Cancer charity criticised

Dozens of complaints have been made about a leading cancer charity which is using aggressive direct marketing tactics to induce donations from vulnerable members of the public. The World Cancer Research Fund has sent out large numbers of personally-addressed letters ostensibly aimed at recruiting volunteers for its 1997 appeal. People who have been "selected" are told that if they are unable to participate in fundraising efforts they have the option of sending the charity a donation.

Hugh Rogers, a spokesman for the Charity Commission, said: "Over the last couple of years we have had a steady drip of complaints from members of the public about the methods this charity uses to raise funds. However, they are not actually doing anything wrong. We have had meetings with them and they have actually modified what they have done.