Who We Are(It's such a simple idea.... ) In Winter 2010 some of our friends were talking about how London was feeling so much colder than usual.
One of the group is a teacher who had pupils coming to school without coats or puffa jackets because they couldn't afford to buy them. Others in the group had seen elderly neighbours out on the streets in just thin coats; and we had all witnessed the homeless and rough sleepers who were unprepared for the bitter temperatures. What could we do about this?With the firm belief that Londoners want to help one another but sometimes don't know how to go about that, we came up with is a simple idea. This was based on knowing only too well that in the back of our wardrobes there often hides a long-forgotten winter coat or puffa jacket that we just don’t wear any longer.
What if we collected up these unwanted coats, sorted them out, then delivered them to those people who need them most? The beauty of the concept was in its simplicity! Full of enthusiasm for our venture, we had ourselves Charity Registered, rallied our friends and colleagues, and in November 2011 launched Calling London with the first Winter Coat Drive. Everyone at Calling London is a volunteer. In 2015 Tom Dare took the time to meet us and here's his wonderful piece in its entirety: Click here. In April 2017 one of our founders, Frances, received an RBKC Mayor's award for her work distributing coats. |
