There’s a ‘Pledgie’ page linked to the video for donations, it’s: https://pledgie.com/campaigns/18741 should this link not work for you it’s also on the YouTube page for the video, you can get there by clicking the YouTube symbol on the right hand side of the play bar at the bottom of the video.
David “Rocky Rocastle Football Pie League Memorial Charity Match
The Football Pie League held a Memorial Charity Match for David “Rocky” Rocastle on Thursday 5th April 2012 at Ascot.
Here’s a video performed by and featuring some of our guests at the Cally Road Crash Pad. You can find more information and videos by checking @SneakaFuture on Twitter.
Volunteer chef
Professional chef Margaret Mitchell has worked as a film and TV location caterer, though she’s currently a special needs maths teacher. It was a family friend who asked her if she would cook Christmas dinner for 25 homeless teenagers in London for a charity, The Pilion Trust.
Convinced that the experience would also be good for her three twentysomething daughters, Margaret, 63, agreed. She had little idea what she was letting herself – or them – in for. ‘Normally our Christmas day is very relaxed. We have breakfast in our PJs with champagne and smoked salmon. We open presents, and the girls each have a stocking. Then we go to my sister’s for a late lunch or early supper. Every few years, I have the family over here.’
Last year her festive enthusiasm led Margaret to over-extend her hospitality. ‘Before going off to spend the day cooking for the homeless, I had to cook a goose for 10 guests I’d invited to Christmas dinner that evening.’ It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but when Margaret arrived at the shelter it quickly became apparent that the day was going to be even more challenging than she’d imagined.
‘The cooker was a small domestic electric four-ring affair – and I hate cooking on electric. Plus there was no heating in the tiny kitchen in the basement of the church where the event was being held. So I cooked with my beret on, a thermal vest, a jumper and a cardigan, and my apron over that. Oh, and sheepskin-lined boots. Then I hadn’t taken my cook’s knives with me, so I ended up having to cut turkey off the bone with a bread knife.’
Despite these setbacks, and with the girls helping to prepare and serve the food, Margaret succeeded in producing a memorable Caribbean-themed Christmas lunch for her appreciative guests in the shelter, which had been beautifully decorated by local schoolchildren. ‘Although I had to make do in that church basement, I really did enjoy it and everyone had a great time and loved the food.’
Her menu included poached salmon, Trinidadian stewed turkey with sweet potato and plantain fritters, and a Christmas cake using a traditional Guyanese recipe.
‘When I got home I headed into the kitchen to get on with my dinner party. My daughter said, “Mum, you’re mad, we should have gone to Aunty Connie’s for Christmas.” She was right: I couldn’t eat a mouthful.
‘I’ll help at the shelter again, but I certainly wouldn’t cook Christmas dinner afterwards for any number of people, not even for one.’
We are seeing the slow dismantling of the Voluntary Sector as we know it; by a government who does not appear to understand the serious long term negative impacts their decisions are going to have on our sector and the wider society..
The reduction and in some cases the total withdrawal of grants and the move towards procurement for the voluntary sector is creating its own issues within the sector. It is in some cases virtually impossible for the SME organisations to compete with the larger organisations within this accountant focused arena. .
If you were to look at our annual income you would wonder how we manage to survive each year; and it would cause you many sleepless nights and possible health issues. But on the ground down in the trenches so to speak we are phenomenal with the amount of positive work we do with our beneficiaries and Partners for the long term benefit of all.
Many organisations within our sector rely entirely on donations and for others donations are one source of their income streams; but an important source of income which needs to be worked hard at to achieve..
But blocking; because blocking the sector from its traditional sources of income at a time when the workload of the voluntary sector is increasing due to the same governments policies is criminal and very short sighted.
The long term effects are already visible with many very good and very needed organisations folding never to be resurrected means the current and potential users of those services our now turning to small organisation like ours, The Pilion Trust, we are drowning in work which is increasing by the week as the governments policies begin to be felt.
We are now looking for donations of all sizes to help us with the workload we are currently carrying and will continue to carry.
A major donor could fund us for a very long time as our CEO knows how to make money stretch, but by cutting off that potential avenue everyone’s life becomes much harder.
