Charity, they say, begins at home. And some would argue that that's where the fruits of our fundraising efforts can make a real difference.

The charitable extravaganza that is Sport Relief reached its hugely successful climax over the weekend, and once again the great British public should be applauded for the extra mile - sometimes literally - they are prepared to go in the name of a good cause.

Over the last few months, a plethora of plucky TV personalities, sporting stars and members of the public have busted a gut, and strained many other parts of their bodies, in the name of the charity. Eddie Izzard ran 43 marathons, The One Show's Christine Bleakley water-skied the Channel¹ and Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton kayaked down the Amazon.

The Sport Relief organisation, a subsidiary of Comic Relief, does a brilliant job of dividing the spoils of the money it raises each year between deserving causes both within the UK and throughout the world. Children in Need, on the other hand, concentrates its efforts in aiding children's organisations in this country alone.

But sometimes a single cause will grab the headlines. Natural disasters like the recent Haiti quake focus the attention on assisting those far beyond our borders. In that instance the sheer scale of human loss rightly moved people across the world to pledge money to help, and, as officials report, it won't end there, as the country will need a further $11.5 billion to help rebuild its shattered infrastructure. Conversely, recent controversies like the claims that the money raised for famine relief in Ethiopia by Live Aid was put towards weapons – refuted robustly by Bob Geldof – risk colouring the views of donaters questioning the accountability of funds distributed internationally.

Which begs the question of whether we can be too easily swayed by 'fashionable', celebrity endorsed causes, when there are people much closer to home that are in dire need our support all year long. So...

• When belts are being tightened, and people's time is short, should we concentrate on the people and organisations in need in our local communities before we look further afield?

• Do you think high-profile, media-friendly support efforts abroad draw much needed attention and resources away from the domestic causes that desperately need our help?

• Or is it uncharitable to even pose that question? Should we do everything we can to assist people in need whenever we can, and wherever they might be?