Christmas is often touted as a time for giving and making the extra effort to help people in need, but in amongst a storm of brash consumerism, it can be so easy to lose track of that.
I’m glad to say, however, that I’ve seen some great charitable examples this year, and it has warmed my heart to hear some really nice stories over the past week about acts of kindness across Scotland and down south.
One great example was the Scottish sandwich shop chain which joined forces with a home-grown daily deals website to offer people the chance to buy a homeless person a full Christmas dinner.
Social Bite – which has outlets in Edinburgh and Glasgow – teamed up with Itison.com to make sure that for as little as £5, a homeless person could enjoy a hot meal and a touch of human kindness on December 24th or 25th. Itison is even said to be waiving all fees for the promotion.
And the deal isn’t just for Christmas – Social Bite also offers punters the option to buy a lunch or coffee for someone in need at any point throughout the year.
I must say I’m impressed. The festive dinner deal has surpassed its target by thousands and all surplus meals purchased will be served up to homeless people during 2015, making a real difference to the most needy.
Social Bite’s business model is an interesting one and, it’s fair to say, not one followed by many companies. It’s a business with a social conscience, with 100 per cent of the company’s profits given to good causes. What’s more, around a quarter of its staff were once homeless themselves, so the message really hits home.
Approaching charitable campaigns with a strong business head makes sense and can deliver great results. Even charities are making use of more corporate methods to achieve their objectives these days.
As public sector funding has fallen, charities have had to be strategic to make the best use of any money they do have coming in, and partnering with other third sector organisations or businesses can be a great way to go to pool assets and generate mutual benefits.
With businesses able to boost their CSR credentials, lending some clout and capital to a good cause, it’s a win-win situation.
Social Bite is by no means the only Scottish company to dish out some goodwill this Christmas. We have a fantastic network of organisations which support homeless or formerly homeless people, and Crisis Skylight Edinburgh is a shining example.
The organisation offers classes, careers advice, and one-to-one support and is hoping to provide 150 guests with food, services, activities and companionship over Christmas and Boxing Day. It’s relying on the help of trained hairdressers, chefs, and masseuses to make the day special.
FreshStart – a charity which helps people who have been homeless get established in their new home – operates a PAT testing business which is used to train and employ its service users. It’s currently collecting donations to buy refurbished cookers for struggling households.
I love to see business and charity working hand-in-hand. It can be so easy too; the recent Christmas Jumper Day was a huge hit across the UK, encouraging businesses to get dressed up, have a little fun, and make a small donation to Save The Children. It goes without saying that, with enough people on board, small donations become big ones and some £1.6 million has now been raised across the past three years.
Partnerships marketed in the right way can be highly effective – and when you throw social media into the mix, it can really pay off. Christmas is wonderful for many but of course for others, it’s a lonely time. Seeing so many of my fellow Scots and my fellow business people going the extra mile to spread a bit of joy is definitely getting me through the dreich winter months.
Scottish Universities Deserve Top Marks
Scots boffins have lots to be proud of as a new league table has revealed.
I was pleased to see the country performed really well in a table ranking UK universities by the quality of their research.
Out of a whopping 154 centres of learning, Glasgow and Edinburgh really stood out, which can only be good news for developing the top Scots business minds of the future.
Edinburgh shone in fourth place, as did Glasgow in 12th, both improving on their previous rankings.
Making the top 50 of this bumper list is no mean feat but St Andrews, Glasgow’s Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt and Stirling were all up there.
A massive well done to each of them.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the list – the Research Excellence Framework (REF) – is just another meaningless league table because it’s absolutely not.
A whopping 52,000 academic staff have been painstakingly scrutinised by expert panels that deemed our country’s research to be “world leading”.
And if you ever questioned whether or not they make a tangible difference, then wonder no more.
The panel concluded that more than 85 per cent of Scotland’s university research had an “outstanding or very significant impact in wider society and economy.”
It was also interesting to see that the REF results have also been hailed in some quarters as a glowing endorsement for the scrapping of tuition fees.
The reason? All of our universities have either bettered or maintained their ranking since fees were abolished.
So a huge well done to academics up and down the country – keep up the good work. We look forward to Scottish business seeing the benefits.
It Made Me Laugh: A Royal Excuse
I had a chuckle when I read about an innovative attempt to get out of paying a TV licence.
According to those who annually face a door slamming in their face, one fee-dodging Scot claimed to be using the telly for educating their child and was exempt from paying because “education is free in Scotland”.
This hilariously haughty excuse was revealed by TV Licensing in a top 10 list last week.
My other favourite was the person who claimed they didn’t have to pay because they were related to the Queen.
Also making my personal top three was the person who said their smart TV was “smart enough to work without one” – what a smart Alec!
It Made Me Weep: Parental Controls Needed
I keep reading tales of woe from parents whose kids have run up huge bills on their credit cards through games consoles or mobile games.
I sympathise, but only to a degree, because giving youngsters unrestricted access to your bank details is surely a disaster waiting to happen.
There are so many exciting apps and online games out there to woo kids, and the cost or value for money is probably the last thing on their mind when they hit ‘download’.
Be sensible and vigilant, parents – most devices give you the chance to set up parental controls and password protection, so check this out if you haven’t already. It may save you a nasty shock when you go to the bank.
