Yesterday saw many thousands of people in the UK facilitating or attending World’s Greatest Coffee Morning fundraising events in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.
As part of this campaign, my lunchtime was spent undertaking a bucket collection at the Marks & Spencer (M&S) store on Briggate, in Leeds….. To clarify, when I wrote ‘bucket collection’ I was referring to receiving charitable donations in a bucket – Not a idiosyncratic involvement in collecting pales for the UK based charity supportive of cancer victims and their brood.
I’ve no evidence to back up my assumption, but it seems to me they’d be significantly less financial gain amassing buckets than more traditional bequests; rendering it’s strategic philanthropic qualities as at best questionable.
I’d venture, even if there was similar benefaction from accumulating buckets in comparison to monetary donations, I doubt it’d alter the charitable organisation’s fundraising strategy. The logistical nightmare of the British public inundating them with pales surely making the bucket option unfeasible.
Mercifully, yesterday the magnanimous customers of M&S donated financial bequests not vertical watertight cylinders. Kindness of such extent the green bucket I used for the collection felt as though it’d morphed into an anvil at the conclusion of my voluntary shift. Incidentally, that’s by no means a complaint on my part, in fact the very opposite……. The scale of benefactor’s generosity utterly heartwarming.
Yesterday was the flagship day capping September’s fundraising partnership between Marks & Spencer and MacMillan Cancer Support. An annual pre-autumnal hook up where the multinational giant, founded in Leeds in 1884, generously allows the charitable organisation access to fund raise within it’s retail temples.
It was the third collection I’d done over the last few weeks. Occasions where I’ve met many philanthropic people, some of which customers wishing to share tales of MacMillan’s support for them or a loved one stricken by this dreadful disease. Individual’s who’ve experienced, or are experiencing, the same rollercoaster ride my family has endured for the last eight years.
One very affable elderly chap and his wife, went as far as informing me they deemed these (charitable) causes was so worthwhile if he won mega-millions on the lottery he’d give most of it to organisations of this nature…… God bless him!
Before he and his spouse departed, I asked the man in his dotage if he’d adopt me as his son if he won mega-bucks. Thankfully he took my whimsical quip in the nature it was intended and laughed….. I’ll have to have the gag framed!
Before I conclude this narrative, although the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning rightfully bore significantly more importance, I felt it’d be remiss of me not to mention yesterday was also World Marmite Day.
To celebrate I breakfasted on crumpets ceremonially smothered in margarine and vegemite spread, prior to enveloping them with baked beans in tomato sauce.
When I say ceremonially, I’m not alluding to the food preparation and eating process being accompanied by over the top pomp and circumstance. There were no haunting laments by bagpipes, or a footman in full regalia delivering my fodder on a satin cushion…… My wife Karen, wishing to maintain serenity at the breakfast table, wouldn’t let them in!!
Despite this, while my spouse chased off the unwelcome bagpiper and footman, yesterday I raised a glass (of water) to the savoury spread that’s my ‘go to’ breakfast accompaniment….. Then scoffed it so fast I gave myself indigestion, necessitating a dessert of antacid tablets.
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