I recently attended a brilliant conference held by the Southmead Project in Bristol who are celebrating their twentieth anniversary helping traumatised individuals in a positive and productive manner. @IanMcFadyen1966 gave a deeply moving but emotionally challenging keynote speech that was matched in powerful sincerity by that of Dr Mike Pierce, the indefatigable driving force behind the project. I left feeling very upbeat and positive that here, at least, there was a depth of knowledge and compassion that is exemplary in its commitment to ameliorating the suffering of abuse and trauma victims but also a determination to explore effective pro-active prevention strategies. I was pleased to see that the event was also attended by Bristol MPs Kerry McCarthy and Charlotte Leslie - neither of whom shirked from some difficult questions directed at the panel. It bothers me that the annual budget for this organisation, just one of many similar, that provides a valuable service for their community and the wider population, is less than half of what some footballers earn in a week. As a nation, our values appear to have become deeply corrupted by the scourge of celebrity and entertainment which are of little inherent value to society as a whole and are widening the chasm between fundamental human decency and superficial reality such that worthwhile organisations like Southmead Project remain condemned to struggle to raise funds and survive in their own right, let alone helping victims of trauma survive and thrive as individuals. southmeadproject.org.uk/ facebook/CharlotteLeslieMP facebook/kerry4mp
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:24:59 +0000
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