How Long Does It Take To Make £2 Million Disappear?

This is not the chirpiest of New Year's Day posts and for that I apologise in advance, but I am livid (and on my soapbox) about the combined amount of money spent on fireworks seeing in the New Year.

I have not yet been able to find the cost of the London 2013 New Year's Eve firework display but suspect that, since it included peach snow and scratch and sniff bands (WTF!) that it cost more than the £276,000 of the previous year. That's more than a quarter of a million pounds burned in ten minutes. Factoring in the cost of things like extra policing the City of London will have spent around £2 million on the celebrations. Multiply that by the number of cities around the world who put on massive firework displays and that's a staggering amount of money gone up in smoke.

Now, I'm not saying that fireworks aren't nice. I love a bit of a bonfire night display but, having seen the Sydney NYE fireworks from a superb vantage spot on Sydney Harbour my lingering memory is the smell of sulphur and the irritating dust.

My challenge for governments for New Year's Eve 2014 is to put their fireworks budget into something which will make a real difference, a gesture their residents can feel proud of. For example, The Trussell Trust spend around £28 for a foodbox which will feed a family for three days. The money spent on London's fireworks alone could pay for nearly 10,000 such parcels. To me making it better in a significant way for thousands of people, rather than merely proving a few hours entertainment, is a far more worth way of commemorating the start of a new year. Am I alone in my belief?

So, the answer to how long does it take to make £2 million disappear is up to you, City of London, and your fellow governments. Will you make it pretty, or will you make a difference?

The Top Charity Christmas Presents This Year Are...

Charity shops are so much more than second hand shoes and books. They are a real treasure trove of fantastic new items that you can not only enjoy owning (or giving) you can enjoy the sense of warmth that your money is going to a better cause than to fuel some faceless corporation's management bonuses.
Here is my pick of the best charitable Christmas pressies.

National Trust
"The National Trust works to preserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland"

Just £12 will get you this nifty woollen rug that is perfect for keeping in the car or over a chair for tucking around you when it gets a little chilly. In Britain you can pretty much guarantee that it will get used year round and because they're made from recycled wool you an extra kick of feel-goodness that you're buying a present that looks after your wallet, your recipient, and the environment.

 

Handmade in Exmoor, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh handmade soaps are a fab twist on tradition and at £2.25 each they are ideal as stocking fillers, Secret Santa pressies, or tarting up your bathroom to impress guests.



Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
"...saving threatened birds and wildlife across the UK and overseas"

I love watching birds. We mainly get sparrows but I have put one of these on my Christmas list in the hope that I can encourage a more diverse array into my garden to give me a more comprehensive way to procrastinate when I am supposed to be working. At £4.99 this Treat Tray Window Feeder is sturdy enough to withstand weather and clear so you can see all the tasty meal worms (yuck!)

The RSPB have a wide choice of jewellery (surprisingly so, I though) and this sweet Scarlett sterling silver beehive necklace is £59.99. It is hand made in Brighton so choosing it supports British artisans as well as the birdies. The range also includes bees and dragonflies.


British Heart Foundation
"funds research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart disease"

Another stocking stuffer or Secret Santa pressie are these wild flower hearts at £2.99 for a packet of 3. Made of biodegradable stuff with seeds in them, they're an easy way of growing gorgeous flowers indoors at any time of year.


Alice's Escapes
Alice’s Escapes is a charity run by a team of volunteers committed to providing free holidays for families with a seriously ill child.

£10 from the sale of every one of these special Emma Bridgewater Sailing 1/2 Pint Mugs is donated to Alice's Escapes. Alice Pyne BEM is a pretty awesome 16 year old who, despite her own terminal cancer, has not stopped in her relentless quest to do what she can to improve the lives of other families living with cancer. Follow her blog or catch her on Facebook and Twitter


Marie Curie Cancer Care
"Our Nurses provide care to terminally ill patients in their own homes or in our hospices, while offering support to their families."

I love this wooden fishing game £10.49 and it would be on my shopping list if only my kids weren't too old. I have always found toys from Marie Curie Cancer Care to be great quality so this game would be great if you have several children to entertain.

 They also have these tiger and chick LED torches for £2.99 each. They don't need batteries as they charge by squeezing the handle a few times. These are great for kids who are a little scared of the dark as if they fall asleep with them on the batteries won't go flat.

Their website says "100 per cent of profits from every product go towards providing a Marie Curie Nurse this Christmas".


British Red Cross
"Caring for People in Crisis"

I really liked this Scotty Dog doorstop from the British Red Cross and it's currently on sale for £11.99 instead of £20.

If you have seen any charity shop gems let me know by leaving me a comment. I'm always open to shopping with a conscience.

Amazing children and what they can teach us

I am sure I'm not the only person who's disgusted with the mindless looting and violence parading as a social expression that's going on around the country at the moment; nor that so many of them are 'youths'. To restore any lost faith here are a few inspiring children that reaffirm my hope in the next generation.


Jack Draws Anything
I love Jack. He started drawing pictures to sell to raise money for the children's hospital where his brother was treated. 6 year old Jack started last year with a target of raising £100 and (as of this morning) has raised £23,404.50. Go Jack!!!
You can see his drawings, request one, and make a donation at jackdrawsanything.com.

 

Felix Finkbeiner
Felix is now 13, but when he was 9 he learned about the Green Belt Movement whilst doing his homework. Inspired by their simple principle and level of success, he started a campaign to plant 1 million trees. It's called Plant For The Planet. 3.9 million trees have been planted, and 7 million pledged. The new targed is 132 million. I love the slogan: Stop Talking. Start Planting. 

Dylan Carlyon
Dylan is a local 6 year old who climbed 3 Welsh peaks on 6 Aug: Skirrid (1601ft), Sugarloaf (1955ft) and Pen-Y-Fan (2907ft). He aimed to raise £500 for the Noah’s Ark Appeal, and has raised £2,700 so far. What's impressive about this is not just the amount he's raised, but the physical effort he put in to do it. 3 peaks in 24 hours would be too much for some adults, but Dylan did it.
He was inspired by seeing the benfits of the hydrotherapy pool treatment his little brother had for his hyper mobility, and concerned that the resource was shared and children's sessions were limited.
More information is here 

What I love about these 3 children is that they saw an opportunity to make a change for the positive. Instead of feeling helpless they felt powerful. They felt frustrated by a situation but instead of showing that frustration as mindless violence and aggression, the showed it in a way which benefits themselves and their cause.

Children cut through the rubbish that adults get bogged down in. They don't look for excuses as to why something can't be done. They find a way it can be. Like Felix says: Stop Talking. Start Planting. I'm grateful to them, and children like them, for teaching me things I have forgotten.