I just said no!

One of my neighbours collects round the doors for Christian Aid. In the past, I usually put a few quid in the envelope. He's a decent guy and I didn't want to offend him. Then he added Oxfam last year. I gave to that too, which was a bit daft, as I'll explain. Now he's added Marie Curie Cancer Care. And today I said no.

Thirty years ago, I was very ill. When I started to get better I decided to make a covenant with a charity and give to people worse off than I was. I picked Oxfam. I have given Oxfam £30 a month for 30 years. With tax relief, that's over £12,000. I wrote to Oxfam a few times when I was still working telling them now was the time to get me to increase my covenant because I was earning good money. They never got back to me. A lost opportunity on their part, eh?

In addition, I give to all the big emergency appeals. This month I donated to the Philippines appeal organised by the DEC. I've known quite a few Philippinos living and working all over the world and lovely people they are. And I know their country is poor and they need all the help they can get to recover from the recent typhoon.

From what I've read, my giving is not unusual: the Scots contribute massively to charity. Think of all the charities that have done so well here: Mary's Meals and SCIAF spring to mind, as well as the big charities like Childline and NSSPCC.

But now I reckon we've reached charity overload. Whole Foods allows a small group of charities to operate inside their store up the road. The first time I saw this, the folk were from the Guide Dogs for the Blind. My grandfather was blind and at the end of his life got good support from that group, so I offered a donation. But no, these people wanted me to commit to a monthly donation. In fact, they couldn't take cash.

Folks, we're in a recession, whatever the government may tell us about things getting better. I suspect the Mayor of Liverpool was right last week when he said on TV the recession was well and truly over in some part of the south-east - if it had ever existed there - but the rest of the country is still waiting to see the green shoots of recovery.

So those of us living in the real world have to prioritise our donations to charity. I've come up with new rules now:

Nothing for animal charities. They get plenty of donations via people's wills as it is. And if there was some way to cut the funding to the RSPB, I would do it.

Nothing to adventurers like Greenpeace, after their latest ridiculous Arctic escapade.

Nothing to veterans. I prefer to bombard my elected representatives with emails and letters asking for the creation of a Veterans' Administration because the war-wounded shouldn't have to rely on charity.

So in a nutshell my priorities go to: children here at home and people caught up in disasters in poor countries overseas.