How did Calling London get started?
It all started with a conversation with a friend in 2010. He knew a teacher in Hackney who had noticed some of his primary aged students were coming to school without coats because their parents couldn't afford them. My children were young at the time, and I had spare coats around because they kept growing out of them, so I thought I would donate them.
I had lived in New York as a teenager, and there was a charity there called New York Cares, which had run a coat drive across the city for more than 20 years. I didn't think there was such a thing in London, so my friends and I thought we would start one.
I decided to register the idea as a charity because I thought it would make it easier to approach companies and ask for their help. The idea behind the name, Calling London, alongside our megaphone logo, was to call London to action. Alongside some other volunteers, I created some basic flyers, and then I started writing to charities asking if they were in need of coats for their clients.
The first year alone we collected 1200 coats, and last year it reached 10,000. People immediately liked the idea because they could understand it - we weren't asking for money, it's always been about the coats. I would be a terrible fundraiser, but have no trouble asking people to give their coats!
How does the charity work?
The idea is simple, revolving around our annual Winter Coat Drive, where we ask the public to donate the coats they have at home that they don’t want — whether they don’t fit, they’re tired of them, whatever. People can either donate at one of our public donation points across the city, or they can run a collection at their workplace, school, church, or even in their neighbourhood using the online platform Nextdoor.
At the end of November all the donations come back to my garage - thank goodness I have one - and then over a four-day period my volunteers get to work, opening the bags, checking the coats for quality, and organising them.
If anything has a broken zip, is missing all its buttons, or is badly stained, then we textile recycle it. It's all about the dignity of our beneficiaries, so our policy is that if we wouldn’t wear it ourselves, then we don't expect someone else to. If our beneficiaries could buy themselves a new coat then they would, but instead they are given a good quality, clean secondhand one.
How did your relationship with Chestertons come about?
The brilliant Giles Milner, who's the Director of Growth and Marketing at Campions Group and Chestertons found me eight years ago when we were really in our infancy. He's got a strong volunteer ethic and founded Chestertons' Charity Champions - the company's corporate charity committee to engage their company and their teams with charity and philanthropic efforts close to their hearts. I am very grateful to him, as well as the team members who have taken charge of supporting us since. They've all been great, which makes it much easier for me.
Chestertons coming on board was a game changer because it enabled us to have these pop-up public donation points across London. We have very simple boxes, a bit like recycling bins, where people can drop off their coats easily. With Chestertons on board, we were able to put these donation points in all their offices, so if someone emailed to ask where they could give, I could just direct them to the nearest Chestertons.
We also always have a very healthy number of Chestertons people volunteer their time to deliver coats from the drop off points and help us sort them - many come back each year, which is wonderful to see.
How does Calling London and its Winter Coat Drive help individuals?
The coats go to about 40 charitable groups who hand them out to their clients directly. Some of these charities are well-known, like Crisis at Christmas, St. Mungo’s, and Hestia. Others are much smaller and lesser known, like the wonderful North London Cares who do elderly befriending. Some charities take 350 coats, others only need 10.
Most people assume the coats go to rough sleepers, and some of them do, but they also go to families via several food banks, to victims of human trafficking, groups working with young mothers and babies, to those befriending the elderly, and to recently released prisoners.
Every year the demand grows, so we continue to push. I don't often get the chance to liaise with the end recipients directly - I trust the charities I work with to give them to people who really need them. I do sometimes get messages that really bring back to me the importance of a specific coat. A coat is a practical thing, but it's also an essential item - it's a luxury for some and a necessity for others. It shocks me every year how many people only have a very thin jacket or jumper.
We put a lot of thought into who gets what. For example, there's a lot of need for children's coats because they grow out of them so quickly. Equally, if we're sending coats to a rough sleeper's charity then our sorters look for anoraks that can be layered - ski jackets are ideal - rather than puffer jackets or woollen coats that aren't suitable for getting wet.
What can people do if they want to contribute?
Now that the weather is turning I would love people to have a look in the back of their wardrobes and consider donating that coat you haven't worn for the last couple of years. I would like people to collect at their children's schools, offices, or local churches if they can. It's not difficult, it just takes one person to spearhead the idea. One amazing group in South London collects every year for me by organising a five-hour street party!
Then, you can just go along to your nearest Chestertons and deliver them. We will guarantee that your coat will go to someone who really needs it and nothing will be sold. The only ones we can't give out are fur coats.
Then, from 20th October to 21st November we will hold our Winter Coat Drive, when we sort all the donations. So, we welcome volunteers for that as well. You can contact me via the website or on Instagram, @callinglondonuk!
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