| Waving sticks |
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I'm working with a number of charities that support older people at the moment. It's giving me a sobering insight into the practicalities of this challenging sector, as well as a glimpse of the future I guess we all face as we grow old and frail.
One of them, Hertfordshire Action on Disability has flatteringly invited me to become one of its patrons. It's appropriate in a way as they are wonderfully entrepreneurial, determined to replace falling grant income with money earned through social enterprise.
Recently I met the other Patrons. They include a Government Minister, a son of Barbara Cartland and a composer (who alas was abroad filming). Our meeting was hosted by Lord Salisbury, a keen supporter of the charity and himself something of a campaigner.
What did I learn? In tough times you need friends able to champion your cause. You need a plan; you need the skills, but you also need to be taken seriously!
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| I know it's not Christmas |
I was interviewed by Peter Day for BBC Radio 4's programme 'In Business' earlier this week. Peter described me as 'upbeat and likely to raise eyebrows'. I was certainly sharing my enthusiasm for community enterprises such as shops and pubs.
It's truly remarkable that in some cases, a community owned shop can quickly grow to turn over ten times what was achieved by the failing privately owned shop it replaces. For me 'Big Society' is all about community enterprise, with local people getting together to create the services they want.
And as you'll hear me say on the programme, this is more like the Land Army than Dad's Army. It's not about bungling amateurs, but about hiring in the professional skills you need, then using volunteers to help.
I did the interview from BBC Radio Norwich. The tiny studio doubles as a storage space. I found the tinsel and Christmas tree rather distracting!
Hear me on BBC Radio 4 at 8.30pm on Thursday 5th May.
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Are you celebrating the Royal Wedding?
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According to the Telegraph, people in the UK will be spending £480m as they celebrate the Royal Wedding. Much of this will of course be put on credit cards and so as Managing Director of ethical chip & pin social enterprise Ethecol I did some quick calculations.
Did you know that if all of that money was processed by Ethecol, instead of the major banks and card processors, the event would raise around £5m for charity? That's because as a social enterprise, Ethecol not only offers competitive rates to retailers, it also gives away the commissions other providers put in their pocket.
We make enough from providing chip & pin terminals to cover our running costs and grow the enterprise. Why can't the big banks do the same?
Find out more here
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Quote of the Month
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'Big Society is here and so are the funding cuts. Like lego, you work with the pieces you have rather than keep asking mummy for more.'
Robert Ashton |
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Sincerely,
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