Letters | 14 February 2019

We need a generosity report

Sir: Your leading article bemoaning the lack of charitable giving in Britain misses the mark (‘The power of giving’, 9 February). It is not a lack of generosity that’s the problem, but a lack of acknowledgement. Our lifeboats and air ambulances are kept in operation by charitable donations. In 2016/17 Cancer Research UK raised £190 million from individual donations. First aid and other services at public events are supplied by volunteers. Every NHS trust in the land has buildings and equipment funded by charitable donations. Every art gallery, theatre and museum has facilities funded by donations. These funds come from all sections of society — David Harding’s contribution to Cambridge is extraordinary, but 90 per cent of CRUK’s £190 million arrived in donations of £10 or less.

I suspect most users of these services and facilities assume them to be state-funded. If we published an annual Generosity Report that summarised and listed the remarkable contributions made by the British public, that misconception could be laid to rest. And if the report were set before parliament it would allow the government of the day to give the public a pat on the back — and to stop taking vicarious credit for private funding.
Keith Craig

London SW7

Seizing horses

Sir: Melissa Kite’s reasoning regarding the RSPCA is correct (‘Hold your horses’, 9 February). In his opening statement its new CEO, Chris Sherwood, claims his remit is to ‘develop and maintain services which meet the needs of animals and the people that care for them’. But Melissa’s piece highlights some serious concerns as to whether he is fulfilling this brief. Can the RSPCA really be said to be considering the needs of the people who look after animals if it seizes healthy horses from a caring owner? What due diligence does it carry out before seizing such animals?