IT has been disclosed that one of Britain's richest charities, the Guide Dogs for the Blind has lent a cool £2 million to its staff in interest free loans.

Every year, £17 billion, generously donated by the public, is spent by British charities and I have long suspected much of the constant begging for more and more money to swell the ever increasing coffers of the richest charities is a cynical manipulation of the generosity of the public.

I am personally sent, unsolicited, at least three books of raffle tickets every year by a well known animal charity (not the RSPCA) which increase in size and price every time. Imagine my amazement when it was recently revealed that the promotions director of this charity receives more than £200,000 a year in salary.

I now pay £5 a year to The Ark and receive for my money quarterly bulletins in the form of an interesting illustrated booklet from the Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare which is well worth the investment. A whole life's subscription comes to no more than £25.

In the latest bulletin, there appears one of Mrs Sheila Brennan's excellent letters from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph - which can't be bad.

SYLVIA NOBLE (MRS), Albert Road, Colne.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.