MatthewGBCN

Hi everyone , I thought I?d pop on here again , I got a few emails relating to this part of the forum , I had no idea that this forum actually kept a special notification service in case people replied etc ?. In my opinion this is a pretty nifty feature ! Well ?. I am here now and I want to quickly ( while I have an hour to spare ) reply to all the ?dark? comments ( possibly an appropriate term ? but OK ) directed at my previously submitted entry . So , let?s begin with?. ( Quick note : sorry if this turns into a rant , but my Jimmies were ALMOST rustled ! ) =================================== Se22cat : ?This area has also been repeatedly targeted by charity scams which you should surely be aware of.? Answer : I am completely aware of it , and whilst I sincerely empathise with those that have commented so far , I am surprised that you seem unable to differentiate bad charities from good charities , I used to ?think? with that same mentality too , that was until the 3rd Sector representatives taught me how to contact HMRC or/and the Charity Commission [and other watchdogs ] to verify specific legitimate organisations/charities/social enterprises [ and yes NGO?s  ] - simply because they have had enough of the fraud/scams and con artists etc that they made a big scream and shout getting A LOT of people?s attention . ? Hence the delayed formation and poorly knowledgeable ?Action Fraud? watchdog . ?Please don't harm the environment by pushing unwanted dead trees through letterboxes either.? Answer : I have never thought or dreamt of harming the environment by cutting entire/whole trees and ?pushing? [ unless you mean shoving ] them into the random folks letterboxes ? I am not that strong nor am I the Incredible Hulk ! ?. On a serious note , if you are most likely referring to leafleting , I can assure you I use recycled paper , and guess what ? , yes , it can be recycled again , with all those lovely coloured wine bottles ED folk placed in their recycle boxes . On a quick note here about ?dead trees? , what do we do about the dead trees holding up your roof and floors ? and I presume for the past few years you have been replicating the original Jumanji film ? you know , when you ?need to use banana leaves? [ sooo looong Cha Cha Cha Charmin ! ] Give me a break ! ? and pull your fluffy little head out of your @rse . ?Running "multiple charities" sounds suspicious as hell to me.? Answer : OK , with a comment like this [ I am holding back ] , I do feel ripped from inside out somewhat ? [ I have to control my feels and not end up a blue haired monster  ] ?. I take pride in the work I do , so this is why this conversation is heading in its current direction , directly in the cesspit of raw sewage . ? I really get [ understand ] what your trying to say , but to me that sounds like all the swear words/cusses/disses [even the spreading of cancer ] all rolled into one lump and shoved into my face and being forced to swallow . However , Since I can ?only? assume , you are not fully educated in third sector , or how it is being regulated , I will be tolerant of your attacks and I will explain the following : 1 : Any one person can be a Manager/Director or be a Chairman of one or more charities ? provided you are an ?appropriate person? . ? The more you know , right ? [ a beautiful rainbow flying over us ] . 2 : Any one person can be a Trustee of one or more charities ? provided you are an ?appropriate person? . 3 : Any one person can be a Patron of one or more charities ? provided you are an ?appropriate person? . 4 : Any one person can be a Supporter/Donator/Volunteer of one or more charities ? provided you are an ?appropriate person? . 5 : Any one person can ?use a toilet? at one or more ?restaurants/supermarkets/and GP Surgeries ? provided you are willing to wait in a queue :-/ Do you see a pattern here ? ? [ I am blind but I do see ! ] OK cool , I said my piece on that [ without effing and blinding ? really wanted to though ? you cant hide the truth ? because the truth sets you free ! ] Moving on ? =================================== Angelina : Matthew ? (1) what charities do you "operate"? (2) Don't we normally 'support' charities? Well Angelina , since we are word-picking out of boredom here [ ever hear of lamens terms ? ] , as to the first part ?. Answer (1) : ?operate? equals running/utilising/making use of ? resources given/donated to help a good cause , and since all the negativity on here has dampened my spirits I will not bother to explain what I do etc until attitudes genuinely change for the better ? no rush then :-/ Answer (2) : Well , I have ?No idea? about you , but yes , I do support [and volunteer for] GOOD charities ? thumbs up for me  and why is your focus spread across multiple ones? Answer : ? don?t worry , I am not Oxfam ! ? { more on that later }?.. ?but seriously , I am focused on one particular charity , However , one charity will not work efficiently without the support from another charity , it is simple regulations , HMRC [ being ?flexible? as they can ] , stating ?one charity? [ can only do ] ?one objective? ? bummer right ? , the red tape situation is a cruel joke in this country ? but I suppose it is a necessary evil [ if your into sadistic thinking ] , however at the same time keeping genuine folk who are in poverty in Britain ? in poverty longer [in ?other words? permanently ] . ? I know what your thinking ? who cares right ? ? seems only me [ not being self-righteous here ] , I am only assimilating the ?trend? of ?negative and bitter attitude? on this forum . I choose my charities carefully and this sounds rather...spreading yourself too thin, perhaps? Answer : Finally ?. A real-world view AND a decent comment/question ! ?. YES , you are absolutely correct ! , I have no idea if you read my ?entire? previous submission but I clearly stated that I was looking for volunteers BEFORE I commit to a fundraiser (in late January 2019) ? ?.this includes finding more Trustees , more [again] volunteers and more individuals/business/other charities willing to share resources - and I am not asking for the world , just the basics we need to continue to get to our aim . ? I am not Cancer Research asking for tonnes load of cash each year , just what we need to get us started and to function appropriately . =================================== Rendell Harris Wholeheartedly seconded, working from home every day I'm disturbed so often by charity knockers that I'm seriously considering having a "Charity Collectors: all our giving is done online" sign made (which is true but you wouldn't think so from the way the doorsteppers look at one when one says it) ; and yes, any charity that wastes the money I've given it on junk mail/flyers asking for more gets crossed off the list. Response : You know what Rendell , go for it ! ? put up a sign , at least ?door-steppers? will undeniably know that charity leaflets and fundraisers are NOT welcome ( unless there autistic or dyslexic or blind or have no attention span ) ?. I am cool with that ? really I am fine with this ?. ?.But I do have one question though , if I can NOT afford an advert on Google [ costing 1p?s to ?1?s per click or ?exposure? ] , or National TV [ costing into ?1000?s per instance ] or National Newspapers or Property Billboards [ costing ?100?s per day ]?. How , and I am serious here , how do I inform you or others like you ( without leafleting ) about a new charity that can help you or one family members directly and make a serious effect for the betterment of Britain ? I really want to know ? a logical answer would be appreciated . I also want you to know how I ?operate? and instruct ALL my volunteers : (1) We make sure our members are fully aware of the events that have happened over the past few years in relation to the third sector, and what these situations have left the sector now in the current climate . We know there are bad people out there , cunning liars and schemers in there hoards , BUT PLEASE DO NOT stereotype us into one lot of a particular negative category . We know , and we are trying to change things like this , do not shoot us down . (2) We NEVER [ nor to intend ] to harass anyone , we ask ONLY once ? we NEVER ask for money ! [ except when offered ] ? we only wish to give you a leaflet that lets you know what we are up to [ nothing illicit ! ] , if refused ? we simply disengage and move on to the next person ! - THIS exceeds the standards required by Charity Commission Fundraising Guidelines , all we want is to get the message out there , we are NOT asking for funds ?on-the-spot? , NOR are we asking for ?bank details? for Direct-Debits in order to attain regular payments , WE give the individual the option to financially help us out by simply using the information [website and local volunteers ] on the leaflets handed out . ? It is as straight forward as that ! Note 1 : I would rather spend 0.5p [ 1/2 a penny ] to 2p on a leaflet , a physical ?in-your-hand? leaflet ( on recycled paper ? and a simple ACCEPT or REJECT invitation towards the public taking a leaflet) than spend ridiculously insane large amounts of hard earned charity funds collected from the public [more on this later ? because I want to see how you all react to this ! ] , just so on-the-off-chance 100?s or 1000?s of people see it ? COSTING MORE than 0.5p to 2p PER PERSON ! ? Face Palm , honestly ! Note 2 : I want to make this absolutely clear , I am only asking one individual/household , one time , for a donation [through the leaflet ] , a simple yes or no will do [keep or recycle] , and I intend NOT to return asking for more money [ even at a later time ! ] or attempt to submit leaflets/letters requesting for ?MORE? donations ? I do dislike the general assumptions being made here on this forum . Now I am starting to feel a LOT calmer that is off my chest  =================================== Sweetgirl I couldn't have written it better myself! I find it disturbing when charity knockers come to my door especially as there's not enough hours in my day . Secondly I do my charity work personally when I travel. [ Quick comment : Good for you ? and bravo ! ? I will not ask in what countries you do this in but still good to know as I do the same ? when I can ! ] I refuse to donate to many charities in the UK as a lot of money gets spent on advertising . [ Quick comment : I CAN NOT agree with you more on this , it IS too true ! ? it also gets wasted on ?Administration Costs? too  ] Also, many charitable organisations are becoming very greedy.... This includes many pop up churches which have appeared over the past few years . [ Quick comment : Again , I CAN NOT agree with you more , Are you my twin ? ? are you a physic ? ? because you are reading my mind !  ] =================================== And finally my view on OTHER charities : A list of NO-NO?s ! ! ! Oxfam ? NGO ? Oxfam's Haiti director 68 yr old Roland Van Hauwermeiren ? [ It is not ?just? him though ! ] . Save The Children ? NGO ? admitted ?problems? and were linked to Oxfam?s embarrassment ? concurred it was a ?sector-wide? [ NGO ] sex scandal . Barnados - NPO [ Non Profit Organization / Charity ] - I don?t want to go into this one , but you get familiar theme going on here ? NSPCC - Charity - Used fake child abuse stories to gain publicity in order to boosts revenue streams . They spent money on ?glossy leaflets? [ non-recyclable by the way ! ] , they spent money on producing expensive limited edition booklets for its supporters ? and using four (4) 1st Class Stamps to send in the post . Also they were at the centre of a number of scandals in relation to its use of third party fundraising agencies and attempting to EXPLOIT LOOPHOLES in the Data Protection Act to contract Telephone Preference Service-registered people . RSPCA ? charity ? They waste so much donated money on prosecutions , so much so , they took a pensioner to court because she was feeding her cat ?the wrong flavour? of cat food ! ?.and I have a very looong list about this charity in particular , but for another time or on a YouTube video for historical prosperity . And a quote from an animal lover [ and farmer ] to so-called ?environmentalists? : ?We are animal loving people , but the RSPCA have wrecked our lives . I have nothing but deep loathing for them , and I would advise anyone considering donating to them to think again . I used to think charities were there to help people , or in this case animals , but the RSPCA just want to get as many prosecutions under their belt as possible and use the publicity to raise money . They have taken away our animals . Our cats were like our family .? And my List of GOOD / DECENT charities : Blue Cross ? An animal welfare charity that provides veterinarian services to the public , especially to those on low income families . I used this charity myself when I was 10 years old , I don?t have any pets anymore , but my friends working for the council , supermarkets and those that have pittance to survive on , they continue to say extremely good things about them . Everyone I know that used their services have ALWAYS made a voluntary donation/contribution , because we all know how much a regular private veterinarian costs ! MacMillan ? Incredibly helpful/supportive administration and nursing teams across Britain , such a loving and empathising group of people , they are everyday heroes ! Saint Christophers Hospice ? One of the best and one of the few , that help people with end-of-life care ? including cancer patients . I hear nothing but good things at their centres [ albeit people dieing there ] but their loving warm attitudes and always lending a sympathetic ear to the family members that have just lost their loved ones . Saint Giles Trust - I know a number of people through my charity work that GREATLY appreciated this charities help and support ? I will say this though , If their beneficiaries were still criminals now , you would not like to bump into them in a dark alley . Childline ? although under NSPCC ownership [ NGO ] , I support this 24/7 outreach programme . =================================== Anyway I am done , I will stick with this topic/forum for a couple of days ? then I will just delist from following it , I just want to see what people are saying , I wont make any more comments except if the nasty tone disappears , I know there are bad ?beings? out there but when folk talk like this , I lose a little faith in humanity , and makes me think ?f@ck it ! ? grab a few beers , climb a mountain and watch the world burn/eat itself [ from the inside out ] along with its adopted core ideologies . Peace , I?m out . [ microphone dropped ] .

Hi cantthinkofaname , Thanks for sharing this with us , ...and ALL of the other contributor's input of this persons illicit activities . Personally this aggravates me A LOT , I manage, run and fund-raise for charities I operate , like any other job in this world , it is no easy task ! I have been planning to do a fundraiser (starting in late January 2019) in my own home town (stating the obvious) East Dulwich , but after reading about this kind of thing happening here makes me really think about what kind of reception I PERSONALLY will receive and if people would be so burned by their own previous encounters by the wrong doers , that , as me , a genuine person would be immediately refused and completely ignored by my fellow ED folk :-/ ... of course , I do not know , and I have yet to find out , but I do hold hope that when I do come knocking at peoples doors , or pop a charity notice/letter through the door , someone will listen or spend a couple of minutes to read about what we do - and chip in - no matter how small :-) ...Also , if someone donates ?1 , 50p or even a 1p [ even as some sort of vindictive insult ] , I would take that donation graciously and thank them for the generosity - .... after all , they are not helping me , they are helping me help others :-) Anyway, I digress , enough of me ranting [ I apologise if I come across that way ] , once I am somewhat organised , please keep an eye out for me , I WILL post on this forum at a later time letting folk here know that I will be in the area doing a fundraiser , BUT , for now , I will not be interfering ED folks Christmas season [ time with their family ] . For now , I now I am the hunt for volunteers [ sooo hard these days ! ]see you all later , and stay vigilant ( and always ask questions ! ) .

Hi tomdhu , I am sorry that I may have somewhat irritated you with what I said , however , I want you to know that what I stated was not a way to cheat [ an attack of sorts on ] Ebays/Amazon sellers , I was only giving MY perspective from the view of the 'Customer' . - I hope you did not take what I said as some sort of insult on your sector of proffession . I totally empathise with anyone and everyone , that tries to earn a living and starts making noticeable or heavy losses in their business . ...I will say this , although it maybe toooo late now [ although there is always a smidgen of hope ] , I wish WE ALL banded together and make the managers at the TOP realise their f@ck-up and with a tiny bit of hope , reopen or find another property/venue/site to replace our beloved Silvester Road RM Sorting Office . ...Altough , I have come to realise in life , that , not all dreams come true :-/

Alex_b , I will keep this short , but I do want to reply before I got to work and forget :-) BOTH your points are SPOT ON and accurate , but as for the REAL BRICK houses being 'inefficient' well , honestly that is a 'half truth' in my opinion . Yes , I will agree that modern building designs are 'better' [ noticeable - but not by much - just MY opinion] in keeping noise down (sound-proofing) , insulation (energy efficiency) .... .... However , I used to live in these old houses , ( and I love it ! ) I know they get damp , mouldy and filled with wood lice etc , but if your tech-savvy and with a good combination of knowing YOUR HISTORY , you can avoid massive heating bills , expensive building repairs and aggravation from your neighbours over noise (except dinner parties !) . All I can say is , please dont ruin (disapprove) good old stuff for us , there are adults - like myself , kids grown up from the 90's that actually remember what it was like in ED in the old houses , before they 'absorbed' by the rich and affluent . :-) Anyway that is enough for me on this topic , and I am the kind of guy that could go on for many days , but I am out ! P.S. Southwark Council have lost the plot , and it seems to me they dramatically have lost their 'foresight' intelligence when approving/disapproving building applications .... ...Are they taking bribes ? You never know - maybe .

Thank You for the update SebsC - I personally appreciate it ! ... Folks , you see what I mean here ? There are soooo many people on this forum , so judgmental , and abusive to motorbike and van users/owners , who is going to do your servicing if you CONTINUE to PUSH these hard working people OUT ?! I will answer that for you , either large companies who dont really care about YOUR needs , and apart from that , nobody else ! There is a reasonable explanation , this why you are seeing 'tatty' vans on the road , the list is long but in recent times of change and lawlessness , this will be YOUR NEW 'norms' - All i can suggest is 'get used to it' and 'be prepared [even emotionally]' for more of this kind of thing . Vans being broken into , Mercedes , Ford , Vauxhall and Citreon , all being stolen to be shipped abroad , the ones in order of majority are , Bulgaria , Africa , Romania , Poland . I have been informed of 11 of my friends vans broken into , mostly in Peckham , Nunhead , and Catford , Lewisham and Bromley and it burns me to think I could be next :-( I [hope] soon we get to a stage in Britain and we are allowed to take special measures in order to protect ourselves from this , or soon , without the police or government consent/approval EVERYONE will [and just might at this rate] be 'carrying' guns with LIVE ammo . It is a sad world we live in today .

Hello Nina-maniana , I will make this very quick [ I have no time to read through all the replies and comments here ] .... We have ALL been experiencing MISSING post AND parcels , I know it is definitely because of the closure of the Silvester Road Sorting Office and the excess strain Highshore Road Peckham branch is enduring . The Peckham Sorting office is now an open potential gold-mine , the combination of excess post/parcels and the lack of 'traditionally normal' levels of staff/employees {that keep an eye on each other } makes security at the sorting office extremely weak [ antiquated CCTV ] and temp workers do take advantage of this situation . I have had missing post and parcels I did not receive by HMRC , solicitors , Banks [ yes , including replacement debit cards 8 frigg'n times! ] , AliExpress , DHGate , Ebay and Amazon . What can be done ? Well , not much to stop the physical missing activity { lets be honest -theft! } However : The purchases can be refunded if under Ebay, AliExpress and Amazon guidelines and their each own guarantee . .... or stop buying online altogether ! - drastic I know ! As for the banks , as much as I hate to say this since Barclays have closed the Brockley branch and will be closing the PeckhamRye/Heaton Road branch ... ...if you do use them , and use mobile banking , you can use the App on your mobile to disable ALL or individual debit/credit cards at a press of a button (even the ones being sent to you in the post! )... I used to be a big Halifax user , but since the closing of ED sorting office and MY debit cards going missing I have had NO other choice but to move to Barclays Bank in ED :-< I wish these stupid idiocratic cut-backs would stop , at this rate where will managers make their money ? and before the British Public get mega-p@ssed off with it all ?! I wish you all good luck , we will need it .

I dont want to sound like a bite-back guy here , but... I drive vans too , If 'someone' has 'screwdriver'ed' this persons all-four-tyres , or - or for any other reason why one or more tyres are flat , maybe this chap/gal may not be able to so-quickly repair the damage ... maybe they are being harassed , intimidated or bullied [ for example ] or - or in every day of the real world , they just do not have the available cash/funds/credit to get it back to roadworthy standards yet . As a van driver , I offer a word of advice , give them time to naturally get it fixed or/and leave a note of the windshield of the van [ even stated - in a polite manner , that it may get towed by the council under abandoned vehicles rules etc ] . If the note is missing the next day or two , they would have got the message , and if you added your number on it too , they would probably text/call you to inform you that they intend to fix it in due course [ maybe if and when they can afford to do so . Patience is a great virtue :-)

I tend to agree on your statement quote 'They look quite smart, but don't be fooled!' .... Modern , a snazzy/trendy way of saying cheap and quick to grab-in the idiotic/foolish young yuppies . It seems we are 'assimilating' Turkish building designs and standards .... ... new home buyers are doomed ! I agree with some other folk on here saying that proper bricks , really do make our houses homely and inject a certain interesting character :-)

Hello Cazzyr , I am a local scrap man , I get around London quite a bit . I see a LOT of dodgey ( non-licensed ) scrappys and waste collectors about - I have never seen one on a trike except a couple of local gypsies working nearby Surrey Canal Road ( Industrial Section ) , they also reside in the closely situated Camp Site by the train station . If you can upload a photo/image of what this bike/trike looks like (closest as possible ) I will can help get the word out and hopefully may find out who this person is doing this and find a way to get in contact him . Well , I go to go but I will come back here if I see what you described ! Matthew