I WISH to respond to the recent letter by Mr Wills, “Charity Collection Hassle”, in which he complains about being accosted in Shirley by people requesting direct debit supporters for a number of charities, including the British Heart Foundation.

As the local fundraising representative of the British Heart Foundation, I share Mr Wills concern at being approached on the street by ‘chuggers’.

I can assure your readers that the BHF does not employ this tactic to gain supporters. Should someone request that a member of the public sign up for a direct debit for the British Heart Foundation, they do not represent us, and you cannot be sure that the charity will ever see that money.

If you are approached on the street by someone requesting a direct debit mandate purportedly for the BHF, I would urge you to contact either your local BHF shop, the relevant BHF office on 01892 893902, or me.

I would like to apologise to all those who have felt inconvenienced.

NEIL JARRETT, British Heart Foundation.