Yes! But you still don’t mind giving. Midweek Herald readers speak their minds.

PLEADING appeals for donations to charity have become part of every day life - from television commercials to direct approaches.

Fund-raising is pivotal to the survival of a multitude of causes and, with Government cutbacks certain to impact on charities’ work, everyone can expect to be asked to dig that little bit deeper.

But are requests for donations getting too much?

According to you, Midweek Herald readers, they are.

And you want charities to adopt more subtle tactics.

Mary Brown, 22, of Ottery St. Mary, said: “My mum’s signed up to two charities now and she’s still being bombarded.

“I’m not sure about it myself. I used to work for a charity going door-to-door. I think that, in itself, it is okay, but you get people knocking on the door when you’re having a quiet night in and you get phone calls as well.

“It does get too much after a while. I think if it was just street work people would be more open to it.

Pensioner Pam Bailey, of Honiton, said: “I’ve got two older friends and they have a lot of letters asking for money and it gets a bit much.

“One friend, who is 85, gives for clean water in South Africa, but I know she still get letters asking for money.”

Asked whether she felt there were too many charity collectors on the street in Honiton, she said: “We have certain times when there are collectors, but you either give or don’t give. It’s a personal choice.

Misti Speller, 22, of Honiton, works for the British Heart Foundation and believes street collectors are taking business away from the town centre’s charity shops. She said: “If people have just donated in the High Street they are not so inclined to come into a charity shop.”

She also felt those collecting for a charity in the street should move to different locations instead of staying in the same place. She said: “You go up the High Street and they ask you for money and you give them some, then you come back down the High Street and they are standing in the same place asking you for money. I think they should move around.”

Ray Bradley, 70, of Dalwood, does not mind the charities’ approaches, but feels that some people might.

He said: “I suspect that some people do mind.

“I help with a Hospiscare stall a couple of times a year and we encourage people to come down and get a good cup of coffee and that kind of thing.

“Most people are very generous. Hospiscare are very careful and do it properly.”

Nathan Vaughan, 23, of Honiton, felt the problem was bigger in cities as opposed to small towns and villages. He said: “When you go to big cities they try to ask and people avoid them. There’s not so much of it here, but you get a lot in Exeter.

Jean and Ivor Osborne, both 81, of Ipplepen, said: “We prefer to support a few charities annually and give more at Christmas. We give to Leprosy, The Children’s Society and the air ambulance. We are very generous people.”

Stephen Fosbrooke, 58, of Ottery St Mary, doesn’t believe there was a problem.

He said: “I give to about three charities a month, including the Red Cross. It’s not much, but if two million people do it... It’s very important.

“What a great country we are.”