October is the month to….

Have an autumnal tidy to see if you’re hoarding clutter that could be easily turned into cash for charity.

Now is the time to clean down and pack away the garden furniture and sort out the shed ready for the winter months, but take a closer look whilst rummaging around, because a good tidy may also be able to help a good cause.

Calor is urging people around the country to sort through the rubbish in their sheds, garages and gardens to look for empty Calor gas cylinders / bottles. Why? Because for every Calor gas cylinder returned to a Calor Gas Direct outlet, Calor will donate £5.00 to the children’s charity ChildLine as part of its year long ‘Gift of the Gas’ fundraising campaign, to raise enough money to enable ChildLine to recruit and train more volunteer counsellors to provide comfort, advice and protection to more of the thousands of children calling ChildLine every day with all kinds of problems.

The campaign deadline is 31 October 2005, so get sorting now to see if you can support the cause.

Andrea Price, spokesperson for Calor, said: “Our research shows that there are around 12 million empty and unwanted Calor gas cylinders / bottlesfrom appliances like barbecues and patio heaters that are sitting in garages and sheds all around the country. We have had a great response to our ‘Gift of the Gas’ fundraising campaign already with thousands of Calor gas cylinders / bottles being returned across the country.”

For anyone who hasn’t yet cleared their garden or garage of rubbish in preparation for the winter months, follow these top tips from clutter cleaning experts, The Clutter Clearing Consultancy, on how to rid rooms of rubbish and turn clutter into cash.

Top tips for anyone wanting to clear their clutter:

1. Decide where you want to start, how much you want to do, and what you want to achieve. It takes longer than you think to clear out a cluttered garage or shed, so why not start with a corner or a cupboard that you might want to clear.

2. Be clear about what categories of things you may find and decide what you’re going to do with them. For example, what will you do with old bikes that your children had when they were five, but now they’re teenagers or left home?

3. Be clear about what is going to be stored where when you’ve finished. You may have garden tools in the shed and the garage, but wouldn’t it be easier to see and know what you’ve got if they were all in the shed?

4. Reward yourself each time you’ve spent about an hour clearing your clutter.

5. Make sure you only put back in your garage or shed those things that you will definitely use in the coming year. We all have good ideas and intentions of using things that we forgot we had, yet never do.

Calor gas cylinders / bottles can be returned to any participating Calor Gas Direct outlet in the UK until 31 October 2005. For every cylinder returned prior to this date, Calor will automatically donate £5.00 directly to ChildLine.

For further information about Calor and to locate your nearest participating Calor Gas Direct outlet, telephone 0800 662 663 or visit www.caloralfresco.co.uk.

Issued on behalf of Calor by Bright, 10 St Catherine’s Court, Herbert Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3QE For further information please contact Leona Abson/Michelle Simpson/Victoria Crowe at Bright on Tel: +44 (0) 121 711 5000 Fax: +44 (0) 121 711 5001 or Email: leona@bright-consultancy.co.uk

Click here to download this press release in Word format

Ref: CACHPR21
Released: July 2005