Today I would like to talk about our country’s so called Big Society.
Prime Minister David Cameron seems to think that he invented the idea. But this isn’t another anti political rant. This is written in homage to the thousands of people throughout our country who give their time and energy unstintingly in a voluntary capacity to make the Big Society a reality. Many of these people have been volunteering for decades, never seeking or asking for any recognition but simply serving their local communities because, by their actions, they make the United Kingdom a better place.
It does, however, go much deeper than that. Without these people the fabric of our society would just fall apart. This was brought home to me yesterday when I spoke to an acquaintance about the huge number of volunteers that work weekly in a Norwich hospice, ensuring that day care patients are cared for. Without them the hospice would be a much sadder place.
I live in a large village. As villages go it is probably one of the largest in England with a population fast approaching 6,000. Major development is envisaged over the next decade or so which will significantly increase the population. We are known as one of the most forward thinking and effective communities in Norfolk and, over the past decade, have won numerous major local and national awards.
These awards have been made possible by an army of volunteers. It got me thinking about the Big Society and rather than list the things local people are involved with and in, it is probably more relevant to list some of the things that wouldn’t go ahead without them. If this legion of volunteers suddenly decided to stop volunteering we would have no parish council to act as a pressure group, we would have no village hall or playing field for sport and recreation, no WI, no Social Club, no youth groups such as cubs, brownies and cubs, no youth club, no sports clubs, no Mothers’ Union, virtually no organised events, few fitness clubs, no churches, no drama group, no annual pantomime, no school PTAs, no school governing bodies, no environmental groups etc etc. The list is endless as I have scarcely scratched the surface. Hethersett would simply become a dormitory village for workers, a place with no heart. Youngsters would have nothing to do (this would be a reality rather than just a perceived idea amongst the young) and this would undoubtedly lead to anti social behaviour and vandalism. Put bluntly our village would become a very unpleasant place.
Hethersett is no different to other villages, towns and cities which all succeed thanks to the unselfish giving of volunteers which, without doubt, saves the country literally millions of pounds a year. In return these people ask for nothing other than the knowledge that in some small way they have served and helped their local community. I hope that my village website at http://www.hethersett.org.uk helps to celebrate the contribution made by just some of these people and also reflects just a small percentage of the good things that are regularly going on.
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Yesterday had a wander round Norwich, which was, as usual, enjoyable. Went to the Forum – the most visited library in the country. It’s a delightful place but I just have one gripe. The downstairs paperbacks are very difficult to work out. Tried to find some books by crime writer Peter James. They were dotted around various areas with confusing section titles such as “Rattling Good Reads,” “British Menu,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Quick Reads” (these weren’t the actual titles of the sections but just a rough approximation). The point is there is no way of knowing where the books you are searching for are located. Bring back the old fashioned alphabetical order so if you need a Peter James you look under J and if you want a Mark Billingham you look under B. As the well known Meercat says “simples.”
Of course this would lead to confusion amongst some people who might remark: “I just wanted a crime novel and they’ve put all the books in alphabetical order and I had no idea who to look for. Why can’t we have the rattling good read section back?”
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Had a rare Saturday night in and subjected myself to the latest talent show The Voice. What a dreadful load of bilge this is. Basically four judges including Sir Tom Jones hear only a voice. They sit in giant swivel chairs with their backs to the artist so they just judge purely on the voice and not the image or the look. If they like what they hear the hit a button and, as if by magic, their chair swivels round to face the artist. Problem is it’s just another wannabee show. Those taking part sing and play yet more cover versions. This show has all the hallmarks of the other talent shows such as the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent in making no-hopers believe they have a talent that they clearly don’t possess.
The judges ooh and aaah and use stock phrases like “awesome”, “fantastic,” “superb,” and “brilliant.” Tonight there was a truly dreadful pseudo opera singer quivering and screeching her way through Nessun Dorma with appalling vibrato. None of the four judges turned round to face her. But when they heard that she was just 17 they all agreed that “maybe we should have pressed the button because you are plainly awesome.”
I bet the outcome of this whole debacle will be a record contract for the winner who will make an album which will sell shedloads before they return to the obscurity from whence they came – Awesome.
So the antidote to all this crap music was to end the evening by playing something decent. Started with the superb new album The Aviary by Ana Silvera (yes I’m still going on about this) and a Pink Floyd compilation. I always seem to end up with the Floyd as an antidote to rubbish. It might give me the strength to mount a campaign to make using the word Awesome illegal!
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