I have been reading through all of the suggestions and I like kentpuppetmanias excellent charity, Winstons Wish Family line, I have never heard of this charity but I have looked at the website and it gives a lot of excellent advise and that kind of help is not publisised much. We all tend to forget children who are healthy but need support getting through a very tough time. This is a very worthy charity.

MND - MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE RESEARCH TRUST

This Trust is at the present time allocating all funds to the University of Liverpool and their Magnetic Resonance Research Cenre.This charity is run by a woman who herself was diagnosed with MND and she has kept it going for over 20 years.


www.knowsley.gov.uk/community/ groups/huyton/disis/disabled-info-9.html - 3k -


www.charitychoice.co.uk/AZListing/ma.htm - 67k - 24 Dec 2004

I do think childrens charities such as nspcc, however i also think that animals get a raw deal at christmas.
Thousands are bought as presents and are thrown in to the street jan/feb time every year.
Animal homes burst at the seams in the new year.

small facts re battersea:
Battersea Dogs Home is a registered Charity that receives no Government support, so every donation is very well received to help us continue our vital work with lost and abandoned dogs and cats. It costs us over £8 million a year to run the Home - that means an average £637 for each and every dog and cat, no matter how long or short their stay.
http://www.dogshome.org/

also you have the ncdl
They never put a healthy dog down.
They have loads of ways you can all help, such as calenders credit cards sponsering dogs etc.
Our lovely dogs come in all shapes and sizes and are real characters, but the one thing they all need is a best friend like you. Some have really suffered at the hands of cruel and uncaring owners, making it difficult to find them a new home. Thankfully, these dogs are now getting the care they deserve at Dogs Trust.
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/sponsoradogindex.asp?structureid=15

Sorry if i kinda went off a bit there, it just kills me evry year when i read the figures.
Anyway, those are my ideas, Im sure there will be enough to donate a little to quite a few different charites.

If you select more than 1 charity I would like to see the baby ward at Guys in London get something they can use to get more equipment to help save childrens lives.
I lost my grandson there but the work they do is marvelous but they always need more equipment.
Merry Xmas to everyone

everyone has thier own idea of what a good charity should be but i am really seeing a pattern of three mian themes
children
animals
babies .

why not if EBay agree..do something like this
auctin the prizes on ebay by whatever means is liable to raise the most amoutn of money
then split the money raised three ways

have three more treasure hunts. each one aimed at one area mentioned above.

then whoever wins the treasure can nominate thier chosen charity. even teams can do it then

what a muddle???

J

Looking through the number of suggestions, it amazes me just how many charities exist on the good will of the general public without any government aid. These are just the tip of the iceberg.

Whilst MPs vote themselves big payrises and ringfenced pensions, the government spends billions of pounds to wage a possibly illegal war, and money is frittered away daily, there are people out there doing outstanding jobs yet existing on what can literally be begged.

Ebay's contribution might be a drop in the ocean, but it's a good thought and if more companies followed suit this world would be a better place.

What if Ebay also set up some BIN auctions for just one day where you could BIN/Paypal something cheap (say an email thankyou letter) and that money would be donated to the charities too?

Auction the prizes off and give the money to a few charities. Definitely should include a childrens charity and an animal charity.

How about Cara van fund..


The van is picked up by volentery drivers and Chris from Cara tells them the route they are to take , They go to the variouse pounds and pick up the dogs who have done their 9 days and would have otherwise been put to sleep. They pick up all the very old and young the injured ill and fit, The recues who have agreed recieve some others go to Many Tears or chris ,s homes or any one who will help, till fit and ready to move some where or found a home for. This van is used every day and travels thousands of miles in just a week. The worry of a van breaking down is accute but they have never had a really reliable one. To top this the vets bills on some of the animals taken from the pound is huge, and there are no back up funds. It is a truly worth while organization but needs that van and funding so bad.


Need support badly, no matter how small.

jane

:-x

Also another well deserving charity ...
Macmillan Cancer relief.:-)

I am sure most people have known someone with cancer .

I myself have had recent experience of these marvelous people in my time of need.
Click on the link to get more information.

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/


jane

like us who benefit from ebay over the year,why not support those that have helped others over the year by using ebay,the charrities that use ebay. after all you have given all of us something back (thankyou).then again post an auction on these boards and lets see if the real christmas spirit is alive.

Presumably some of the objectives are to provide....
1) The highest amount of benefit
2) The most appropriate (usable) benefit
3) Choice by the eBay user as to which charity receives the donation.

If so, my suggestion is that the unclaimed prizes are given as a free 'bonus' to the 'winners' (highest bidders) in auctions for a CAF charity gift voucher.

The CAF charity gift voucher would be sold on eBay UK using the auction style format.
The voucher 'face value' supplied to the 'winner' (highest bidder) would be equal to the winning bid (highest bid) amount.

The 'Postage Cost' for the 'Free Bonus' item would be covered by eBay UK. i.e. FREE to the winning bidder.

CAF Charity Gift Vouchers - What are They?
CAF Charity Gift Vouchers are the perfect way to enable your friends, family, colleagues and clients to support their favourite charities.

How does it work?
CAF Charity Gift Vouchers can be used to benefit any recognised UK charity, from large national charities to local community groups and even schools and hospitals. The person you give the voucher to chooses which charity they would like to benefit from the voucher. They then enter the name of the charity and give it to them like an ordinary donation.

http://www.allaboutgiving.org/vouchers/voucher_info.cfm

p.s. I think this idea is so good that I'll post a new thread to help avoid it getting 'lost' in this one! 🙂

Dont know if this has been nominated already but heres my choice.

http://www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk/

Woofles

The Blue Cross - Britains Pet Charity
Cancer Research UK
Bliss - The National Charity for the Newborn
Water Aid - Helping third world countries get clean water
Mencap
Womens Aid - This one is particuarly close to my heart
Great Ormond Street

This are just my ideas. I'm sure that all of us would love to give unlimited amounts to all charities, unfortunately we'll have to settle for just a little bit.

Knowing it's going to charity - I might not continue searching! 🙂

Hi,

I work for NCH (used to be National Childrens Homes) and I think the unclaimed prizes should go to them they are a British charity and as this is Ebay.co.uk I think it is appropriate. They not only look after the homes they also have family advice centres and help abused children. Christmas is for the kids after all and the likelihood of them getting presents like your prizes could only be a dream for them

Only a suggestion
BUMP
Wendy

************************************************************

eBay - well done for deciding to donate all unclaimed prizes
to charity.

************************************************************

I have read through this thread, and it is clear to me that there are many thoughts on which charities to support, and many charities that need the support.

From all the posts in the thread, two suggestions
stand out from the rest as being the most worthy of
consideration, but for different reasons.

May I please suggest that eBay consider the merits of
these options;

1. The winner nominates a UK registered charity. I can
see a number of benefits to this option...
If I am bidding knowing that my winning bid will support
my nominated charity, then I will bid more.
A wider range of lesser known and local charities (local
hospices, animal shelters etc) will be in with a chance
for once, rather than it all going to the GIANT charities.


2. The raffle idea, simply because it has the possibility
of raising so much more money for good causes. While many
people can afford to purchase one (or many) 'buy it now -
immediate payment required' raffle ticket, fewer people
would be in a position to bid high prices for expensive
items such as holidays or even those great fridges. The
raffle would allow more peole to become involved, and
should raise more money.



3. It would also be possible to combine the two ideas so
that the raffle winner could nominate the UK registered
charity.

I for one could certainly find £25 worth of raffle ticket
money for such good prizes and such good causes, yet for
my £25 'donation' you may not even have to send me
anything! It does sound good for the charities.


Please eBay, consider one of these three proposals, it
allows people with less money to be involved, and to be in
with a chance. It gives many more often overlooked
charities an opportunity to benefit from a donation.


If in preference you simply decide to give the items to a
charity or charities, then here are my nominations.


The Hampshire Autistic Society
http://has.org.uk
Fantasic work for the Autistic

World Society for thr Protection of Animals (WSPA)
http://www.wspa.org.uk
I support the WSPA by regular donation in recognition of
their special work for bears. Few people know (or care)
about just how cruelly bears are treated by mankind the
world over. As they say, read it and weep! I have videos
here that would reduce the toughest of you to tears.
I have travelled with the WSPA, and visted one of their
bear sancturaries - I can vouch first hand for the good
work that they do.

The Chichester & District Dog Rescue Society
As they are a small charity with no web site I'll put in a couple of words about them. CDDRS is a small charity established in the 1960s for the welfare of dogs. They NEVER put a dog down, but will pay for it's feeding, kenneling, veterinary treatment etc until a good home can be found. They also run an 'Animal Ambulance' to attend to emergency calls for injured animals (usually dogs, but others too), and get them to a vet.

Picking up on a remark from an earlier thread about the
PDSA being one of the few animal charities that does not
get government support? It is my believe that ALMOST NO
animal charities receive government support.

ALL ANIMAL CHARITIES ARE EXCLUDED FROM RECEIVING LOTTERY FUNDING!!! Please do not exclude them from eBay's donations too.

More good work from the WSPA ...

This is what people would rather not know.
Ignorance is bliss ...

***************************************************

http://www.wspa.org.uk/index.php?page=180

PLEASE check out the WSPA campaigns, eBay or not, the WSPA
is worth donating too.

***************************************************

Inside Korea's dog meat markets

WSPA's Trevor Wheeler gives a first-hand account of a visit to Moran market in South Korea.

When we arrived at the market at around 6am we were the only western faces there. We were watched very carefully for the duration of our visit. I soon appreciated that unlike the other locations we had visited, this was a specialised dog market. Other markets had several dog meat stalls within the vast area of general items on sale, but this one was different.

All around Moran market I saw hundreds of live dogs, heaped into cages awaiting their fate. As the delivery trucks arrived, I could see dogs crammed so heavily into cages that their limbs were entwined with each other. Some of the cages containing cats were so full that their legs were forced through tiny holes in the mesh cages, causing cuts and injuries.

I watched in horror as one trader unloaded puppies from a delivery cage. She grabbed each one by its hind leg and threw them into a larger pen as if they were already dead.

Inside the market, makeshift slaughterhouses had been established on each side of the main trading hall. Time-after-time, I saw dogs being dragged off on ropes to their death. I could hear them howl from fear and pain as they were slaughtered.

A number of temporary restaurants were set up in the centre of the market. These sold various dog meat dishes, served up while live animals were barking and howling in the background.

I estimated that around 2000 dogs were sold at the market during our short visit. We saw rows and rows of dog carcasses laid out on stalls, their coats having been blow-torched from their bodies and browned and singed. These were mainly being sold to wholesale traders. Other stalls offered small joints of dog meat, half carcasses, heads, paws, and even skins, which had been blow-torched from the body with the paws still attached.

Some of the recently butchered dogs were displayed on their backs with their abdomens split, and having been cleaned, their internal organs had been replaced within the body for inspection by perspective buyers.

Moran market was described to me as the worst market in Korea for animals and for the dogs in particular. I found it difficult to argue with this. The howls that I could hear as the dogs were killed has remained a haunting memory ever since.

I really, really hope this has made us all think more deeply about the true meaning of Xmas...I am sitting here crying my eyes out-for both good and bad reasons.
In October a friend of my age (29) died suddenly and tragically, leaving a bewildered little boy of 8 to cope with the fact that he has lost everything he has ever known-house, school, friends-and had to get to know a daddy he had never met.
I nominate this charity in her memory...I miss you E. xxx

http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/lead.asp?menucode=00020002

The next charity I nominate because of a very special little girl, who has taught me how to live every day as if it were my last and to grab life and make it happen. Quidenham Hospice is an oasis of joy and light for children (and their families) living with terminal illness...and it IS all about living.I have nothing but praise for the amazing staff there. Each day we pray for a miracle-each day IS a miracle.
R.F. this is for you xxx

http://www.each.org.uk/quidenham/quidenham.htm

MERRY XMAS to you and yours and here's wishing you a 2005 filled with love and laughter, Kitty (a.k.a. Lucy) x

I think it should go mainly to a Childrens charity such as the Childrens Society. I would also like to see some go to the RSPCA as this is the time of year that lots of animals are bought as presents and then abandoned.
I also agree that Ebay should have a special auction section for these prizes - declaring which charity they will represent - I think this way more money will be raised.
JMO
Merry Christmas everyone.:-D

www.crisis.org.uk is a, possibly the, great Christmas charity.

In the year that marked the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, I would also strongly recommend www.rwandafund.org

Rwanda is an amazing country struggling, with real dignity, to rebuild itself and protect its citizens from more atrocities.

Finally, AIDS has been declared the world's worst ever crisis by the UN. Africa remains unacceptably poor, and bears the vast burden of suffering in the world. There are plenty of good charities in this field.

I love d_elf_king's suggestion (#98 above) and will be doing so.

Happy Christmas.