Sometimes I have to say no to charity

There is hardly a day goes by without some sort of ‘plea’ from a charity landing on my doormat or worse, someone calling me up to ask for money.

It’s so difficult to be discerning and decide who you want to give to: should it be the elderly, the starving, disabled children or some long-suffering donkey?

Honestly, how are you supposed to choose?

Then you walk down the street and those ‘chuggers’ – as I’m told these charity muggers are called – attempt to accost you at every turn.

Thankfully at this time of year with more people out and about it’s easier to body swerve them.

But now they are even pitching up in shopping centres and rattling their collecting buckets looking for cash.

I appreciate that times are tough for charities, and when you hear the huge amounts of money such noteworthy organisations as Strathcarron Hospice need to raise on a weekly basis to operate, you can understand the need to fundraise.

But the amount who bombard you with requests is very difficult to deal with.

I was even more concerned when I was helping my dear old mum with some tidying up and discovered all these ‘begging’ letters from charities.

It turns out she had given to a couple and that must have put her on some sort of list as a prime target because she was inundated with all this mail.

But what really annoyed me was that the majority were asking for specific amounts, not what she could afford.

Now my mum’s not poverty stricken, but she is a widow living on her pension and I just found it a bit distasteful that so many so-called charitable organisations were targeting her small pot of cash.

She’s always telling me that she’s leaving her money to a cat and dog’s home – but I think they want it now!

So what to do?

I’ve decided to draw up a list of my favourite charities, some local and some national, and, with no more than six on said list that’s all I’m going to give to throughout the year.

It will be tough but I’ll be walking past those rattling their collecting cans for other charities and politely declining their requests for donations.

At certain times when I’m spending money, such as holidays and Christmas, I’ll put some aside for a donation to my chosen charity and that will be it.

So no offence, but please don’t ask me to donate to some random cause.