Regulations must be tighter

Sir, – As usual at this time of year, begging letters from charities start pouring in.

This week already I have received three.

I have also seen the big advertisements in the newspapers, all of which have heartrending and highly emotional stories.

What I think way over the top, even bordering on the edge of bullying, is that all these charities set the minimum amounts for donation.

The minimum amount set is usually between £10 and £20.

Only somewhere in a very small corner can one find a place to fill in a

smaller amount than the minimum the charities mention in their letters.

For scores of people, like the elderly living on a small state pension or the disabled these so-called “minimum” amounts are unaffordable

Emotional blackmail is also used, to make people feel guilty for not donating the minimum.

People are afraid that the are judged as being a “Scrooge”and pay the minimum amount, even though they can not afford it.

I remember the case of a man discovering that his mother had paid out £40,000 in a couple of years, due to the pressure she had been put under by a charity.

I always thought donating to charities was voluntarily and not a must.

Don’t get me wrong, we do donate but only what we want and when we want.

What happens to the massive amounts of money the big charities get from donations?

There is rarely clarity over the purpose of the charity money and how much is used to pay the managers and workers, especially the managing directors.

I think it is time that all these charity incomes are publicised to show the public and donors exactly what is being done with the money.

As well as that, the way charities ask or request donations must be regulated to protect people, from being effectively robbed of their income by the sheer force and mental pressure imposed. Maaike Cook.

Cash Feus, Strathmiglo.