Alan French et al, Directory of Social Change
ISBN 1903991528, Price £29.95
STAR RATING 5/5
The Grut Charitable Trust, Vachers Endowment, The Eleemosynary
Charity, The Sway Welfare Aid Trust, The Baron Davenport Emergency
Fund, The Moonzie Parish Trust, The Llandewi Brefi Fund for
Isolated Gays.
All right, I made the last one up but there is undoubtedly
something gloriously Little Britain-ish about the latest edition of
this marvellous guide, writes Gary Vaux.
It contains contact details and eligibility criteria for more than
2,400 sources of financial help for individuals. These range from
the big national charities such as RNIB and Family Welfare
Association to charities and trusts that serve small local areas or
specific occupations or situations. For example, the Charity of
Susanna Cole and Others will only help Quakers in need who live in
parts of Worcestershire and most of Warwickshire. Vital information
if you ever come across a distressed Quaker there.
Reading through the list, you are left wondering about the
background to certain charities - the Ely District Nursing Trust
helps people in need who are sick and live in Ely but not the
hamlet of Prickwillow - what did the inhabitants of Prickwillow do
to be singled out in such a way? The Hertfordshire Charity for
Deprived Children can't help people living in Watford - did the
original trustees have a bad experience on the Watford
ring-road?
The guide is well laid out and you can search it by area,
occupation, illness or religion. For social workers who have
exhausted official sources of help, this is a useful tool.
Gary Vaux is head of money advice, Hertfordshire
Council