A very warm welcome to our newest blogger, Karen, who will be writing exclusively for at home every month in her column - The Philanthropic Housewife...
Phew, it’s been a busy few weeks, what with running around dressed in a Santa suit, juggling a table of ten at short notice for a charity dinner hosted by Davina McCall and organising a book-signing for a celebrity in my local town.
Then there was last month’s excitement, with the TV script I’d acquired raising £750 in an auction for a charity appeal. And as for the month prior to that, well, that was spent helping a friend promote her increasingly successful annual zero waste campaign.
It’s most definitely been an eclectic range of activities for this Suffolk housewife!
Admittedly, I’m not a natural housekeeper and I am easily lured from the kitchen sink by the promise of variety, often applying my discarded professional skills to a whole range of causes that are close to my heart.
Where I was once very guarded about giving up my time, I’ve gradually found myself wanting to make a difference where it matters and regularly ask that all important question, “What can I do to help?”. It’s a far cry from my former life when my priority was how quickly I could earn a higher salary.
I guess it all started with my rubbish diet. Not the lack-lustre one where I failed to thin down my thighs, but the unexpectedly exciting one in which I successfully slimmed the contents of my bin. All I did was make a new year’s resolution to reduce our waste and the next thing I knew, I was signing up to a local council campaign and being persuaded into the role of community champion for their zero waste week.
I created an anonymous blog to record the minutiae of the challenge and the story was quickly pounced upon by Radio 4, followed by features on local radio as well as a daunting interview on a landfill site for BBC news - not to mention being interviewed for a book that was published later that year. All this as a result of throwing away just one plaster during the council’s campaign week!
That campaign had a major personal impact. Until then, I hadn’t realised the significance of the UK’s need to reduce waste, but when it was over I worked hard to inspire others through my writing, highlighting fresh ideas and promoting best practice.
Rewards didn’t come by way of payment, but there were unexpected benefits including the feel-good factor that I was making a difference to a national and global issue, along with surprise nominations for prestigious awards as well as new opportunities to test out my creativity. However it was the generous feedback from regular readers that I remember the most and I am grateful that many have since become good friends.
But I’m not special. I’m simply joining the army of people who have gone before me looking at how they can make a contribution to their community.
The rewards from even the smallest act of kindness can be immense and you don’t have to spend a lot of time, money or even make a show of yourself in a Santa costume to join in the fun. However, if that is what floats your boat then doing it for charity is a blimmin’ good excuse to let your hair down.
So as I prepare to share whatever oddball adventures I’ve got planned for next year, I hope there will be something in this new column that will inspire you. But for now, it’s time for a “ho ho ho and a Merry Christmas to all!”. It is lovely to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again in 2011!
About the author
Describing herself as a philanthropic housewife, Karen balances the challenges of modern parenthood with support for community projects and freelance writing, with an emphasis on mainstream, yet sustainable lifestyle issues. She's also the creator of The Rubbish Diet blog and a frequent contributor to BBC local radio. To find out more about Karen, just visit www.karencannard.co.uk.
