Like in Pentrebach where Darian, aged 15, lives with cerebral palsy and experiences learning difficulties. At Bridging The Gap he is always helping out and making snacks for the other young people. He enjoys it so much he would like to work there one day! Project manager Christine explains: "We are hoping to train him in food hygiene, first aid etc, thus preparing him for his transition into adulthood."
Or in Warrington where Jacob's Unique Memory Pot (J.U.M.P.) work to capture moments in the lives of children with life-limiting illnesses to provide happy memories for them and their families. James, aged nine, is living with a rare blood disorder and growth problems. J.U.M.P. recorded Jame's baptism and his mum says that he always asks to watch the DVD as it "brings the biggest smile to Jame's face".
This is just a tiny sample of the kind of projects they have been involved in funding.
Today also saw 'Switch', the people behind the technology of your debit card, announce projections of £10,000,000,000 to be spent by the British public on Christmas. That's just switch, that figure is not the total combined cost of Christmas that's just those people using switch. Who knows what the eventual cost will be by the time the turkey has been curried. To put some kind of perspective on that figure, which is in itself quite difficult as we generally don't measure things in billions, the budget cut backs that every single newspaper and media outlet has passed comment after comment on since they where announced in October will amount to a saving of £6 billion over the next twelve months.
So we all moaned like hell at the thought of having to pay more on VAT in the new year. All the benefit claimants, some of whom I'm sure are completely justified, even though I've never had the pleasure to meet one, pondered how they would try to fraudulently justify keeping the 5 bedroom council house they live in now that the three kids have moved out to council flat when they all fell pregnant. Poor old plod would have to take cuts too, except when they had the chance to get rid of one lousy copper who dragged a 50 year old woman across an arrest suite by her hair they let him off. We all fear the impending doom of the budget deficit and what it will mean to us, the normal working people............
Well we could always bin Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O.k, o.k, keep your hair on, let me finish.
We'd save, to quote Harry Enfield in the eighties, loads of money. At least £10 billion.
"Ah yes Rob but the economy relys on all that spending so by not spending it we'd make the situation worse!"
We could give it to the one eyed yellow bear and he could spend it on all the same stuff just for people who really needed it, in fact if we just gave him the £10 billion he'd have more money this year than all the years put together since him and the boy Wogan started the whole thing on the radio back in '78. Think how much good that could do!
You will still have a good Christmas, you could still eat so much that that old hernia scar starts to feel tight, or is that just me? You might, god forbid actually spend some time doing nice things with the people you love. Enjoying playing the games they kids still haven't opened from last Christmas or going and visiting those friends you haven't had the time to see since the summer because you spent every weekend clogging up the aisles in Waitrose crying in case they run out of goose fat. We've all had pointless presents over the years and yes the sentiment is always nice but surely the time has come that a wasted present represents so much more than what we think. We spend time and money making it,shipping it from China (Let's be fair it's coming from China!), buying it, wrapping it, sending it in some cases, to then open the thing and go "Wow a Homer Simpson bottle opener than says 'mmmm Duff' when you use it. It's just what I've always wanted". Then promptly place it in the pile of other presents you don't want before sorting it into three categories.
1) Stuff that you can re gift to some other sucker as long as they don't know the original gifter.
2) Stuff that you would be embarrassed to re gift so you'll send to the charity shop and feel warm inside that you've done your bit for poor people.
3) Stuff that has been bought from the innovations catalogue and it has your name printed/stitched/etched on it. This has to go straight in the bin.
There is a fourth category for really greedy people and that is the "they'll buy any old shit on Ebay" category.
So even the crap we don't want is creating polution, a huge carbon footprint, wasting time and disappointing everyone so let's just all collectively decide that this Christmas we will buy ourselves something we really want for ourselves, we would be happy with it, and then give the rest to the yellow bear. Most of us would just sort the kids and the bear and be happy with that.
The religious part of Christmas has been lost so lets replace that with a celebration of giving, but giving to people who actually need it.
What's next. What about giving Geldof the Chocolate eggs? Share the love, No?
P.S - We just gave the Irish goverment £7 billion becase they've ballsed their economy worse than we have so Terry if you have any left could you spare some for your brothers.
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