Thursday 10 September 2015

Finance

There's a lot of talk at the moment about well known charities behaving in a disgraceful manner, demanding donations from very old, sick, people. It seems that very many such people receive hundreds and hundreds of demands for money. This isn't a very charitable way of behaviour.
We can promise you that GOES does not work like this! We are a very small charity, mainly funded by family and friends. We have some loyal commercial support - Snips, the hairdresser in Warrington Market, Juicy Bikes, in Buxton (they sell excellent eBikes), Adam Vickerstaff (see him on Facebook) designed a cover for 'Empty Bananas', and Barclays Bank keeps us stocked up with pens for the schools.
We also receive great support from two writers' groups - Dead Good Poets Society in Liverpool and Vale Royal Writers' Group in Cheshire.
Various other friends support us as and when they can.
We never have, and never will, ask people we do not know for assistance. We do not post appeals to strangers and we do not cold-call anybody.
We don't take money from donations for 'expenses' of any sort. We pay our own and donate money to the charity ourselves. If you donate £1 to GOES that £1 goes to help a school or a clinic, a student or a sick person, in The Gambia.
Oh, and another thing! We do not see ourselves as 'do-gooders': we do not charge into someone's home or school or hospital and say 'You're doing this all wrong - do it this way!' We visit, we watch and we listen and take advice from the people who live there or work there. We ask the hospital and clinic staff what they need and how we can help.
Rant over!