The grandson of a 92-year-old who jumped to her death after being hounded by dozens of charities today accused them of sharing her number knowing she 'would give them everything that she had'.

Britain's longest-serving poppy seller Olive Cooke was found near to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol last week after 'losing her faith in people' and handing over most of her pension.

Her grandson Kevin King, 38, said today she was 'exhausted' because charities had been trying to 'milk her' for years and 'pestered her' with cold calls at all hours and hundreds of begging letters.

He said: 'I heard they were passing her number around saying 'this person is really generous, give this number a try'. She was being pestered all the time. It was like they were trying to milk her.'

He added: 'As soon as you open the door a little bit (to charities) it goes wide open'.

Charities also appear to have sold her details to private businesses and Mrs Cooke was then hounded by salesmen trying to sell solar panels, double glazing and computers.

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Overwhelmed: Olive, pictured at home last year, was getting up to 260 charity letters a month because she felt she could not say no - and she feared they were sharing her details between themselves

Dedicated: Olive Cooke, pictured selling poppies outside Bristol Cathedral in 2013, was found dead last week and her grandson Kevin King claims charities shared her number knowing she would donate all she had

Honoured: Mrs Cooke vowed to sell the flowers each year when her beloved first husband Leslie, pictured with Mrs Cooke on their wedding day in 1941, was killed in action during the Second World War

Friends say the cold calling was so intense at times 'she would put the phone down and it would ring again' and before her death she was so harassed she would not take calls from her family.

Mrs Cooke's MP, Kerry McCarthy, said today she will speak to charity watchdogs about the case because 'Olive felt besieged by begging letters and calls from charities, to which she had been so generous in the past'.

CHARITIES WHO SENT JUNKMAIL TO OLIVE DEFEND THEIR POLICY Cancer and Christian charities who sent letters to Olive Cooke today expressed their grief for the family and defended their contact with her. But some admitted they had send her mail despite Mrs Cooke never having contacting them or donating. Amnesty International, Child Survival Fund, Breast Cancer Care, Prostate Cancer UK, had all sent letters to Olive Cooke in recent months. A picture of Olive surrounded by mail, also showed Open Doors UK, Save the Children, Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, SPANA and Alzheimer's research had contacted her. A number of charities expressed their grief for the family and explained they had only written to the pensioner as she regularly contributed to their causes. The CEO of Open Door UK, a Christian charity, said Olive was a donor and they sent her literature she had requested. A spokesman for SPANA, Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, also claimed their paperwork was sent to Olive as she donated to their charity. They added that they stuck to the Institute of Fundraising's code of practice at all times. A spokesperson for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said Olive had never donated to their cause and although they sent a letter they never contacted her by phone. Advertisement

Mrs Cooke – who admitted she 'couldn't say no' – had then been 'overwhelmed' and 'exhausted' by letters and phone calls asking her for yet more donations before she died.

Close friend Michael Earley said: 'She felt she had given so much and she couldn't give any more. The phonecalls were terrible. She felt guilty. They had a bearing on her death.

'When I used to be in the flat all the time with her the phone would keep continuously ringing and sometimes she would put the phone down and it would ring again.

'Sometimes I had been there an hour or so and you would get the same charities ringing back.

'I don't know who the charities were because she would always speak to them and I never interfered.

'She was exhausted with the situation in the end. She had done so much for other people all of the time.

'In the end her relations couldn't contact her. She would not pick up the phone.

'We should have a system in this country - it should be put into law - where a person can sign a paper saying 'I don't want anymore of these charity phone calls' coming to their house, and once that's signed it has to stop.

'She had no choice but to answer the phone all of the time because she was getting calls from the pharmacy and things like that'.

The former postal worker gave away most of her state pension but had begun to struggle with her finances.

Most recently Mrs Cooke became depressed when £250 she had posted to her son went missing.

Last night MPs called for reforms to stop charities preying on the vulnerable.

Great-grandmother Mrs Cooke, of Bristol, started selling poppies in 1938 when she was 16 after her father served in Gallipoli during the First World War.

And she vowed to continue after her first husband Leslie Hussey-Yeo was killed at war in 1943, when she was 21. It is thought she sold more than 30,000 over nearly eight decades.

Committed: Inspired by her father who set up a Royal British Legion branch in Bristol, Mrs Cooke began selling poppies in 1938 when she was 16 and is believed to have sold 30,000 poppies over 75 years

Pressure: Mrs Cooke admitted she 'couldn't say no' and her friend Michael Earley, right, said: 'She felt she had given so much and she couldn't give any more. The phonecalls were terrible. She felt guilty'

Mrs Cooke, of Fishponds, Bristol, was given the Points of Light award by the Prime Minister last year in recognition of her 'outstanding' work changing her community and inspiring others.

Friends and family said the former postal worker gave away most of her state pension but had begun to struggle with her finances. Until last year, she had monthly direct debits to 27 charitable organisations.

They said that these were stopped because she became ill with breast cancer and during chemotherapy she struggled to get to the bank to pay money into her account.

In October, Mrs Cooke told her local newspaper that she was being 'overwhelmed' by more than 260 charity letters a month.

When I used to be in the flat all the time with her the phone would keep continuously ringing and sometimes she would put the phone down and it would ring again. In the end her relations couldn't contact her. She would not pick up the phone. Olive Cooke's friend Michael Earley

She told her local newspaper: 'I read every single one but my problem is I've always been one that reads about the cause, then can't say no. The stories play on people's generosity.

'I have started to just put all the letters into a big box, and then I have to spend my Sunday afternoons sorting them all out ready for the recycling – but some weeks it takes even longer.'

She added: 'I believe some of the charities must have passed my details on, as I then start getting letters from other similar causes.' She also said she believed she was being targeted because she was elderly and might have money to spare.

Mrs Cooke showed leaflets from Alzheimer's Research UK, Save the Children and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Battersea Cats and Dogs Home said Mrs Cooke never donated to them, or contacted them, but they still sent post to her home 'asking her to give, to which we received no response'.

They refused to reveal how they got her address.

A spokesman for The Royal British Legion said: 'The Royal British Legion does not sell or pass on personal details of our supporters to third parties.

'Since September 2013 the Legion has contacted Mrs Cooke five times with direct mailings. One of these was for our annual Field of Remembrance, to which Mrs Cooke has dedicated two crosses annually since 2007, one of them to her late husband. She has not received a telemarketing phone call from us since 2009.

As a committed Poppy collector in Bristol she would have been in regular contact with the local Poppy Appeal organisers for the area in the run up to Remembrance each year.

Save the Children have failed to respond. Alzheimer's Research UK did not comment.

Tribute: A lone poppy was left at the Avon Gorge, seen with Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background, where the

Well-known: Mrs Cooke on the streets of Bristol, where she collected money before Remembrance Day

Her daughter Kathryn King, 61, last night said charities would call up asking for more money even if her mother was already donating to them.

She also said one of the organisations pestering her mother was mental health charity Mind.

She said: 'She gave lots to charity. It was too much for her. She was getting severe depression through lack of sleep. (The charities) should not hound people who have a mental illness.

'She did not know how to deal with it. She wanted to help everybody.'

A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office said last night: 'This is a terribly sad story. The Data Protection Act sets out clearly that organisations, including charities, must be open and honest with people as to how they will use their data.

'If organisations want to pass on someone's details for marketing they need to be clear that is what they want to do, and get the person's permission. We will continue to act where there is evidence these rules have not been followed.'

Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East: 'I think it's important to establish the facts, but I will certainly do all I can to follow up on reports that Olive felt besieged by begging letters and calls from charities, to which she had been so generous in the past.;

I believe some of the charities must have passed my details on, as I then start getting letters from other similar causes Olive Cooke before her death

'I will speak to the Charities Commission about this. I will also be contacting the lord mayor and others about what we can do to commemorate Olive's lifelong work.

'It really is a very tragic case and I am sure the family will appreciate all the lovely comments.

'I was told about Olive this weekend, just after the election, and was both shocked and very upset by the news of her death, and the circumstances surrounding it,' she wrote.

She paid tribute to the poppy seller as 'a tremendous woman, with a generous heart, strong values and a real commitment to the causes she espoused'.

Her friend Michael Earley said Mrs Cooke had also struggled to get over the disappearance of £250 cash she had sent her son through the post two months ago.

The 72-year-old said: 'She could not get it out of her system. With all the charities on top it just broke the camel's back.

'It was the constant phone calls and the constant asking for money, but she would say they need it more than me. When someone is kind hearted – they cotton-on to it.'

But he said: 'She lost faith in other people. When that £250 went she was not the same. She realised she couldn't trust people.'

Tireless: Mrs Cooke, pictured during a Poppy Appeal, won a number of awards for her fundraising efforts

The retired plumber said his friend had first struggled to keep up with the monthly charity payments and felt 'guilty' after she had to cancel direct debits while she battled breast cancer in 2013.

He also said she was also hounded by salesmen trying to sell solar panels, double glazing, and computers.

He said: 'The phone calls were terrible when I was there, and every hour of the day. In the end her daughter and relations couldn't contact her. She would not pick up the phone.'

Her son Del Whelan, 62, said his mother's health had recently declined and the 'begging' had made her feel worse.

He said: 'It was just the constant drip of the begging letters. It was the pressure of having to say no. It was certainly a factor.'

Dr Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative MP for Totnes, said the elderly needed to be better protected from cold callers.

She said: 'There are some vulnerable people who are being repeatedly targeted.

'This is something the Information Commissioner should be looking at – how to protect vulnerable and elderly people.'

Tragic: Mrs Cooke's body was found by police in the Avon Gorge, Bristol, pictured from above today

Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said the charity would be looking into Mrs Cooke's death.

He added: 'We would be very concerned if at any time we have acted inappropriately. We will be looking into what may have happened in this case.'

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said: 'I am deeply saddened by the news of Olive's tragic deatH - our thoughts go out to her family at this time.

'I am concerned that she felt harassed by charities. We are taking this issue very seriously and are looking into the details.

'Olive was a long-standing and valued supporter of Amnesty. Her relationship with Amnesty as a supporter and donor began over 20 years ago.

'Our team last telephoned Olive in April. During that call, even though Olive did not say so explicitly, we sensed she would prefer not to be called again.

'We then amended our details immediately, as is standard operating procedure for all of our supporter relations. This was the last and only call we made to Olive in 2015.'

Alistair McLean, chief executive of the Fundraising Standards Board, said: 'The last thing that charities will want to do is to cause distress to the public.

'If you don't want to be contacted in a certain way, our advice is to get in touch with the relevant charities and tell them.'

In 2013, the Mail revealed how elderly people were being 'exploited' by cold-callers on behalf of major charities.

A whisteblower who used to work for call firm GoGen – which employs around 100 fundraisers on behalf of well-known charities – revealed staff were told to ask for money three times per call using a script

The ex-employee said staff at the firm were instructed to continue their pitch even if the person became distressed or said they could not afford it.

An inquest into Mrs Cooke's death is expected to be opened at Avon Coroner's Court next week.

How inspirational Olive raised thousands to honour lost love

Dedicated Olive Cooke would brave the cold and wet every November to sell poppies from the north-west porch of Bristol Cathedral.

Bringing her blanket and Thermos with her, she would stand from ten o'clock in the morning until 4pm each day.

Head verger Glynn Usher said: 'It can be bitingly cold, but she never budged all day and refused any fuss.'

The 92-year-old would wear bravery medals awarded posthumously to her Navy husband Leslie who was killed in the Second World War aged 28 –when she was just 21.

Mrs Cooke had started selling poppies aged 16 after listening to tales from her father Fred Canning, who served in the Royal Irish Regiment in the First World War. It is estimated she sold more than 30,000 over 76 years.

Blushing bride: Mrs Cooke with her husband Leslie on her wedding day. She was widowed two years later

Recognised: Mrs Cooke stands outside Buckingham Palace (left) in 1944 after collecting her husband's posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Medal and in her husband's Navy uniform in 1939

On parade: The dedicated fundraiser (2nd from left) poses for the camera at a conference in 1964

Mr Usher said: 'Olive loved to talk. She was always very polite, very old-school, but there were no barriers around her. I would often see her sharing her memories with the young people. There would be a great gaggle of them around her.

'Obviously there was a lot of upset for her still about the tragic death of her first husband in the war, but hers wasn't a remembrance of regret, or a doleful looking back.

'Instead she spoke of herself as a living example of someone who had lived a good life because of the sacrifice that had been made, and of her gratitude for the gift that sacrifice had given all of us in the freedom to live our lives to the full. She was a force of nature.'

Mrs Cooke was also inspired to fundraise for the charity when her father helped to set up the Bedminster British Legion in Bristol which helped 12 returning soldiers get jobs at a tobacco factory.

Mother-of-three Mrs Cooke, from Fishponds, Bristol, met husband Leslie Hussey-Yeo, a handsome sailor with the Royal Navy who was about to leave the service and settle down, in 1939.

But the onset of war meant he had to continue serving on submarines and he was killed in action in 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily.

The poppy then took on a new significance for her and she pledged to continue to sell them, despite going on to remarry twice.

The grandmother-of-four would stand every year in the doorway of the cathedral, proudly wearing Leslie's distinguished service medal awarded after his death for bravery in hazardous conditions. She became one of Britain's best-known poppy sellers, and reckoned she sold about two boxes a year.

Remembered: Community leaders paid tribute to Mrs Cooke, pictured relaxing on Weymouth beach in 1948

Legacy: Mrs Cooke, right in 1937, was inspired to begin fundraising after her father, Fred Canning, (pictured centre, left image, in 1941) set up a Royal British Legion branch in Bristol

Leader: Olive Cooke, centre, pictured at a Royal Legion ladies meeting in the late 1940s

She was given a special medal by the Royal British Legion for her efforts and was last year honoured with the Points of Light award from the Prime Minister.

Speaking in 2013 after surviving breast cancer, Mrs Cooke – who was a postwoman for 17 years – vowed that she would 'never give up' selling her poppies. She said: 'It is important to remember the people who died in the wars, and are still dying now.

'My father, Fred Canning, was in the Royal Irish Regiment and he had told me tales of how he fought at Gallipoli in the First World War, ever since I was a little girl sitting on his knee.

'I carried the standard for 54 years until 1998. I sold poppies every year and was given a special medal from the Royal British Legion for 66 years of continuous selling.

'I've now added even more years to that and am up to 75 now.

'There was a time when no one could go past without buying a poppy. It's harder now but I'm still determined to help in whatever way I can.'

Speaking about the loss of her first husband, she added: 'We had just two-and-a-half years together when he was killed on the submarine HMS Thunderbolt. Losing my husband when I was just 21 years of age, I vowed to always sell poppies.

'He was a loving and genuine man, and I had great times with him in those couple of years we had together.'

Friends said Mrs Cooke also raised thousands of pounds for other charities but favoured the Royal British Legion and Christian Aid.

Close friend Michael Earley said that she loved to support any charities that helped children and women, both in the UK and abroad.

She leaves behind daughter Kathryn, son Del, grandchildren Louise, Kevin, Rhia and Jessica, and great-grandchildren Louis and Aeris.

David Lowe, The Royal British Legion's area manager for the South West, said her fundraising was 'remarkable' and she would be greatly missed - but never forgotten. He said: 'We are very sad to learn of the passing of Olive Cooke, who we came to respect and admire over more than seven-and-a-half decades of service to The Royal British Legion.

'Olive's remarkable efforts over the years should be highly commended.'

The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Alistair Watson, said: 'She was a wonderful lady who dedicated her life to selling poppies and helping other people.

'Our paths crossed at many events, and I was delighted to be able to award her the Lord Mayor's medal last year. Her death is a big loss to the city of Bristol.'

An earlier version of this article wrongly stated that Olive Cooke jumped from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. In fact Mrs Cooke died in the Avon Gorge, downstream from the bridge.