Benham First Day Covers help Scope raise over £5,500 in just three months

Since December 2010, Scope has been working on a fundraising initiative in conjunction with the Benham Group, the leading collectibles specialist and independent UK manufacturer of First Day Covers.

First Day Covers are specially designed envelopes created to showcase and celebrate the first day of issue of a set of stamps. Covers traditionally show the stamps, plus a specially sponsored postmark and an image relevant to the stamp. These are eagerly sought out by dedicated stamp collectors, and for over 35 years now the Benham Group has been going to enormous lengths to create covers that collectors all over the world would be proud to own and display.

Many collectors ask the Benham Group if they can obtain signatures on their covers from VIPs who are relevant to the theme of the stamp, and this is where charities are able to help through their numerous celebrity supporters. Over the past five years for example the Benham Group has worked with many different charities, raising over £200,000 by asking relevant VIPs to sign First Day Covers, in exchange for a financial donation to charity.

The Benham Group has been generously supporting Scope for just over three months and Scope has already worked with over 40 VIPs on the initiative, ranging from Dr David Starkey, Joe Pasquale and Craig Revel Horwood to Honor Blackman, Sian Reeves and Jennie Bond. So far over £5,500 has been raised for Scope so we are very grateful to the Benham Group for their support.