Re: To Give or Not to Give

Not sure what that means?...But I can say I encountered this old man in a pedestrian tunnel not far from The Tower of London. It was late September 2012. Just after the Olympics. The weather was cold and wet but London generally seemed to be in a good mood. I guess because they had just staged a successful games and done well competitively. Just after that a dangerous looking young guy in a hoodie in Bayswater offered to "open me up" when he decided I was looking at him. I wasn't. Funny old world yeah?

Re: To Give or Not to Give

Its a personal choice .
It’s your money so if you chose to give it’s your choice .
I give to buskers because I admire their musical skill and they give so many people pleasure with their music .

I don’t give to people on the street unless they are so obviously blighted in life such as being severely disabled ( this is often the case in poorer countries )
Partly because I don’t see many people on the street living in a rural area in the uk.
The one homeless person I do see has talked up residence on the bench near the bus stop where elderly people used to sit and wait for the infrequent bus service . She smokes and has a smartphone .
So that’s out for me .
Others I have seen in towns are quite intimidating and some clearly have issues of mental problems and / or addiction .

I do give to the Salvation Army’s homeless appeal every year .
These are good people who are experienced in dealing with homeless people .
They will make the best of my donation .

Re: To Give or Not to Give

I don't give to beggars. For years when commuting to Telford, I would pass Eastern European beggars sitting on the bridge to/from the Platforms, begging for money. It wasn't too bad in the mornings as there were always the rush-hour crowds, but when walking over the bridge after work and people more scarce, they would still be there with their hands out. If I ignored them, they would swear and act quite menacing at times. It got to the point that I dreaded having to go past them every evening.

Someone must have complained about them though, as they were eventually dispersed by the Police. Apparently there was then an article in the Shropshire Star Telford edition, disclosing how these beggars were in fact scammers, making anything up to £100 per day from begging, then get into their cars and return home to wherever they lived. None of them was homeless at all.

We have a Sally Army shop in town and we always give a donation at Christmas every year, so I feel that is better than not knowing whether a beggar is genuine or fake.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

I used to give one or two of them food rather than money to buy more fags with. But then I was told by the cashier in the shop, that the person who always sat outside was picked up in a BMW at the end of the day!

One thing that annoys me with a lot of charities now, is when they state how much you are to give. I don't like that and think it's a ruddy cheek as well as off-putting.
There is one why asks for the peculiar amount of £19, so if you can't spare that much you walk away and they don't get anything at all.
We should not be made to feel uncomfortable if we can only give a smaller amount.
'Pennies make pounds' as my Dad used to say.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

Thats what the eastern european woman was doing, getting picked up in a posh car, she was seen going into a house, she wasn't even homeless the nasty woman and I fell for it and felt sorry for her. I really dislike dishonest people, I felt a right mug when I found out for myself.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

I know what you mean, Queenie.
It's the dishonest spongers who spoil it for the genuine ones.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

We had a homeless older man here a while back with a wee dog, I always bought the dog a bag of dried food every week. He seemed very grateful for it, always thanked me and wished me a good day.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

My very first encounter of a scammer was in central London when I started my first job. A man came up to me and said he had been mugged and needed £5 to get home, he promised to send me a cheque in the post. Obviously, he never did but I was green then. He wasn't a tramp, he was suited and booted.


We also used to get an Eastern European woman who would ride the underground all day with a cardboard sign asking for money. I would see her almost every day and eventually I made a sign saying 'NO' which I produced from my pocket when she asked me one morning (to the amusement of other passengers).

I have often bought food or drinks for the genuine ones who are looking in rubbish bins for food and they have always appeared to appreciate it.

I have also seen a group of Eastern Europeans turn up and 'set up' one homeless person on the corner of a shopping mall. they arrive drinking Costa coffee and checking their phones but then sit down with a blanket over them, sometimes with a dog. They are picked up at the end of the day.


I would gladly give the last penny in my pocket to anyone who has to genuinely sleep rough because one day, that could easily be you or I. I never judge them.

Re: To Give or Not to Give

Agree entirely with you Mups. That has always been a bugbear with me also. Whenever I see charities on television pleading for whatever amount they are asking for, it really makes me annoyed. There are plenty of generous people who don't have much themselves but don't hesitate normally to giving a donation to these large charities, but are put off by the amount they ask for. It's not right. People should give what they can afford, not what is expected by the charities.

I was quite surprised when I saw the latest advert from the Salvation Army asking for £19 on their current television advert. This is a ridiculous amount for many who would love to give a donation. Perhaps they would do better not to bother with the adverts as they cost the charity a minimum, many thousands of pounds, which could be used to better advantage.

Moan over!

Re: To Give or Not to Give

The Salvation Army also has a box for any amount !
£19 is just a suggestion with the obvious hope most people will raise it to £20!