My friend Annie Kelly is a journalist and works on special investigation projects focussing on, basically, the worst and most terrible stuff in the world.
Human trafficking, modern slavery, refugees – all the stuff that you and I, or at least I, just do not want to think about it. I don’t know how she can stand it. Sometimes I think she wonders how she can stand it. But she keeps doing it – and whenever I see her she is always cheerful, never harangues me, never makes me feel bad or guilty for just getting on with my life and talking a lot about shopping. It’s a mean feat.
So I was surprised but delighted to get an email from her suggesting that if Spikers are interested at this time of year in giving to a charity, but do not have a particular one close to their hearts, that this charity, Refuge, is worthwhile.
Annie says this: “These parcels actually do make many families’ shitty Christmasses in some shitty refuge escaping their shitty husbands/fathers more bearable.”
She adds “I also realise this isn’t exactly what your readers may be after but hey, worth a punt.”
It certainly was!
Come on, do me proud, Spikers… I have already given. And remember, I can see how many click-throughs each link on this blog gets. No pressure.
Done. Merry Christmas and thanks for all your fab posts x
Esther, bloody love this – have just donated x
Apologies for sounding full of it, but I never quite “get” why things matter more because people are suffering at Xmas than any other time! It struck me as a very strange reaction once when I heard a comment about a whole family dying in a house fire, just before Xmas. A woman said “terrible, especially at Xmas”… I’m sure it would be terrible for them at any time of year, the woman meant,terrible for her, ruining her Xmas like that. I’ve noticed it all the time since.
I support several Refugee Charities, and donate to MSF. I think these people are going through hell, something we can never come close to even imagining. I wish someone would find an answer to the whole Crises, and soon. But until they do we just have to try to help, all year! Thanks for this….
Well in this instance, children have certain hopes and expectations of Christmas, and parents feel certain obligations to their children regarding making it a happy and fun time. So whilst to be stuck in a refuge with none of your belongings and away from any extended family support would be unthinkably awful at any time of year, it being Christmas would add another dimension to the pain; disappointed hopes, and a feeling of isolation knowing that for others it is a time of celebration. I support particular charities all year, but I still make an effort to do something extra at Christmas for this reason, they are not mutually exclusive. We are not wealthy but my children are comparatively rich in lots of ways, more obviously so at this time of year. This post prompted to me to find my local Refuge, and we are going to donate some gifts to them this year, so thanks.
Have followed your blogs for years by the way, my children and husband regularly deliberately go on banana strike so I have to make your banana bread. I love The Spike, especially the daily-ness of it. It is how I celebrate not throttling anyone on the school run xxx
Cindy thank you for this thoughtful comment. I must admit I was completely at a loss for a useful reply to Vicki’s also-thoughtful question and you put it really well. Thank you for reading The Spike! I could throttle some banana bread right now myself… xxx
Hi! Annie here – also worth pointing out that depressingly Christmas is the busiest time of year for domestic violence charities – police and the people running the refuge services say it is down to a deadly combination of alcohol, school holidays and enforced family time – so this year all the refuges still open after government cuts will most likely have to turn women and children away. So any contributions at all will make an enormous difference.
Thanks Annie. Dig deep everyone! x
Just donated, had to put Other for where I heard about refuge so don’t know if you will be able to tell if any of your followers have donated!
Donated – thank you for offering a fabulous alternative to the God-awful (pun intended) Samaritans’ Purse christmas boxes.
Done! Thank you for this suggestion Esther and Annie.
Done, thank you and Happy Chrimbo Esther