SIR – I read the article ‘Charity pests are a concern’ and would like to offer the following comments.

My wife and I discussed giving to charity. Do we give a pound here and a pound there, depending on how many people stop us to ask for our support? We also occasionally get doorstep visitors waving direct debit forms in our faces. In the past we sometimes felt guilty if we didn’t cough up.

However, we resolved this by choosing a specific charity each half-year. We then tell anyone who asks us to donate, that we have a nominated charity. That way we know how much we are paying (over the six months) and the payments benefit the charity by way of tax relief. It doesn’t have to be a large amount, so long as it is paid regularly.

Additionally this year, we decided that instead of sending Christmas cards we are donating the sum we would have used on cards and postage to the same charity. We have asked our friends and family (via email) to understand the reasoning behind this change.

ALAN HOLLIS,

Worcester.