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PRINTWRAP UP AGAINST POVERTY 2012: EXCLUSIVE CELEBRITY AND DESIGNER CLOTHING AUCTIONED TO RAISE VITAL FUNDS
With London Fashion Week falling at the end of February, showcasing trends for autumn and winter 2012, charity Elizabeth Finn Care is celebrating all things fashion by auctioning a selection of unique items, donated by top celebrities and designers.
At Elizabeth Finn Care, a national charity whose grants team offers financial support to those in need, we know people can struggle to afford the items of winter clothing they need to stay warm and healthy during the colder months. There are 13.5 million people living below the poverty line in the UK, among them 3.8 million children . Through Wrap Up Against Poverty, money to help buy more people in financial need buy essential clothes.
The inaugural Wrap Up Against Poverty campaign was launched in 2011. Over half the people the charity helps had to go without new clothes before they made the approach. By bidding for the fabulous pieces available, the public can not only boost their style credentials but also enable people in financial need survive the winter months.
Each item available reflects both the style and personality of the individual or designer who has donated it. Bidders can go for the classic look of Sienna Miller’s Homa fleece coat, or follow in Dame Helen Mirren’s footsteps by opting for her beautiful Alberta Ferretti coat. Glamour puss Kimberley Walsh’s plush Louis Vuitton scarf will be up for grabs too, as will a beautiful Alexander McQueen suit from Fern Britton, and stylish winter coats from comedy heroes Mathew Horne and Ruth Jones. To add to a spectacular celebrity list, exclusive designer items like Mary Jane shoes, and a golden Martina Spetlova shift dress have been donated alongside beautiful items from high street stores such as Warehouse and Topshop.
Wrap Up Against Poverty was a huge hit in 2011, raising both funds and awareness of the fact that millions of people in the UK are living in financial need and many can’t afford to clothe themselves through winter. Wrap Up Against Poverty 2012 will be even greater and grander.
Malcolm Tyndall, Director at Elizabeth Finn Care, said: “We hope that, with the generous support of top celebrities and the fashion industry, not to mention an incredibly enthusiastic public, Wrap Up Against Poverty 2012 will enable us to help even more people find and access the help they desperately need.”
Following the move to the digital catwalk, Elizabeth Finn Care’s auction will be hosted on eBay from Thursday 26th January, and will close on Sunday 26th February. The list of donations is growing longer by the day. To see the latest celebrity and designer winter items up for grabs, please go to www.elizabethfinncare.org.uk/WrapUp
ENDS
For further information and to request interviews, please contact:
Emma Lamberton on 020 8834 9263/ emma.lamberton@elizabethfinn.org.uk.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Photographs and footage
• Photographs and detailed descriptions available for all of the items.
• When using images please credit them with the following details: W Piotr Onak
Elizabeth Finn Care
• Elizabeth Finn Care is a national charity that helps people in financial need to improve their lives
• Elizabeth Finn Care gives direct financial support to people from over 120 occupational backgrounds, and through Turn2us helps millions more people in the UK to access the money available to them in welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help
• Since being founded in 1897, Elizabeth Finn Care has given away over £130m in direct financial assistance to people in need. In 2009/2010 over 3,500 British and Irish citizens received grants totalling almost £4m from Elizabeth Finn Care
• Elizabeth Finn Care is a charity registered in England and Wales: 207812 and Scotland: SC040987
Turn2us
• 13.5 million people in the UK live below the poverty line (source - Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95-2007/08). Yet latest annual figures show that around 16.8 billion of welfare benefits go unclaimed and there are also over 3,500 charitable funds available which distribute grants worth over £366 million a year.
• Turn2us helps people to access to the money available to them in welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help.
• The Turn2us free, confidential online service - www.turn2us.org.uk is designed to help individuals quickly and easily find welfare benefits, tax credits or charitable grants available to them - all in one place. The site has a number of tools to make the process simpler, including a benefits checker, grants search and ‘find an adviser’ tool to help locate someone to speak to. Over 3,500 charitable funds are listed on the website and people can apply online to many of the charities for help. In the last 12 months over 2 million people have used the website.
• Turn2us works in partnership with organisations across the UK, including AdviceUK, Association of Charitable Officers, Citizens Advice, Child Poverty Action Group, Home-Start UK and Money Advice Trust to develop our services and reach the many millions of people that need our help.
Selected results from the survey Elizabeth Finn Care conducted with YouGov in winter 2010
• A quarter (25 per cent) of unemployed people have felt cold or become ill in the past because they have not had suitable winter clothing
• Over 1 in 10 (14 per cent) of unemployed people have stayed indoors on cold weather days because they did not have a winter coat to go out in
• Over 1 in 10 (14 per cent) of people from lower social economic classes say they have had to wear clothing that is either too small or too big during previous winters
• Over 1 in 10 (12 per cent) say they have had to patch up holes in winter clothing
• 10 per cent have had to repair shoes at home with things like paper and glue
• Over a third (43 per cent) of people from lower social economic classes have not bought a new winter coat for themselves for two years or more
• Almost 1 in 10 (9 per cent) respondents from lower social economic classes could not afford to buy themselves any new winter clothing last year