Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity seen off by H4H!!!

Huntingdon and District RNA are collecting for the RNRMC this year so I thought I would drop a collecting tin into my works canteen.

Went in today to see how it was going and the tin was missing. I asked the manager and he told me Help For Heroes had complained it was taking their money away and he was told to removed it!!!

I know they are doing a great job but this is taking the pi**.

 

To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of H4H although to criticise is considered sacrilege and it's acknowledged they do more good than harm despite the aggressive income generation methods employed.

For starters there were already service charities which adequately fulfilled the function. Historically H4H have allocated random lump sums to individual unit welfare funds with no specific remit and in completely disproportionate amounts. The pay-out direct to RM personnel has always been pitiful when viewed pro-rata.

One thing that always seems somewhat distasteful (to me) is a group of individuals in uniform, aggressively rattling their collection tins in shopping precincts in aid of "Help for Heroes" ... Two problems with that: Firstly - there are those who seem to think they are proclaimed "heroes" because they wear a uniform. Secondly: There is an inference they are collecting for themselves, which although they are not, it is about as popular as a "homeless" street beggar asking for money for himself in the eyes of many.

If anyone ever states they wish to donate money which is used where intended, I'd always advocate to donate it direct to the specific unit.

 

Too true, they were doing some serious tin rattling at the recent Armed Forces day, the RBL and RAFA (spit) were getting really fed up with them.

 

JFH

I don't know whether this is worth a try, but might it be possible to e-mail whoever looks after the H4H tin at your firm and ask whether it might be possible to have a rota for the tins, say two weeks on, two weeks off, to give everyone a fair go?

Something which might interest you is a scheme several firms in the City have. In one entrance lobby, I saw a three part perspex box with details of three charities on it and three slots for coloured counters. The staff had these counters and could drop them into whichever box they wanted to, whenever they wanted to and then at a certain point, the counters were removed and money equivalent to the counters was sent to each charity.

 

Too civilised, Sol.

There's only one way to settle this.....

 

My company is very RAF heavy, we service most of the Transport Fleet, anything thats not H4H or RAFA is seen as unclean. Throwing a RN box in the mix prob upset some ex Wing Commander and their using H4H as an excuse!!!!

 

I absolutly agree. No matter how laudable their aims, they are taking money out of the pockets of the RBL. The problem with H4H is that their target group is too small. They don't donate money to anything further back than Iraq. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this to be the case)

 

Their Just Giving page is relatively specific:

Help for Heroes

 

Relatively specific, eh?

 

ish........