IN these times of financial hardship, I thought that some furniture I no longer required could help somebody either setting up home or wanting to replace existing goods.

I checked the recycling information on the local council website and was pleased to find that Emmaus – a charity helping the homeless – did in fact take good quality furniture.

I telephoned daily for two weeks but the phone just rang and rang.

Eventually I was connected through to an answerphone. I duly left a message but received no reply.

Over the following three weeks I left numerous messages but received no reply.

I then found an email address so sent a message and did receive a reply – suggesting I phoned to arrange for said items to be collected!

I tried phoning again and still either no reply or just a recorded message.

In desperation, I travelled to the Emmaus shop, in Cowley Centre, to ask what I should do and whether in fact they still wanted donations. At the shop I met two very friendly staff who explained that, of the two phone lines Emmaus have, only one of the lines was “plugged in” and if my call was connected to “the wrong line” then it would just ring and ring.

I should then phone again and hopefully get the phone that was connected.

I explained that this farce had been going on for a month. The member of staff then offered to phone on my behalf and – yes, you’ve guessed it – the phone just rang and rang.

It seems you can’t even give good quality furniture away!

Maybe I should just ring the council and ask them to dispose of a pine wardrobe and large chest of drawers for me?

MRS S BISHOP, Nelson Street, Oxford