AS a Chief Officer of a local charity, I am always amazed by the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers who donate goods and money to our cause.

This really helps our charity to continue supporting older people who live in the borough of Bury.

For me, it has been disheartening to see some charities using chuggers and door to door fundraisers to bully people into making donations. From our shop on the Rock, I have seen chuggers aggressively block the path of the general public and try to blackmail people into signing up to a regular donation. One chugger spotted my friend’s iphone and told her that if she could afford that, she could well afford £5 a month for his cause.

An older lady, living on her own, told me how a persistent door-to-door fundraiser spoiled her evening by banging on the door at 8pm and then refusing to take “no” for an answer.

Following recent media coverage, the Government has announced that it will include measures to address this issue in forthcoming legislation. The Government is inviting written evidence about bad practice and more details are available online at: http://tinyurl.com/charfund

Alternatively, please write to your local MP or send a letter to Age UK Bury, The Jubilee Centre, Mosley Avenue, Bury, BL9 6PQ and we will forward on your concerns.

Thank you for supporting our local charity, and the many others, that make a real difference to peoples’ lives in Bury. In return, we will continue to campaign against such unscrupulous fundraising practices.

Andy Hazeldine,

Chief Officer

Age UK Bury

The Jubilee Centre

Mosley Avenue

Bury