Hi Everybody!! As you will all know, I very rarely post anything on fb and because of this I would like to think that my fb friends old and new will take the time to not only read but like and share this post too. For the last five years I have been fortunate enough to work with members of our communities who are down on their luck and trapped within our benefits system. I have found this to be a very rewarding and enriching experience, meeting people from all walks of life - those who have never ever worked to those who have held highly paid white collar roles, all of whom have had to survive on £72 per week and been faced with sanctions and ridicule. There have been many extremes such as: A man with severe learning difficulties who has worked on building sites as a labourer all his life and now cant pass his CSCS test. A gentleman of almost 60 who cried like a baby because he was facing homelessness due to sanctions, who couldnt complete his online job search and record it on Universal Jobmatch because his dyslexia was so bad... He had never touched a computer in his life. A man forced to live in an allotment shed with his dog because he had been made homeless through the bedroom tax and sanctions. And a young man of 20 who took his own life. All of this in England in 2014! For Gods sake! And there are so, so many more. Since March this year my job is to help people start their own businesses - I work with the same client group, the only difference is that the people I work with now have a smidgen more belief in themselves and a glimmer of hope for the future. They have broken through the stigma that God awful TV programmes like Benefits Britain have caused, programmes which in my opinion have only been created to perpetuate the problem, so that it takes our focus from the real C***S ie the government and massive corporation. I truly understand why people get so infuriated at the thought of paying nigh on £300 per month+ in taxes while a man in the Isle of White spawns nearly 30 children to be brought up by the tax payer; but in my experience, people of this nature are in the minority, there will always be a % of people who want to screw the system, be it people claiming benefits, bankers taking millions or MPs fiddling expenses - bad people are bad people no matter which school they went to. I really feel that as a community and a civilised nation we have a responsibility to each other and to have a conscious positive impact on each others lives whenever we can. I work with people who possess true talents, skills and abilities. People who want to hold their heads up and provide for themselves and their families. My heart is broken every day when I think that they and many others like them are being made to feel like sub standard human beings. I am asking all of you to be part of the change that you want to see. That before you hand your hard earned cash over to a multi million pound corporation eg Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Boots - that you look to your local new, small businesses. I repeatedly see posts speaking of the fact that 1300 people control 96% of the wealth but we hand it to them, it was our money to begin with - it was in our pay packet. I posted a picture of a product created by Tim and Sharron Davis yesterday. It is £4.50, the equivalent Burts Bees product in Boots would cost you a tenner. Boots wont really suffer if a few people buy Sharron and Tims product but the impact it would have on Tim and Sharrons lives could be massive. Id like to start some sort of directory of new businesses, so that weve got some way of finding new companies to provide the products and services we need. I know we cant stop going to Asda and Boots altogether, our lives are far too busy; all Id like to promote is that we think about who were handing our money over to and ask ourselves the question.. Can I be part of the change that I want to see? In the coming weeks I will be posting lots about my vision, Id like to hold events within the community to promote this and Id like the support of as many people as possible. Please like and share to show your support for our communities and show that you acknowledge our social responsibility. If anyone would like to get involved or would like to set up something similar for their town, or even if youve got some ideas I would truly love to hear from you. Thank you for your time :)
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 13:51:30 +0000
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