Chugger is a word you may never have come across but it’s been made up from the words “charity mugger” and is used for the young folk with clipper boards and pens who accost people walking along in the centre of Brighton and Hove.

Working on a commission basis, their job is to get us to sign us up for regular giving to some charity. Ever so polite and charming, some people find it difficult to resist the approach of these people who ask: “Have you time for a chat?” Sometimes it seems as if they are out to convert you to some religion and can be very tempting to the lonely and gullible.

I have seen people dart across busy roads like Western Rd and North St to get out of their way only to find other chuggers on the other side. In pedestrianised areas like New Rd in Brighton or George St in Hove they find their task easier as they can get to their prey without much diffucilty.

But what annoys me about these people is that they never approach me - and apparently it’s not because I look as if I might bite their head off, it’s because I have a disability and they believe that, because of this, I am poor and not worth pursuing. I actually walked right into one of them recently, a young chap who took hold of my arm and said: “Bless you sir” – I must admit I didn’t feel any better for his blessing apart from the fact it gave me and my friends a good laugh when I told them about it.

I do, in fact, find this rather condescending, and whilst I do actually give regularly to several charities – none of which won me to their cause by chugging - it would be nice to be treated in the same way as other people so that, like most other people, I can give them a polite refusal.