08.11.2020 / For immediate release

Human Appeal, Safestore and Local Communities Team Up to Wrap Up the Country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a situation where charities are increasingly needed, but are facing sometimes insurmountable challenges to how they operate.

But Manchester-based charity Human Appeal is refusing to lower its ambitions, and for the fifth year will be running its annual ‘Wrap Up’ campaign, collecting coats across major UK cities to donate to the homeless, refugees, people fleeing domestic violence, and other vulnerable people.

Nearly all of us have an old coat we don’t use. Last year, in partnership with Hands on London and with high profile supporters like Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, over 75,000 coats were collected and distributed across the country.

This year, despite many of their usual partners being unable to help because of pandemic restrictions, Human Appeal has been able to partner with Safestore in four major UK cities.

The charity is asking people to drop off a coat at their local Safestore or a participating community location on their way to the shop or while they are out exercising, and is also ensuring that the campaign is fully COVID-compliant by providing containers for contactless drop-off and quarantining coats for 72 hours before they are passed on.

The campaign this year launches on 9th November and will run until 22nd November, and people will be able to drop off a coat between 8am-6pm Mon-Sat and 10am-4pm Sun at various Safestore and community locations across Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester and Glasgow.

Abid Shah, Human Appeal’s UK Programmes Manager said:

“We knew that Wrap Up would be much more of a challenge to organize this year, but that’s nothing compared to the challenges people across the UK are facing because of the pandemic. With economic uncertainty and a second wave during winter, the need for Wrap Up has never been greater and Human Appeal stands ready to help as always.

“That old coat you never wear, that’s been hanging in the same spot for months, could be someone’s lifeline this winter. Pop down to your local drop-off point and make a difference.”

More about Human Appeal’s Wrap Up campaign can be found at: www.humanappeal.org.uk/appeals/wrap-up-2020

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Notes to editors

A selection of images from Human Appeal’s Wrap Up campaign in 2019 is available here: https://media.humanappeal.net/pages/search.php?search=%21collection3119&k=29a49faf6eMembers of HA staff are available for interview and comment. For this or any other enquiries, please contact Sam Baxter on 07495 708236 or Pedro Carvalho on 07831 556951.

Human Appeal is a humanitarian relief charity, established in a flat in Manchester in 1991 and now active in 25 countries. We carry out emergency relief campaigns in response to man-made and

natural disasters, as well as long-term sustainable development projects designed to lift people out of poverty and create resilient communities.