Nigel has today called for the Fundraising Standards Board to conduct a full investigation into the tactics employed by charities to raise funds from the public in the week after the death of 92 year-old Olive Cook, who is alleged to have committed suicide after receiving hundreds of letters a month from charities requesting money.
In his letter to FSB chief executive Alistar McLean Mr Evans said,
‘I am sure that you agree with me that while charities should be able to be free to raise the funds they require, but that should not come at the expense of the welfare of vulnerable people. There will be elderly and vulnerable people across the country who are in a similar situation to Ms Cooke, receiving hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails begging them for money and many of them will feel trapped or forced into agreeing.’
Speaking from Westminster this afternoon Mr Evans said,
“Every single charity that bombarded Ms Cooke should see the impact that their hounding can have on vulnerable people. I am today calling for it to be made illegal for charities to share or sell information about their donors to other charities or organisations and for there to be restrictions on the number of letters charities can send out to potential donors. This should never be allowed to happen again and this case should serve as a wake-up call to charities.”