We’ve just booked a winter holiday at Thomas Cook. When the confirmation came through today, we discovered the company had charged us £1 for a donation to the Variety Club.

Now, I have the highest regard for the charity’s work with sick, disabled and disadvantaged children. But I like to make my own decisions about which charities I support, rather than let a company I buy a holiday from make a donation with my money – without telling me.

The link-up with Variety Club is obviously part of Thomas Cook’s corporate social responsibility programme. Ironically, it made me feel less warmly towards the company – an odd outcome for a CSR initiative.

For the record, my favourite charities are Sustrans, faceupcymru and Cancer Research UK.