I think most people would say Shelter exists to support rough sleepers and those who are homeless…read more Given that I have supported Shelter irregularly for quite a few years now, I was surprised to learn the other day that in fact their remit goes a long way beyond that. Shelter exist to help everyone find and keep a home, so some of their energies are diverted into helping people face repossession, for instance -- and in these straitened times I guess that could potentially be quite a lot of us. They campaign behind the scenes, talking to movers and shakers, and (I understand) enjoying a lot of respect in such circles too. Naturally there's a lot more information on their website but I've always believed in the importance of this issue and am more than happy to commend Shelter's work.

TearFund is a large Christian charity with an international anti-poverty agenda. They focus on five…read moremain areas: HIV, disaster response, challenging injustice, environmental action and helping with the basics (water, sanitation etc). Most if not all of their work is undertaken in less developed countries. They're a large charity, raising over £63m in 2007/2008. However despite their size I don't think many people have heard of them -- largely because a lot of their fund-raising is done through local churches, typically evangelical ones (I think the 'tear' bit originally stood for The Evangleical Alliance Relief fund). More information is available from their website (see link above) but TearFund is a very worthy cause and certainly one that enjoys our unreserved support.

Your classic charity shop, been around for as long as I can remember, and selling as much as is…read morenormal for the charity shop to sell : books, dvds, clothes, greeting cards, and all for charity, so I say go go go and give something back, instead of buying your books at borders, buy them here and give from the heart to the heart!

Besides it being a great cause and selling gems of clothing, I had to complain…read more The times I had gone there, it was bit full because of how small the local is and there was a bit of frustration from the service side. However, I don't know if I caught someone in a bad mood or 5 minutes before closing, but when I went to drop off clothing to the good cause, I was greeted with a scowl, a door slam and not even a thank you. Absolutely terrible, it also made me want to take back what I had given away and give it to another charity like the Cancer Research UK up the street. I should have if had I not been in shock from the rudest encounter I have ever experienced in the least likely place, a charity shop. It doesn't matter where you work, but customer service is customer service.

A recent tour of the Islington charity shop scene was quite revealing. While the smaller shops on…read moreEssex road and Caledonian road were interesting, the cloithing all seemed to lean to a more elderly customer. Even the Oxfam in Angel was not pleasing. Marie Curie, however, perhaps due to its size, has more than the average charity shop. The ornaments shelf, as someone else mentioned, is a treasure trove. Great place for cheap photo frames, and the books shelf is packed tight. I bought a very nice, young T shirt, perfect size, for £2. Now, you have to be happy with that don't you?!

Being a carer is a tough job. But, if you are prepared to hold your hand up and say you want some…read morehelp (and can recognise that this is NOT an admission of defeat), the gals at this charity will link you up - if you live in the borough of Bromley that is. Carers of Bromley is a charity that focuses primarily on the needs of the carer, as opposed to the person requiring care, and are a really useful source of information for everything from benefits to support services and beyond. They are funded in part by Bromley Local authority, so have good relations with departments there too. Although I've never used the support groups, I've found the short term sitters list extremely helpful and they even provide a limited volunteer service for the odd whole day off. In short, if this charity is relevant to you, you have nothing to lose from contacting them.

An Absolute pleasure to deal with. This charity does some…read moreexcellent work with children and young people from the middle park, Eltham estate. HighGrade Design http://www.highgradedesign.com

This is one of the best cancer research stores Ive been inthat said I havent been in that many, but…read moreIve been in a lot of charity shops and this one is really good. The clothes are reasonably priced - no-one expects them to be amazingly cheap, because they're a charity trying to raise money afterall. Most of all I've noticed that their clothes are aways really good quality. Who says you need to pay through the nose for vintage clothing? just go to cancer research store.

THT is the leading HIV organization the UK and throughout Europe! We met with representatives to…read morelearn about their work around prevention, advocacy, linking HIV+ positive patients with care, as well as some of their social/media campaigns. These folks are doing a great job in reducing the rate of HIV in London and throughout the UK! Bravo!