Tag: #charity

If you had £1 million

What would you do if you suddenly came into a lot of money? No, I haven’t suddenly come into vast amounts of wealth but this is a question I’ve been hearing a lot recently.  I often hear competitions on the TV or radio where the entrant has an opportunity to win £1m and when asked what would they do with that amount of money the contestant usually spouts about holidays, paying off the mortgage and giving some to family. I feel although that might satisfy an immediate want or need, it doesn’t truly answer the question. What do you do after you’ve had the holiday, paid the mortgage, bought a fancy new car, or gave some away?  Surely there would still be some cash left over and the bank interest alone would be enough to live off if you were sensible.

How you came about the £1m would depend on what you could actually do with it.  If you won it from the National Lottery or premium bonds, its tax free, but if you were left it as part of a legacy, there is inheritance tax to be paid.  If you came by it via earnings then income tax at the higher rate would apply. 

Then there’s interest rate on savings.  If you banked the whole £1m at interest rates were, let’s say 4%, you could earn £3,333 per month in compound interest if you didn’t touch it.  If you lived off of the interest then the full compounded rate wouldn’t accumulate.  And don’t forget you’ll have to pay tax on the interest.  All terribly confusing.

I have occasionally thought if I were to suddenly come into a lot of money I would probably do the same as most people and have a nice holiday and get some work done on the house.  I don’t really want to move, although not a massive fan of our three-storey house, I’ve got accustomed to it, and it’s in an excellent location. I love my car so I wouldn’t bother buying a new one.  I would give some to R to get herself set up as she’d want to be.  I have simple pleasures and don’t have extravagant hobbies, so I’d have a lot left over.

I have thought that I might give some to charity, but which one?  There are so many deserving organisations that could benefit from an injection of funds.  I have also thought about giving some to my work colleagues to make improvements in their working environment by getting them state of art equipment and modernising their operations; something that is difficult to do in the NHS. I could leave a donation to a #bellringing society but they tend to have enough funds for their purposes as it is and often receive legacies that they struggle to decide what to spend it on.

I would give up work, but need something constructive to occupy my mind.  I do a lot of #bellringing administrative activities and would be able to invest more time to those.  I would consider doing another degree course, and occasionally some health activity; join a gym or yoga classes.

I think I’m better off by not entering such frivolous competitions, and much happier as I am to be honest with all the issues with tax and interest and what you can and can’t give away.

What would you spend £1m on?

Third sector well-being

Third sector organisations are voluntary and community organisations which includes charities, associations, self-help groups and community groups, social enterprises etc. They are neither public nor private and are independent from government.  They usually play a role in history and culture and are value driven to improve public welfare, the environment or well-being.  Any surpluses are reinvested in the pursuit of their aims.  https://www.nao.org.uk/successful-commissioning/introduction/what-are-civil-society-organisations-and-their-benefits-for-commissioners/

#bellringing fits firmly into that sector.  We are there for the benefit of the church and communities we ring in. The social and well-being advantages of #bellringing are clear, it can give people a sense of purpose, an opportunity to socialise with others, a new hobby and sparks offshoot new interests in history, architecture, even engineering.  Getting out and about, meeting new people, developing new skills are all transferable to the workplace and great for young people to add to their higher education applications.  Societies are often charities, or at least their bell restoration fund is a registered charity.

As far as well-being goes, #bellringing ticks all 5 areas:

  1. Connecting with other people.  Bellringing is a team activity.  It requires connection with others and leads to other social activities like outings, pubs, and other non-ringing social activities;
  2. Being physically active.  You need to be able to climb spiral staircases (often), being able to raise arms above your head repeatedly.  There is a gentle cardio rhythm to it.  Its not all about brute strength.
  3. Learning new skills.  It can take about 15 hours to learn how to handle a bell on your own, that’s before you add other ringers into the mix, then there are more and more complex methods to learn, if you want to.  There really is no limit.
  4. Giving to others.  This is a sense of community.  Doing your bit for the church or for a community activity such as ringing for Armistice or a local event or celebration.
  5. Paying attention to the present moment.  This is essential.  You need to concentrate on your bell handling, your method ringing and everything in between. You can’t afford to let your mind wander.

Perhaps we should lobby to get #bellringing offered on prescription for people who are lonely or feeling a bit low.  We should be offering it out as adult education classes, young people’s after school activities or holiday activities.  Some already do this but wouldn’t it be great if we could spread that net wider. 

I’ve signed up to attend a webinar for third sector organisations on Better Community Engagement for Charities to see if there is anything we can learn.

Hmmm, thinking caps on.