Keep What Ya Got By Giving It All Away

Aaaah…..breathe it in! Spring has sprung. There’s a sweetness to the air, a change in the morning light, a whiff of chocolate in the ether and a renewed bounce in my step.

The symbolism of Spring is recognised all over the world, it’s a time for change and opportunity – a time for embracing optimism and believing in ourselves and our ability to achieve, take a few risks and step into the unknown.

As the days grow longer and warmer and the golden beaches of North Wales and the Fylde coast beckon, it’s a time for new beginnings.

Whether you’re into the cavorting of Roman fertility gods, the Green Man revelries of pagan cultures or you’re just waiting to fill your face with chocolate eggs, springtime should be celebrated.

It’s time for a clear out, a Spring clean. Chuck out those old copies of Uncut and Pedicure Monthly, fill up your bins with the clutter that you’ve accumulated over the last twelve months and create some space for a fresh start and fresh thinking.

Start with this as a thought and see where it takes you.

The most satisfying thing is giving, not buying.

Kindness, generosity and co-operation are the cornerstones for happy communities and whether you think of your community as where you live, where you work or where you play, you have the capacity to turn your community into a happy and thriving place, if you’re prepared to step up to the plate and recognise that people’s gifts; their skills, talents, time and energy; are more valuable than their deficiencies and needs and that your community has unique, irreplaceable value, then you just might be onto a good thing.

If you’re prepared to share your unique gifts and encourage those around you to do the same in order to create a vibrant and competent community you start to create an environment that isn’t dependent upon the traditional, market driven economy, but rather one based on the assets of its citizens.

At Forever Manchester we fund all sorts of community activity but it’s equally important that we support it too, by encouraging and promoting philanthropy in its purest form – the love of mankind – and by recognising that an 70 year old senior citizen giving up their time to host a luncheon club for friends and neighbours has the same value and impact as a millionaire making a large charitable donation.

So let’s make the next 12 months all about gifts. Gifts of the head, hands and heart, freely given. Let’s celebrate philanthropy in all its forms and lets create our own rite of Spring.