Children In Need and Mermaids

Just read BBC's -excuse- reason for not funding The Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre, which is basically that there is not enough money to go round. Well if they stopped funding the mutilation of children, that would be a saving there.

It's often possible to make a donation using gift aid via a charity web site which means that if you are a tax payer the value of your donation is increased by 25p for every £1 you donate.

Dd2s school are doing several CIN events. One is where the kids themselves create a fundraising fair. One is a mufti day.

I can't do anything about the fair, and tbh, I think she'll get loads from it. The mufti she'll be taking in an envelope with a letter explaining that I'm sure the school won't exclude her from an event where her mother has moral objections about the charities supported by the cause, and that if they do have any issues, they need to take it up with me, not her.

The ubiquitous peer pressure on schools and children to fund raise for all those tv charities, children in need, Red Nose Day, sport relief, comic relief etc is sickening. I never give a penny to any of them. Or watch the programmes. Though in years past the children will have donated £1s for non uniform days. Though DD has been known to wear uniform anyway because she couldn't be arsed to think what to wear. I'm just not happy with emotional blackmail guilt tripping the nation. Nor am I satisfied with their use of the funds, storing up substantial surplus investments etc.

In the last few weeks in the school I work in we’ve had Macmillan, Christmas boxes, dress as a hero, panto deposit, poppies and Children in Need on Friday.
I keep a green jumper, a red jumper a spotty shirt and a pair of Christmas earrings to use every year....

The Charities Council will be coming in and talking to them about some of the causes CIN support.

Great way to find another charity to support.

All charities have to submit annual accounts to the charities commission and they list grant making organisations. It’s all available in line.

I had an email from DS’s school on Friday saying they were having a special assembly where The Charities Council will be coming in and talking to hem about some of the causes CIN support. I’ve emailed the school asking for any information they have about which charities will be presented. I will chase it up tomorrow afternoon if I’ve not heard. If one of them is Mermaids I’ll do a bit of information gathering and email across my concerns. As for donations, there is a non-uniform day which costs £1, which I might pay or I might send him in anyway and tell them I’m donating elsewhere. They won’t be getting an extra penny though if I do pay it.

I don’t think I can stop supporting children in need because of all the other good causes they fund.

Nothing to stop you funding any charity directly.

Not just Mermaids. Also Allsorts who advise schools that 100m running races for teenagers shouldn’t be single sex.

To be fair I don’t have a problem with mixed sex fun runs/egg and spoon races, but they are clearly ideologically opposed to the whole idea of single sex sport.

This isn’t the first time CiN have given to questionable charities. They gave to Kids Company at a time when questions were already being asked about their financial management.

I think you are better off giving directly to the charity if your choice.

I do not know if DC’s school is doing anything for CIN this year - I hope not as I do not want to give any money to them.

Proof:

www.theguardian.com/media/2012/oct/29/children-in-need-chairman-jimmy-savile

Can I just add: CiN knew about Jimmy Saville, which was why he was banned from the show.

They never reported him though... pricks!

They get nothing from me. I choose to give to charities who do good. I won't be emotionally blackmailed into giving to ones who harm.

liverpoolresisters.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/the-bbc-and-transgender-children/

@perverseconverse

We have those conversations too. It’s the asking them to make a stand that I wasn’t sure about. I think I’ll discuss.

I peaked transed DH with Mermaids though. He thought I had turned bigot but I explained to him about the operation on a child. He ascended that hill like a pack of wolves were after him

And it's a No from me. No more money for CiN from me. I'll give it directly to our local food bank.

I’ve just had a school email and a swimming lessons email asking for donations. I do think it’s problematic and a bit ridiculous to start bringing this into everything. I don’t love the whole country charity days as it is, but I don’t want to donate this year because of Mermaids. I’m not sure what I’ll do if it’s a non-uniform compulsory donation though.

The Mermaids website mentions getting CIN funding.

Not supporting it at work and will explain why if anyone asks.

BBC children in need pages have links to a spreadsheet that I can’t read that apparently lists all charities supported up to end 2015

That spreadsheet does not show any grants to mermaids, though only covers to 2013-2015. According to the 'who you help' page they gave a grant of £126,000 to them in 2017.

downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/pudsey/grants/CN0187_Grants_Listings_Northern_England_and_Isle_of_Man.pdf

but no longer fund Glasgow Rape Crisis because they are for women and girls over 13 years old.

The BBC has said that is explicitly not why they did not give another grant. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45137638 In the absence of hard evidence I think they should be believed, they have to turn down a lot of grant applications.

I wondered if it was fair to ask the DC if they’d make a stand and just wear their uniform on non-uniform CIN day. Upper primary children in ( what seems like) trans heartland. What do you all think? If they wanted to fit in that would be fine.

I will not be donating this year.

And not just because of Mermaids.
I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable about using schoools for these huge fundraising drives, especially after the financial crash. Many families are really struggling and if you’ve got 3 kids all essentially bring peer pressured into donating it just seems extremely unfair.
Also all the tat that is sold for CIN and Red Nose Day that all ends up in landfill 3 months later.

Another person here who won't be donating. I am going to pay a pound for DD's dressing up day (not buying any new clothes though, she is wearing a costume she already has) and we are going to donate to a specific charity instead.