nunoncastors

I am not a particularly charitable person; I realise that there are people out there that genuinely need help – not mine specifically, but society’s in general – I just don’t think that throwing money at problems is particularly helpful, it has a tendency to end up in the hands of the wrong people.

Well, there’s that, and there’s my near-fanatical objection to the cynical guilt-trip you’re sent on when you tell a pretty young thing with a clipboard and a CV to fill to fuck off and stop bothering you. Charity, in my jaded opinion, is something you indulge in because you’re magnanimous, not because you’re made to feel bad.

Charities know this of course, that’s why they arrange fun events in order to extract cash without irritating people or having to pay someone to shove a clipboard in your face. I don’t begrudge them this particularly, I mean, while I’m far from magnanimous and somewhat resilient to guilt (that is to say, guilt-trips only work if it’s actually my fault, and not always then) I am highly susceptible to fun.

And I mean really susceptible to fun.

Therefore, now and again, I shell out a few quid in order to enjoy myself while trying to overlook the fact that most of my ‘donation’ goes into the pockets of middle-management and project coordinators. It makes me wonder who’s the more cynical, me or them.

It’s probably me.

Still, here we go.

Tonya’s Challenge Southwell - Sunday 1st June
NSPCC Big Bike Ride Newcastle/Gateshead - Saturday 28th June
NSPCC Big Bike ride Castle Donnington - Sunday 6th July
NRSB Park and Ride Sherwood Pines - Sunday 28th September

Oh, by the way, if you know of any other similarly themed charity events then do let me know, I’m not above pimping myself out to raise money if I’m having fun.