The suicide of poppy-seller Olive Cooke in Bristol in May this year has highlighted the aggressive fundraising tactics used by some charities, and prompted new laws to be drafted to stop the abuses.

Ms Cooke, 92, was a generous donor to and worker for charities and was accordingly targeted to be bombarded with direct mail and cold telephone calls, from her name being on lists of likely donors bought from list brokers by the charities and given to direct marketing companies.

The new laws, brought in as amendments to the Charities Act will require charities with a turnover of £1,000,000 + to draft and enforce legally binding agreements with their fundraisers to protect the vulnerable.

Perhaps in anticipation one charity, Save the Children, has now banned cold calls from their marketing programmes.