Last updated 13:38, Thursday, 02 October 2008

DON’T get me wrong. I am very much in favour of collecting for charities.

Where would the RNLI or air ambulances be if they did not rely on the goodwill of the public to fund them? The Government certainly is not interested in supporting them.

But I am becoming very wary of sponsored trips for charity, of which there are more and more appearing in Tynedale.

Let us not kid ourselves. These trips are not done to experience hardship (what would be the point in that anyway?), but are in fact holidays. I understand that once the cost of the holiday has been covered the remainder is intended to go to charity.

Now I know that some of those people going on these trips do part fund it themselves, but if it is for charity why on earth don’t they just give them all the money and not bother with the holiday? Surely that is the most charitable method.

Perhaps I have missed the point here; maybe somebody could explain.

By the way, I quite fancy crossing the Outback calling at Alice Springs en route to Perth next year. If any readers would like to fund this for me I promise I’ll give any money left over to charity.

ERIK BRACHS,

Hexham