An organisation whose mailings in July 2007 were branded confusing by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is operating in Aldershot again.

Helping Arms Ltd has been putting collection bags for donations for unwanted clothes, toiletries and cosmetics through doors in Howard Cole Way and the surrounding area.

The bags use language such as ‘please help those who really need your support’ but according to the Charity Commission the organisation profits from its donations.

A resident, who did not want to named, saw a white van with the logo — a globe with outreached hands on either side and the word ‘support’ above — there on Friday last week.

She saw it park in each court while a man got out and ran around checking for collection bags.

Lee Hinks, of Cavalry Court, said: “It’s called Helping Arms and what’s the main thing in Aldershot? Soldiers. It could make people think they’re the Army’s charity.”

Patricia Prendivinne, of Sabre Court, said: “We get ones from charities like Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and Great Ormond Street and I often give to these, but not this lot.”

Registered charity The British Heart Foundation did a clothing collection in the same area on Thursday.

Ken Blair, head of charity shops at the foundation, said other collectors had cost it £5m in the last year.

He said: “If we put 1,000 bags outside we used to get around 160 bags packed with donations which is a very good response rate.

“Everything that’s collected goes to the local charity shop which would make £1,400 a week from it.

“But that rate has more than halved now and it’s getting worse and worse every month.

“The best thing householders can do is take the bag down to a local charity shop and give it to them.”

“Profit-making collectors take what is donated to them to Eastern Europe, where they can sell it. There are no brands out there. There’s no River Island or anything, so they’re considered quite valuable commodities.

“Charity shops are pretty unique to the UK,” he added. “These people are exploiting the general goodwill of the UK population.”

Gethampshire rang a mobile phone number printed on one of the bags and spoke to a man who identified himself as Shutle.

He declined to comment on what the company does with its donations as he had only been with the company for two months and could not answer questions without the approval of his bosses, who were out of the country.

He said Helping Arms had applied for registered charity status.

But the Charity Commission says ‘Helping Arms’ applied to register as a charity in August 2007 but was rejected in October of that year.

“We rejected the application because we determined that the organisation was not exclusively charitable on the basis that it provided private benefit to the trustees,” a spokesperson said.

The ASA found in July 2007 that the bags breached the British Code of Advertising.

It said the bags’ presentation could cause people to confuse it with a registered charity’s collection bag.

Current wording does not replicate the words previously criticised by the ASA. The ASA cannot enforce its rulings, only make recommendations.

Hampshire County Council Trading Standards said it had not had any complaints about Help-ing Arms.

It advises people who wish to make charitable donations to approach charities they know.

Those who are unsure about a charity asking for donations can give directly to a charity shop instead or give to a shop’s collection sack. 

These should make clear reference to the charity registration number and many also carry the Association of Charity Shops Kitemark.

To check if a charity is an officially registered, non-profit making organisation, call the Charity Commission on 0845 300 0218.

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