Charities should be better policed

This is a poignant time of year to debate the subject after the season of goodwill. How many of us have sent a charity an anonymous one-off cheque donation, only to then find the charity in question has managed to obtain our personal details?

How often have we set up a regular payment to a charity only to hear how grateful that same charity would be if our kind donation could be a larger one?

The number of charity workers in the midst of the high street and outside shops to collect money in our towns and cities can often be overwhelming and it is difficult to know if the charity is legitimate and if the money being collected is destined for the charity in question.

I would like to see the charity umbrella better policed and for the relevant council to put in place designated charitable areas which may help to deter bogus collectors and also give people a choice whether or not to give rather than giving because they feel coerced into doing so.

The saying that charity begins at home is an apt one but the important point to make here is that it is a choice and a voluntary act and one which shouldn’t be made because we feel pressurised into doing so.

Laura Palmerston

Main Road, Southbourne