Charity shouldn’t end at home Compassionate pupils felt moved to write over refugee crisis
On Saturday morning I spent some time responding to letters from second year pupils at St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School.
The letters, all about the current refugee crisis, were really well thought out: lots of different opinions about the situation, about the need to help, why we should and how we could do so.
The overwhelming theme was compassion. Whilst sad at the content, I was pleased that the school discussed such things and that the young people were moved to write. Sometimes I hear it said that ‘charity begins at home’, but as far as school pupils in East Kilbride are concerned, it certainly shouldn’t end there.
I suspect all of our schools in East Kilbride fundraise and do charity work as both local and global citizens. Churches, community groups and individuals too, right across the town, constantly raise funds for local charities and overseas work.
Sadly, fundraising and charity doesn’t solve everything.
The welfare system run by the UK Government is abandoning some of the most vulnerable people in our communities – and failing to provide the safety net that some need.
We’re now used to requests from foodbanks to make donations from our weekly shop; and aware of organisations like East Kilbride’s Loaves and Fishes that they are much, much busier than ever before in their 25 years of service to the town.
The Scottish Government has mitigated some of the excesses of that UK system, like the bedroom tax for example, and by boosting the Scottish Welfare Fund.
New powers will be transferred too, but only account for 15 per cent of the total Scottish benefit bill.
We are determined that, where we have responsibility, we will treat people with dignity, fairness and respect.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the latest Ken Loach film – I, Daniel Blake – which is the story of someone who is well and truly let down by the system and the awful effects that has.
The local Citizens Advice Bureau, local advocacy services, volunteers and others, can talk of the ‘Daniel Blakes’ that they meet in our town regularly.
In all my many years of working with the public, it’s only in the last couple that I’ve had people coming to my office who are hungry – yes, actually hungry.
Things must change, and we must do all we can to effect that change.
Finally, I noticed that pupils from Calderglen High School recently raised a load of funds for the Beatson Cancer Charity – this weekend I’m heading for young Sam Hanna’s fundraiser for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
And along with the East Kilbride Seniors Forum, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit of The Singing Children of Africa at our Parliament last week – a marvellous charity set up by a Scottish grandmother.