Shropshire-based charity defends itself in £16,000 donation row
A pet charity based in Shropshire has defended its fundraising policy after coming under fire for refusing to give back £16,000 donated by a mentally ill murder victim.
Pensioner Pamela Wheeler, who suffered from schizophrenia, would give envelopes containing thousands of pounds in cash to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, whose head office is in Priorslee, Telford.
Her family say the charity should not have accepted money from Mrs Wheeler, who was murdered aged 76 three years ago.
Daughter Tracey Wheatley, of south London, says the PDSA should have realised her mother had mental health issues and has demanded it pays the money back.
The charity, which offered its condolences to Mrs Wheeler's family, said the matter had been investigated by the Fundraising Standards Board which ruled there was no evidence to suggest pressure was exerted on Mrs Wheeler or that the PDSA knew she was vulnerable.
Her family said Mrs Wheeler, who battled hallucinations, delusions and dark moods, began handing over large sums after being targeted by door-to-door PDSA salesmen. In the years before her death she would walk to her local PDSA veterinary hospital and hand envelopes filled with cash over the counter.
The money, withdrawn from cashpoints, amounted to more than £16,000.
The majority of the donations were in the year after she was discharged from psychiatric hospital in August 2010. She had stopped taking her medication, so her symptoms were more severe.
A PDSA spokesman said: "The matter was investigated fully by the Fundraising Standards Board and it concluded that PDSA had observed the principle of respectful fundraising set out in the code of fundraising practice.
"The board unanimously judged the donations she made to PDSA were not out of character, that we had not deliberately taken advantage of Mrs Wheeler and furthermore our approaches for donations were not inappropriate.
"As a charity, we review and update our fundraising approach and activities on a continuous basis. This is to ensure they conform to all current guidance, legislation and best practice concerning fundraising and data protection, as set out by the Institute of Fundraising.
"We respect our supporters' wishes about how they would like us to communicate with them where they have provided us with that information. We can also confirm that PDSA neither sells nor shares information about our supporters with other organisations.
"PDSA receives no government funding and relies entirely on the generosity of our supporters."
