Camdcen New Journal - Letters:human kindness

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:28 June 2007

Please don’t despair of human kindness

• I WOULD like to take issue with the recent letter from Angela Humphery (Rich and famous walk past charity collectors, June 14) suggesting people are selfish when it comes to charity-giving.
I personally do not recognise such Scrooge-like mentality, particularly when taking into account the millions raised by ordinary people in this country for the likes of Live Aid, Children in Need, concerts, and regular biking and walking events such as Walk For Life.
The fact that charities employ street collectors – disparagingly termed chuggers – is an indication of the success such organisations have at extracting hard-earned pennies from UK’s citizens. There is so much need in this world – from children blighted with neglect and poverty to ecological concerns, Iraq, Aids, refugees and a myriad of diseases that kill millions – that to then accuse the general population of being selfish is a disservice to many who do give their time and money to these and many other causes.
Simply because someone passes by a charity box – be it for animals or some other cause – does not mean that the person refrains from donating elsewhere.
With so many charitable events, organisations and schemes occurring on a weekly basis London’s citizens are often forced to make a choice between those charities they feel they have a duty to support.
As one friend quipped to me the other day ‘I feel guilty ignoring street collectors, but get fed up having to explain that I have direct debits going out to Oxfam and the NSPCC.”
RICHARD BEVAN
Canfield Gardens
NW6

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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