By Andy Dalton
Leeds City Mission (LCM) in Armley has added used postage stamps to the list of items it collects and recycles – all helping to support its work with those struggling with life.
They have collected and sorted and incredible total of 20,000 used postage stamps in the last two years.
Many charities collect used postage stamps as a fund raiser – and the City Mission is no exception. They are passed on to stamp dealers who buy them and use them in their philatelic businesses. Vital funds are then sourced by cash-strapped charities.
Supporters, visitors, churches and others have faithfully dropped supplies of postage stamps at the Compassion Centre based at the LCM Mission Room in Mistress Lane, Armley. Volunteers have sorted and counted the stamps.
LCM Development Worker Andy Dalton thanked the many people who had made the effort to save their postage stamps.
He said that foreign stamps were the most valuable. LCM volunteers had been amazed that some of these stamps had originated from some of the most countries in the world LCM had even had stamps originating from the world’s most remotest inhabited island – Tristan da Cunha, which is located midway between the Falkland Islands and South Africa.
He went on to say that the City Mission can make good use of many things that people would otherwise just throw away. It already recycles and puts to good use aluminium cans and foil, packing materials (bubblewrap and foam pellets), greetings cards (to produce greetings tags), towels (for use by street people using their shower for the homeless) and sleeping bags/blankets (for rough sleepers).
All items can be dropped off at the City Mission Compassion Centre Mondays to Fridays 10am to 3pm. Telephone 0113 345 3118 for more details.