“Chuggers” , those zealous charity collectors who can often plague people in Abington Street with their idiosyncratic approach to fund-raising, do seem to have got the backs up not just of shoppers but politicians as well.
Under a new voluntary agreement being introduced next week, limits will be placed by Northampton Borough Council on their times and areas of operation after the Guildhall tired of complaints about the aggressive tactics used by some while fund-raising .
The Chron’s Facebook page has been awash with comments criticising chugging and welcoming the move which in itself is an unexpected pocket of opposition to a very 21st century practice.
Like many places, Northampton remains a struggling retail centre – you only need to cast an eye around at the empty shops tosee that – so anything that can be done to improve that sometimes elusive “shopping experience” so much the better.
As for the charities doing the “chugging” one can only assume the practice does drum up support.
But sometimes the old-fashioned ways of raising money for causes are the best and the sort of practices used by some charities are best left alone. Beyond that, getting rid of chugging might actually do more good in the long term for the charities that continue to use them and that can be no bad thing.