We have continued to finance international and local projects, contributing towards a number of initiatives. We donated money to provide aid to the victims of the Asian tsunami.

Help the Aged campaigns for change in government policy, undertakes research into the needs of older people and provides local services in communities across the UK and overseas. Its medical research arm in the UK is working with leading scientists in ageing research which it sees as an essential first step to providing better treatments for people of all ages both now and in the future.

Charitable donations help towards Asthma UK's fight to conquer asthma. A charitable donation can be specifically allocated to any one of our exciting areas of work.

Some charities find it efficient to pay professional fund-raisers — to handle large scale mailings, telephone drives and other solicitations — rather than use their own staff or volunteers. Professional fund-raisers are in business to make money and are entitled to keep a portion of the money they collect. If you’re solicited for a donation, you may want to ask if the caller is a paid fund-raiser and what percentage of your donation the fund-raiser will keep. If you’re not comfortable with the amount, you may want to donate to a different organization, or send your donation directly to the charity so that they benefit from the full amount of your check.