Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Before you donate, read the small print on the bag.

Just a third of items donated to charity via letterbox charity bags actually stand a chance of getting to a high street charity shop (according to new research by the British Heart Foundation).

Many charities, often those without high street shops, do deals with commercial firms who collect door-to-door with bags carrying the charity logo.

But the company keeps all the donated goods and sells them for profit. They then make a payment to the charity. However, the BHF states that as little as 5% of the cash gets back to the charity.

In some cases charities get £50 to £100 per tonne of goods collected which the collecting company has sold for anything up to £1,800!!

On average, 70% of charity bags received by a household are from commercial companies and, although a legal way to raise money, companies working for commercial gain are a growing problem for charities with high street shops.

When you next get a bag through your door, look at the fine print and think whether it might not be better taking the goods direct to a charity shop instead.