Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

PRISON IN A GOOD CAUSE

On Monday of this week I was arrested. Two police officers came to my Plympton office, slapped on the handcuffs and bundled me into a waiting vehicle. At Crownhill police station I was finger printed, photographed, cautioned and banged up in the slammer, a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

And it was all for charity. In a moment of weakness I had agreed to take part in the latest fund-raising ruse from St. Luke’s Hospice. You may have seen news items about it all earlier in the week. I congratulate all those who organised it, and to the police who had volunteered their time while they were off duty. I hope it raises a whole sack of money for this excellent local charity and if you would like to show your approval of the fact that I was stuck behind bars, I am sure they would appreciate a cheque from you!

It got me thinking again about the vital role that the charitable sector plays in our society. Most of us know someone, or of someone, who has been on the receiving end of the magnificent care that the 21 year old St. Luke’s Hospice offers. From their impressive Turnchapel facility, they provide care, treatment and support both for the terminally ill and their families at the most difficult of times. But did you know that the taxpayer provides only 15% of their income – the rest they have to find for themselves?

A similar story can be found just a few miles down the road at Dame Hannah Rogers School in Ivybridge. Here severely disabled youngsters receive a first class education and support, with truly dedicated teachers and volunteers. Once again they have to raise most of their money themselves, and with a lot of local support they work miracles. We are fortunate to have two such high quality beacons of excellence on our doorstep.

I think of them as flagships in a large flotilla of wonderful local organisations that sail neither in the public or private sector, but in that massive sea of compassion called the voluntary or third sector. Where would we be without it?

Some think that they should be funded entirely by the state, but I don’t. They would lose something vital if they changed status, not least their priceless independence and freedom to innovate. What they have is special, a cause for which it was well worth losing some personal dignity.

posted by Nigel on Monday, April 07, 2003