I assume there will be very few people in East Lothian who are unaware of the recent backlash against charity fundraisers, following on from claims of aggressive and inappropriate methods of collecting donations and the controversy surrounding the recent withdrawal of Government funding to a high-profile English children’s charity.

For small independent charities like Leuchie House, this breakdown of trust and the knock-on effects of negative publicity have the potential to be catastrophic, as we do not have financial reserves to fall back on.

Fortunately, our supporters in East Lothian are fiercely loyal and because they know the work we do, they are also aware that every penny counts towards making life more bearable for people and their families living with long-term conditions.

Hopefully this will continue to be the case as our latest appeal lands on doorsteps all over the county. The appeal, ‘Have a break – or reach breaking point’ aims to show people why Leuchie’s service is so vital to people and why we desperately need the funds to be able to offer such quality breaks – before people reach breaking point.

But it is increasingly difficult to get the message across when so many householders are bombarded almost daily by unwanted calls and doorstep visits from charities and other organisations. I know from personal experience how time-consuming and frustrating these intrusions can be and we go to great lengths to ensure Leuchie’s fundraising efforts never fall into that category.

I also know from recent experience how demoralising it can be when you are trying to engage on behalf of a charity and people are questioning the reputation of all charities because of recent high-profile stories. I had volunteered to help out another charity (not Leuchie) during the Scottish Open and saw at firsthand what a tough job it can be raising money for a thoroughly reputable and worthwhile charity with a wary and mistrustful public. However, it does make you realise just how much effort goes into the filling of a collecting can.

One of the ways we can try and counteract the negative publicity is by ensuring Leuchie House is open and accountable on all levels. This means scrupulous internal auditing and getting the word out to our supporters and potential supporters that 95p in every £1 goes into running the service.

We need people to know that when they give a commitment to a small, local charity that charity is committing to good practices.

In the meantime, we are still hoping that our loyal East Lothian supporters will respond in their usual generous manner to our direct marketing appeal.