Dear Lara in Brixham

I've just spent a pleasant 15 minutes trimming stamps.

For the last three or more years I've religiously cut stamps off envelopes and stored them in my little box, which has been frustrating me for the last few months as each time I put a stamp in at least three fall out.

So I've trimmed and packaged and prepared for posting to a charity that collects used stamps, in this instance the RNLI, which keeps our lifeboats afloat. I chose the RNLI because living by the sea I know how valuable it is but also because rather than a box number in Manchester you get to send them to Lara in Brixham.

According to one source stamps can be sold by charities for £20 a kilo; another article said it was only £3. As my little bundle weighs about 50 g it's probably not worth the postage but it soothes my soul.