Sherbet - Charity of the Month - (November 2009)

Well done High Court Enforcement company Shergroup for setting up the Sherbet foundation charity, aimed at families affected by enforcement.

Shergroup along with other enforcement officers have a clear responsibility to enforce the orders and judgments of the courts. However as a result of this work they also felt that they also wanted to help those who were really in hardship and were being pursued by creditors who probably didn’t appreciate how tough it was for the family they were visiting. Through this unique charity, they are able to use the insights obtained by their visits to debtors, to recommend deserving cases to the Sherbet foundation.

You can read more about how the charity works here. If you want to make a donation, there is a giftaid form on the site.

Médecins Sans Frontières - Charity of the month (October 2009)

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 70 countries. This means not only those places in the headlines but other countries and places that few have every heard of. Difficult but essential work.

You can read more about what they do on their web-site. If you want to make a donation you can do so via this page where you can find your national office.

Liberty - Charity of the Month (September 2009)

This year, 2009, is the 75th anniversary of Liberty, formerly known as the National Council for Civil Liberties. Founded in 1934 as a cross party organisation, they have during that time been “the conscience of a nation, fighting injustice and placing principle above populism”.

They are at the heart of the movement for fundamental rights and freedoms in England and Wales, and promote the values of individual human dignity, equal treatment and fairness as the foundations of a democratic society.

If you believe in their work you can find various ways to support them here.

For more information about your rights, see the information website here.

The dogs trust - Charity of the month (August 09)

The Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK. Visit their web-site for information on dog friendly holidays, plus dog related questions, re-homing and sponsoring.

Find out how to help with their work here.

McMillan Cancer Support - Charity of the month (July 2009)

McMillan Cancer Support exists to support and improve the lives of people affected by cancer. As one in three people get cancer this will affect us all in one way or another. The support given is not just medical but also practical, helping people cope with it all.

If you or someone in your family is affected by cancer, visit the web-site as it has a lot of online help and information plus a discussion forum where you can talk to people.

Almost all of their work is funded by voluntary donations. To donate click here.

Suggested by Landlord-Law web designer Gill Bishop, in memory of her mother.

The Woodland Trust - Charity of the Month (June 2009)

Founded in 1972, the Woodland Trust is the UK's leading woodland conservation charity. It has four main aims and objectives:

1. Preventing further loss of ancient woodland
   
2. Restoring and improving woodland biodiversity
   
3. Expanding the area of new native woods
   
4. Increasing people's understanding and enjoyment of woods

At present it is trying to raise sufficient money to purchase almost 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of existing conifer woodland at Cwm Mynach within Snowdonia National Park, a site of extraordinary wildlife abundance, with buzzards, ravens, owls and otters.

To contribute to this or to support Woodland Trust generally, click here.

Starlight Children's Foundation - Charity of the Month (May 2009)

The Starlight Children's Foundation aims to brighten the lives of seriously and terminally ill children by granting their wishes and providing hospital entertainment to help take their minds off the pain, fear and isolation of their illness.

It is also the charity being supported by employment barrister Daniel Bartlett for his ten year anniverary fundraising campaign. Daniel is to be congratulated in raising over £10,000 for the charity. You can read more here.

The National Trust - Charity of the month (April 2009)

Over Easter we have enjoyed two visits to National Trust properties - The Elizabethan House in Great Yarmouth, and Ickworth House in Suffolk. We did not have to pay a penny to visit either of them, as we have a family membership. We tend to holiday in England and whereever we go there are always fabulous places to visit, courtesy of the National Trust.

The National Trust do wonderful work preserving our heritage and countryside, we are very fortunate to have them. It is important that they are supported, so I would urge all of you who are not already members to join up. And you will then have all these wonderful places to go to! The more you visit, the more cost effective your membership will be.

Click here to read about and join the National Trust.

Red Nose Avatars - only £1

If you are on facebook, myspace, twitter etc, do go and get yourself a red nose for your avatar for Comic Relief (our Charity of the Month). It is only £1. Plus there are three fantastic red noses to choose from. You get them at www.digitalrednose.com.

Comic Relief - Charity of the month (March 2009)

With Red Nose Day this coming Friday (13th - hopefully unlucky for none) it would be difficult to choose any charity other than Comic Relief for this months Charity of the Month. We are not doing anything particularly silly here (apart from the usual) but will be donating on the day. They promise that every pound raised from the public will go to good causes.

Follow the links for more information on Red Nose Day and to donate.

Unlock Democracy - Charity of the Month (February 2009)

On my Landlord-Law site I have a book reviews section, and from time to time I get sent books to review. Generally they are landlord and tenant related, but I was quite excited, some time before Christmas, to receive a copy of Unlocking Democracy.

I am ashamed to say that I was completely unaware of the Charter 88 organisation which preceded Unlock Democracy, a cross party organisation set up to campaign for democratic and human rights. However it is certainly something of which I approve.

I decided that this was a book I was going to read in some detail before doing my review. I did actually read quite a lot before it got buried in the pile of things to do. That detailed review never did get written. However instead I am making Unlock Democracy my February Charity of the Month.

If you are at all interested in democracy and human rights, I would suggest that you buy the book, and sign up to the web-site. Because however good a political party sound when in opposition, as soon as they are elected they become ‘the government’. And it is not normally in 'the government's' interest to give power to the people, unless forced to do so. However well meaning they may be.

We need organisations like Unlock Democracy to watch out for our interests and tell us when our rights are about to be eroded. If we agree, we can then mobilise the power of the internet, to make our views known by emails to MPs and the press, arranging protest meetings, and signing online petitions. This is the new democracy. Use it!

Centrepoint – Charity of the month (January 2009)

Centrepoint is a charity which for 40 years has been helping homeless young people in London, and more recently in the North East. Young people are given temporary accommodation, and are then helped to sort themselves out. The aim is that those helped will then move on and be able to live useful lives.

With unemployment rising, there are likely to be more youngsters on the street rather than less.

To read more, and to make a donation, click here.

Shelter – Charity of the Month (December 2008)

Shelter is a great force for good in this country and thousands of tenants and homeless people will be forever grateful to it for its help.

As they say on their web-site "Shelter believes everyone should have a home. We help people find and keep a home. We campaign for decent housing for all".

They offer some brilliant services. For example:

• They have a free housing advice helpline - 0808 800 4444
  
• They have numerous advice offices where you can visit for free help and advice
  
• They campaign tirelessly – see here on their part in the recent assistance given to prevent repossessions
  
• They publish an excellent magazine Roof (reviewed by me on Landlord-Law here)
  
• And they also have many resources for professionals

If you want to donate – click here

Stop the traffik – charity of the month

Those of us who live independent lives in the west are very privileged. Many people are not so fortunate. Some are bought and sold as commodities. Children stolen or sold by their families into slavery. The reason (or one of them) – so cheap goods can be sold to us. Our clothes, coffee and chocolate.
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Human traffic is the ultimate indignity. So this is why Stop the Traffik is the first Landlord-Law charity of the month.

One way you can help, is to only buy chocolate which is from ethical sources. Download a good chocolate guide from the Stop the Traffik web-site to find out more.