I KNOW that this is a controversial subject, but I wonder if other readers have encountered problems regarding funeral collections in church.

Events following my father’s funeral held at a Herefordshire church have left the whole family furious and very distressed over what we believe to be charities missing out on donations.

I was informed that £633 had been collected for the charities and £319 had been placed on the church plate and this would therefore belong to the church.

I pointed out that there was no mention made by the vicar during the service that there would be a separate church plate, only that donations for my father’s two chosen charities (Bromyard Medical Equipment Fund and the Cobalt Unit at Hereford County Hospital) could be collected on the plates.

There were two plates placed either side of the door as mourners filed past.

I know that, at other church services, it is accepted that there is a plate available for the church, but when I disputed the amounts involved and suggested that maybe a lot of mourners had been misled into thinking they were donating to charity, I was instructed that the church plate was labelled and supervised.

We hope that by sharing our experience this raises awareness for other bereaved families as it has been horrible to experience this highly unpleasant situation. It’s certainly not what my father would have envisaged.

SUE RIDDLE Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia