Apology after door to door helipad Fife fundraiser sacked

The man, a volunteer for the HELP Appeal, knocked on doors and asked for donations which were to go towards the building of a helipad at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

However, some householders suspected it was part of a scam and contacted the police, including Deborah Cormie from Glenrothes.

She said: “The man was in my mum’s house.

“When he asked for my mum’s bank details she was a bit wary.”

“It didn’t sound right to me.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “Police in Fife were called to the Sinclair Avenue area of Glenrothes around 11.30am on Thursday following a report of a potential bogus caller incident.

“Officers attended and traced the caller who was who established to be acting on behalf of a legitimate charity and no further police action was required.

Similar reports were also received elsewhere in Glenrothes and the Kirkcaldy area.

NHS Fife confirmed that there are no plans to build a helipad at the hospital and a spokesman for the HELP Appeal said the volunteer “inexplicably” gave out the wrong information.

“All of our canvassers receive a full induction and strict training programme and this canvasser was no exception.

“However, on this occasion, misinformation was inexplicably given out by this canvasser. As a result, the canvasser was dismissed on Friday.”

The HELP Appeal is a legitimate charity which has funded or part funded the building of 36 helipads across the UK since 2009.

The spokesperson offered an unreserved apology and has promised refunds to those affected.

“From today, anybody who signed up to our lottery via this person, will be contacted for a direct apology and offered a full refund,” he said.