Charity begins at the pub???

[mrskitty]

I believe giving to charity should be a personal choice and agree with the rule that people on the high street raising money should not be allowed to rattle tins under peoples noses, yet whilst in Baileys last night someone was going round to everyone asking everyone to buy scratch card to raise money for a certain illness .i had £20 and that had to buy all my drinks(£3 a bottle)taxi fare,traditional kebab on way home and pay for baby sitters taxi home(£3)so that money was being stretched already.When i was asked first i said no thankyou but everyone else in my group bought one and then the person looked at me again, i felt like a proper b*tch so ended up buying one, i feel quite mad that this happened and don't agree with this anyone being allowed to do this,am i just being mean or does anyone else agree this is wrong?

[lettie]

You were not being mean MK........ There's no way that I will buy charity scratchcards, flowers, ornaments or anything else supposedly for charity in a pub or on the street. Call me cynical, but a rather large percentage of the money goes to line the pockets of the person in charge of the charity and in admin. Documentaries and studies aired on TV have shown that an extraordinarily large percentage of charity collectors are totally bogus.

My advice would be, stick to your guns.......if your mates want to get sucked in by these scams then that's their problem. If you want to donate to a charity, pick a registered one and send a donation directly.

[steve]

im with you 100%, im sick of going to places like B&Q and they have what i class as beggers on the door, same as next, argos, if you want to give you will do they do not have to look at you like a lost puppy.

[garinda]

Never feel intimidated into giving to a 'charity', especially in the pub.

If still uncomfortable, just tell them that you are in a religion that thinks scratch cards are gambling, and that gambling wrong, but it still allows you to get as drunk as a skunk.

[chav1]

once i found out how the money gets spent by most of these so called charities i decided not to donate especialy to the likes of oxfam and scope

before any money gets to the people it is intended for many things have to be taken into consideration like share holders , their bentley cars and expenses etc

keep your money in your pocket misskitty and dont feel bad about doing so, charity begins at home and stays there

[SPUGGIE J]

Me I only stick to Chas which is for kids and Cancer research. I hate it when you cant walk around a town centre for a few hours without running a gauntlet of charity collections. Though if in Glasgow the first thing I do is buy a BIG ISSUE as there are so many sellers there and walking around with it means I am left alone. Beats me why they would want to sell in pubs and clubs unless chasing the drunks is getting more money (no offence meant) as they are not in charge of commen sense in this state. I agree that you should stand your ground MK and not part with the cash you have. The loss of the sale of one card wont make that much difference to their funds if they were genuine that is.

[CASPER]

I always tell them that I already support childrens charities. That usually works.

[mrskitty]

Im glad its not just me, cos i would have felt mean.

[SPUGGIE J]

Not mean just realistic. Not everyone has money spare for charity and besides you are entitled to enjoy a night out with pals without being hounded for charity donations.

[mw2802]

You are not being mean, it is personal choice after all. There are genuine charities that do require funding but they do not tend to go round pubs doing it.

Ive had charities knock on the door and try to get me to sign direct debits to help fund their organisation, coming up with the patter that ' all the street has signed up', bo**ox!! and they always start with the aged old line, 'I am not trying to sell you anything!!!'

You will find that you contribute to charities in other ways, eg playing the lottery, or giving away old clothes to collectors, but you should not have to justify to anyone why you do or dont contribute.

[accymel]

Must of picked a good spot in baileys last night cos i didnt get harranged mind you they'd of got told to f - off if they tried to make me feel guilty!! Charity is a kind donation to whatever cause worthy of such & it should be upto the person whether they want to give & how much they want to give - not of minimum denomination. As its been said they are clearly trying to abuse the fact that people are a bit drunk & not in full control of their faculties - plus using peer pressure too as in your case MK by using your friends against you in order to make you cave & give in.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Although I do support charities I strongly object to people hounding people for money. I don't mind if they stand outside a shop, or even rattle their tin but thrusting it under someone's nose is going too far and demanding money in pubs and trying to make you feel guilty if you don't buy a ticket is totally unacceptable.

[steeljack]

in the late 60's the Boilermakers union used to have Friday night dues collection at the Bridge Inn? (corner of Warner st.) the Salvation Army used to come in and rattle their cans , they all wore their full uniforms ,(Bonnets included ) dont think anyone ever refused them a few shillings . I think they are one of the few charities in which I have any faith or trust , Here in the U S the the Sally Army was first on scene after the disaster along the Gulf coast [U]giving[U] out aid , not like the bloody Red Cross and other Govt. agencies

[cashman]

i donated from my wage for 23 years to chaigley manor but that was my choice, i never give to people in pubs or on street corners that is also my choice and sod all to do with anybody, don,t feel mean misskitty thats your choice.

[MITZY]

Someone once came to my house and said "We are collecting for the children's home" I gave them the choice of my kids but they wouldn't take any of them.