I WANTED to appeal to your readers to ask them to hold on to their used stamps this Christmas and donate them to Kidney Care UK to help us raise much needed funds for kidney patients.

Every Christmas more than one billion cards are sent in the UK and for every 1kg of used stamps donated we can raise as much as £20 to help people with chronic kidney disease.

There are 64,000 people being treated for kidney failure in the UK right now and 67 people are currently waiting for a kidney transplant in Cheshire.

Your support will help us to provide practical, financial and emotional support for kidney patients and their families when they need it most; we believe no-one should face kidney disease alone, and especially not at Christmas.

You can read and download our step by step guide to collecting and donating used stamps at kidneycareuk.org.

Finally, we hope all of your readers have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic new year.

PADDY TABOR Alton