Redistributing my rebate: Hello to CiFers

As part of the Comment is Free’s People’s Panel, I’ve made a small contribution to their feature today on giving to charity. Anyone visiting there from there: hello!

The first full post with details of the tax rebate and my plan is here. The follow-up of suggestions so far is here.

On Monday I’ll post the shortlist of 5 organisations and details of how to vote.

Feel free to say hi in the comments, or get in touch via Twitter: @rich_w.

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Redstributing my rebate: hello to CiFers

As part of the Comment is Free’s People’s Panel, I’ve made a small contribution to their feature today on giving to charity. Anyone visiting there from there: hello!

The first full post with details of the tax rebate and my plan is here. The follow-up of suggestions so far is here.

On Monday I’ll post the shortlist of 5 organisations and details of how to vote.

Feel free to say hi in the comments, or get in touch via Twitter: @rich_w.

Redistributing my tax rebate: an update

A few days ago I blogged about my good fortune of a tax rebate through the post: £2,460.97 reasons to be relieved.

As I mentioned at the time, realising I’d been fortunate and noting that lots of other people weren’t in the same position, I wanted to give away some of my tax rebate to an organsiation making a difference in their local community.

Thus, I’m giving away £621.97 of my rebate.

Since then, friends, followers and acquaintances on Twitter and in comments here have made many suggestions about who that rebate should go to. Below are the suggestions I’ve received so far – please do take a look at each of them, all doing great work in their local communities.

If you have any suggestions you’d like to add, please send your suggestions to @rich_w or leave them in the comments below by 13 December. Please use the tag #richrebate if you can.

• Daniel’s Journey (suggested by Ruth Everard)
• Whitgift Snap Croydon, a holiday scheme that benefits disabled kids,their families and young volunteers (suggested by AnnaMaria Williams
• BIME Wizzybug to give equality opportunity to a child with cerebral palsy (suggested by Ruth Hooper)
• Barnado’s, specifically to buy tickets for deprived children to go to the panto (suggested by @musicmp)
• SedgemoorCAB, for their #CAB7Days Advice Tweet Week (suggested by @tkitmike)
• Alliance for Inclusive Education, a national network of promoting inclusive education, which can support all young people to learn, play and live with each other (suggested by @Juniorc0)
• British Porphyria Assocation, an organisation established in 1999 by a group of patients and relatives of patients affected by porphyria (suggested by @brynmorgan)
• Donald Woods Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting poverty in some of the most under-developed communities in South Africa (suggested by @brynmorgan)
• Canterbury Oates Trust, a charity which improves the lives of disabled people 🙂 (suggested by @christinamartin)
• SE1 United, which runs projects, activities and events with the sole aim of improving the environment and opportunities for young people in Waterloo (suggested by @kanedr)
• Arthritis Care, a dynamic charity with a mission to support all people with arthritis (suggested by @Wendy_Roberts)
• ChangingFaces, which helps children an adults with disfigurement (suggested by @FaceEquality)
• @sharonkitten, who runs a Down’s Syndrome charity in Hants/Berks/Surrey supporting 61 families (suggested by @sharonkitten)
• ilovemigrants, which is establishing a campaign for more positive treatment amd portrayal of migrants in media & society (suggested by @GuidoTallman)
• Bada UK, a charity, run by volunteers, to raise awareness of the danges of tick bites and the diseases that may result from them (suggested by @jaydee_97)
• @737challenge, a 7 month race to climb the highest mountain on each of the world’s 7 continents and venture to The South Pole and The Geographic North Pole (suggested by @justa2ndyear)
• @7wondersin7days, which rom 7 July ’11 will visit the new 7 wonders of the world in 7 days, raising money for 7 charities (suggested by @justa2ndyear)
• Michael Causer Foundation, which wanta to set up a safe house for young lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender young people (suggested by @jawida84)
• @AngryBritain, raising money for prostate cancer for #Movember (suggested by @chaosgerbil)
• Kieran Armour, raising money for Raleigh International Trust (suggested by @dominiccampbell)
• Child’s i Foundation, a mother and baby centre in Uganda which gives vulnerable mothers the support they need to keep their children (suggested by @anu)
• Chapeltown CAB (suggested by @Rani_kuk)
• DebRA, a national charity working on behalf of people in the UK with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) (suggested by @Lynn_Townley)
• Media4Good, agreat charity trying to build a school in Papua New Guinea. Need funding (suggested by @Nataliewh)
• J’s Hospice, aiming to build the first age-appropriate hospice for 18 to 40 year olds with life limiting conditions in the East of England. (suggested by @andrewagsmith)
• Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people (suggested by @carola23)
• British Heart Foundation, working for a world in which people do not die prematurely of heart disease (suggested by @sofiejenkinson)
• National Association for People Abused in Childhood, providing support and information for people abused in childhood (suggested by Anonymous)
• Carel Botha, empowering and assisting people living with disabilities, between the ages of 18 and 50 by sharing information and providing training (suggested by @CarelBotha)
• Spires, a South London based charity that helps hundreds of homeless and disadvantaged people all year round (suggested by @booksellercrow)
• Hackney Shed, an inclusive theatre company for young people from 7 to 16 years old and of mixed abilities (suggested by @federay)
• Back Up Trust, a small charity based in Wandsworth helping people with spinal cord injuries (suggested by @adiwick)
• Streetwise Opera, a weekly music Workshop Programme in 11 homeless centres around the country (suggested by @u89dxn)
• Association for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus, an organisation dedicated to supporting individuals and families as they face the challenges arising from spina bifida and hydrocephalus (suggested by @SPH1984)
• Margeret Binney, who runs a gardening scheme in Frome (suggested by ToonClive)

Redistributing my tax rebate: an update (updated)

A few days ago I blogged about my good fortune of a tax rebate through the post: £2,460.97 reasons to be relieved.

As I mentioned at the time, realising I’d been fortunate and noting that lots of other people weren’t in the same position, I wanted to give away some of my tax rebate to an organsiation making a difference in their local community.

Thus, I’m giving away £621.97 of my rebate.

Since then, friends, followers and acquaintances on Twitter and in comments here have made many suggestions about who that rebate should go to. Below are the suggestions I’ve received so far – please do take a look at each of them, all doing great work in their local communities.

If you have any suggestions you’d like to add, please send your suggestions to @rich_w or leave them in the comments below by 13 December. Please use the tag #richrebate if you can.

• Daniel’s Journey (suggested by Ruth Everard)
• Whitgift Snap Croydon, a holiday scheme that benefits disabled kids,their families and young volunteers (suggested by AnnaMaria Williams
• BIME Wizzybug to give equality opportunity to a child with cerebral palsy (suggested by Ruth Hooper)
• Barnado’s, specifically to buy tickets for deprived children to go to the panto (suggested by @musicmp)
• SedgemoorCAB, for their #CAB7Days Advice Tweet Week (suggested by @tkitmike)
• Alliance for Inclusive Education, a national network of promoting inclusive education, which can support all young people to learn, play and live with each other (suggested by @Juniorc0)
• British Porphyria Assocation, an organisation established in 1999 by a group of patients and relatives of patients affected by porphyria (suggested by @brynmorgan)
• Donald Woods Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting poverty in some of the most under-developed communities in South Africa (suggested by @brynmorgan)
• Canterbury Oates Trust, a charity which improves the lives of disabled people 🙂 (suggested by @christinamartin)
• SE1 United, which runs projects, activities and events with the sole aim of improving the environment and opportunities for young people in Waterloo (suggested by @kanedr)
• Arthritis Care, a dynamic charity with a mission to support all people with arthritis (suggested by @Wendy_Roberts)
• ChangingFaces, which helps children an adults with disfigurement (suggested by @FaceEquality)
• @sharonkitten, who runs a Down’s Syndrome charity in Hants/Berks/Surrey supporting 61 families (suggested by @sharonkitten)
• ilovemigrants, which is establishing a campaign for more positive treatment amd portrayal of migrants in media & society (suggested by @GuidoTallman)
• Bada UK, a charity, run by volunteers, to raise awareness of the danges of tick bites and the diseases that may result from them (suggested by @jaydee_97)
• @737challenge, a 7 month race to climb the highest mountain on each of the world’s 7 continents and venture to The South Pole and The Geographic North Pole (suggested by @justa2ndyear)
• @7wondersin7days, which rom 7 July ’11 will visit the new 7 wonders of the world in 7 days, raising money for 7 charities (suggested by @justa2ndyear)
• Michael Causer Foundation, which wanta to set up a safe house for young lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender young people (suggested by @jawida84)
• @AngryBritain, raising money for prostate cancer for #Movember (suggested by @chaosgerbil)
• Kieran Armour, raising money for Raleigh International Trust (suggested by @dominiccampbell)
• Child’s i Foundation, a mother and baby centre in Uganda which gives vulnerable mothers the support they need to keep their children (suggested by @anu)
• Chapeltown CAB (suggested by @Rani_kuk)
• DebRA, a national charity working on behalf of people in the UK with the genetic skin blistering condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) (suggested by @Lynn_Townley)
• Media4Good, agreat charity trying to build a school in Papua New Guinea. Need funding (suggested by @Nataliewh)
• J’s Hospice, aiming to build the first age-appropriate hospice for 18 to 40 year olds with life limiting conditions in the East of England. (suggested by @andrewagsmith)
• Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people (suggested by @carola23)
• British Heart Foundation, working for a world in which people do not die prematurely of heart disease (suggested by @sofiejenkinson)
• National Association for People Abused in Childhood, providing support and information for people abused in childhood (suggested by Anonymous)
• Carel Botha, empowering and assisting people living with disabilities, between the ages of 18 and 50 by sharing information and providing training (suggested by @CarelBotha)
• Spires, a South London based charity that helps hundreds of homeless and disadvantaged people all year round (suggested by @booksellercrow)
• Hackney Shed, an inclusive theatre company for young people from 7 to 16 years old and of mixed abilities (suggested by @federay)
• Back Up Trust, a small charity based in Wandsworth helping people with spinal cord injuries (suggested by @adiwick)
• Streetwise Opera, a weekly music Workshop Programme in 11 homeless centres around the country (suggested by @u89dxn)
• Association for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus, an organisation dedicated to supporting individuals and families as they face the challenges arising from spina bifida and hydrocephalus (suggested by @SPH1984)
• Margeret Binney, who runs a gardening scheme in Frome (suggested by ToonClive)

Update (Sunday 12 December): the final suggestions for this have now come through as follows:

• Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which leads the fight against muscle disease(suggested by @medavep)
• Bexley Moorings Project, which provides support for vulnerable young people aged 8-17 who are experiencing a crisis or on-going problems (suggested by @medavep)
• No Limits Southampton, a charity providing advice and counselling to (often very vulnerable) young people (suggested by @jenniferheidi)
• Kieran Armour, raising money for Raleigh International Trust (suggested by @Stef_W)
• Kangaroos , which enrich the lives of disabled young people and supports their families (suggested by @ClaireSKelly)
• Magpas, a charity which provides the framework in which Doctors and others can provide immediate care to the sick and injuries in support of the Ambulance Service (suggested by @shirleyayres)
• Rethink, the leading national mental health membership charity, works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life (suggested by @ms215)
• An organisation supporting people with Noonan Syndrome (suggested by @MrsJackcabnory)

From here, I’ll now shortlist 5 organisations and let you know how to vote for the one you think the rebate should go to.

Redistributing my tax rebate: £621.97 up for grabs

With understandable concern I opened a letter from HMRC on Saturday morning. Fearing the worst – the need to make up for a shortfall in tax owing – the exact opposite happened.

The HMRC owed me £2,460.97.

This was somewhat unexpected, and I immediately recognised my good fortune, especially when others getting much worse news from the taxman in the post.

And it was this thought of others getting bad news that, though I realised the money the HMRC owed me was mine, I made the mental note of it still being less money that the government has to use on public services. Not only this, but that the government is making swathes of cuts many of which I disagree with (disability benefits to take just one example) which are leaving many people and organisations facing an uncertain, or horribly certain, future.

It was then that a small idea took hold: to take some of my tax rebate and give it to an organisation making a difference in their local community. It’s a small gesture, but one I hope lets people know there are plenty of people who do believe in the public service for which they work.

So, in the spirit of transparency, here’s the breakdown of my £2,460.97 tax rebate and where it’s going:

• £1,430 for savings. We have a one-year-old and one income. We’ve been clobbered by the change in child benefit (which I happen to agree with) and so the rebate will more than offset this for a year
• £30 for a little present for my long-suffering wife (no explanation required)
• I’ve bought a laptop for £359 (plus £20 postage) (my iBook died 3 years ago and I’ve not replaced it, so a Dell is magically winging its way to me as I type)
• The remainder is therefore £621.97, which is the amount I’ll be giving away.

Who is it going to go to? That’s where you come in. I essentially don’t mind and want people to tweet me their suggestions as follows:

• Suggestions can be direct from the organisation, or someone who likes them
• They should in 140 characters or less and say why the organisation should have the money
• The organsiation would ideally based in London or South West, so I can give them the cheque in person
• Given personal interests, the organisation may have something to do with equality or public sector reform (though they don’t have to)
• Send your suggestions to @rich_w or leave them in the comments below by 13 December. Please use the tag #richrebate if you can.

Apart from these 4 points, that’s it! The final choice will be made my me, Mrs W and Oscar, and you’re welcome to spread the message of this offer as far and as wide as you like.