth”.
“This year we will have collected more coats but that is because we have more Wrap Ups than before,” says Wrap Up UK, a project run by various Rotary Clubs working in partnership with Hands On London. It added that each group has reported collecting fewer coats but this may be because of “the general economic climate in that people aren’t replacing their coats as before. Also, there have been many collections across the country for Ukraine which may have taken many of the coats for another great cause. However, we count even one coat a success as it means we can help someone who needs a coat and that represents someone who cares.”
Hands On London supports charities and community projects. Wrap Up London distributes donated coats to roughly 140 local charities, which, in turn, distribute them to those in need, said Meech. He added: “Demand varies year by year but is typically 18,000-25,000 coats”.
Meech said they hope Londoners will be generous in 2023. This year, Wrap Up London had fewer donations than usual due to the disruption caused by the rail strikes earlier in the month. “We normally start collections at the tube stations unfortunately that got hit by the strikes, so those donations were down to about 2,500 from 15,000,” Meech recently told GB News.
“We have around 20 drop-off points at self-storage locations that we choose, but the majority contact us and offer their premises as a public collection point,” said Meech. “These are the ones highlighted on our web page and typically run for the whole collection period. This year it was the 7th of November until the 27th of November. There have been 42 formal public collections, 259 office collections, and 38 school and church collections.”
Elizabeth Grier-Menager, 37, who created Wrap Up London after volunteering for a similar organisation in New York, said the initiative has provided just under 200,000 coats for London since 2011.
“Our main challenge has been long-term unrestricted funding,” said Grier-Menager. “It is easier to receive project funding but not funding for overhead costs. Thankfully, with every year that passes, you build a track record of corporate and individual volunteering so grant applications become a bit easier. We have also seen an increase in corporate volunteer work which has been helpful.”
The Wrap Up London Campaign for 2022 is now finished, if you would like to get involved, volunteer, or host a local collection at home or work, email: wulvolunteers@handsonlondon.org.uk.
