It’s not just about scarecrows!

Yesterday, I posted off the last batch of over seventy letters, written to every business in our civil parish asking them to support Loughton’s Scarecrow Trail. Researching those enterprises has proved a fascinating and absorbing task. I had no idea that so many international companies are based in Loughton, and I had previously been oblivious to the diverse occupations, talents and skills of our local business community. Participating in the trail, either by building and entering a scarecrow in the competition for local firms and organizations, or by donating a raffle prize or sponsoring scarecrow-building in one of our local schools, would be an unusual and engaging way for the business community to reach out to local people and open the eyes of Loughton’s residents to the area’s hidden potential for enterprise and creativity.

Having sown the seeds of sponsorship by sending out my ‘begging letters’, I’m now beginning to nurture them with a follow up phone call, personally inviting each of the organizations to participate. This can result in some surprises, epitomizing the ‘highs and lows’ that must be familiar to anyone seeking sponsorship for community projects. “I don’t think there’s any point in inviting the local medical practice to take part,” prophesied husband David. “They are bound to be too busy, and will be sure to think a scarecrow trail is frivolous.” I was therefore delighted to receive an email announcing that they were intending to enter not one scarecrow, but two! I’m pleased to report that several local businesses, both large and small, have already enthusiastically embraced Loughton’s scarecrow trail project.

However, attracting donations is proving a little trickier. In addition to recurrent expenditure of £1000 a week, All Saints’ Church is facing a one-off bill of £8,000 this year for minor, but essential, repairs to the church building, which makes it all the more important that, as well as being an enjoyable community-building event, the Scarecrow Trail proves to be a financial success. I’m sure that the tough financial climate is deterring many enterprises from engaging in philanthropy, but trying to raise money for worthwhile community projects can sometimes prove demoralizing and depressing. “I don’t see much evidence of David Cameron’s ‘big society’ around here”, I grumbled to David over breakfast. This off the cuff remark led to a stimulating discussion about charitable giving.

It also led me to revisit the current Coalition Government’s definition as to what they actually mean by the ‘big society’. It seems that the idea is based on five key principles; open government, promoting localism, devolving power from central to local government, supporting social enterprises and, last but not least, volunteering. It is one way to frame the perpetual struggle between selfishness and compassion that is so characteristic of all human society. Writ large, it is about articulating political principles; writ small, it can indicate the direction of an individual’s moral compass.

The ‘big society’ has attracted a great deal of criticism that it is a ‘fig leaf’ to cover the dismantling of the welfare state and swingeing cuts in government services. Some commentators portray emerging social enterprises as being in competition with the work of more traditional charities; likewise volunteers are sometimes seen as taking jobs away from low paid workers. Fighting poverty and need with altruism and personal generosity certainly feels socially more risky, precarious and provisional than asserting public responsibility for those who are unable to achieve the conditions that are necessary for a minimal standard of living, and the gap between government rhetoric and everyday life sometimes seems almost impossible to bridge. Which makes it all the more striking when David produced this conversation-stopper, “Of course, you do realize that, by stepping up to organize the Scarecrow Trail, you are setting an example of the ‘big society’!”