Dear LPG,

Nearly every time I see a television  advert about issues that could be improved in any part of our world it gets to me, and I am sure that this is why the charities who are trying to make a difference spend so much time and money on showing us viewers them in the most heart-wrenching light.

I think that the saddest part of that process is that they tug on the heart strings of people and nearly all those adverts end up asking for money.  I understand that there are so many things that are wrong in our world and they need money to help to put them right, but I am also aware of the amount of that money which is spent on getting money out of the man in the street.  The man (or lady) of pensionable age is a rather soft target with all that extra time to see the ads and less need to worry about issues like work and dependant families.  Charities need an income and I know that it must be harder to get the funding that they now need because the lack of finances available to the government of the UK, as we all know, is reflected in the wallets of most of its private citizens as well.

The thing that really upsets me is that the punchline of nearly every charity’s advert these days surrounds giving money and we pensioners, especially the newly retired,  are the people who are also at the perfect stage in our lives because, it can be argued that, those who are retired often have money that we have not yet committed to anything and so we are a section of the community that get targeted, and once they have your address they have got you. 

I find it really upsetting that those Charities are no longer interested in one off gifts.  They want you to pay regularly and through your bank which means that you are tied to them and they know who you are, and where to send endless letters appealing for more money.  And then there is the whole ‘tax relief’, if you pay in this way, angle that is used.

Please remember that a postal order works just like a cheque, can be sent through the post and does not tie you to the person you are sending it to.   They were originally designed for people who do not have bank accounts, but they work really well for people who want to send money while keeping their bank account details to themselves. You can send up to £250.00 and there are some administration fees to be paid but this has to be one way you can help your charity without being tied to them via your bank account.    

If you want to give some money to charity, give them the money but keep your personal details to yourself.

CDC, Downham

LPG found the following information …

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