With your help - a little goes a long way!
One of the things I’ve heard from several past Portreeve’s is that my Master Bailiff and I will have a very busy December which is certainly holding true so far!
So to make things easier I tried to write some of my speeches in advance - but then I hit a snag and had to ask John Germon (the fount of all knowledge) when is it that I tell people about my chosen cause? When he told me that it’s usually on Portreeve’s Sunday, I thought - “well that’s good, I’ve got plenty of time!” And here we are - and I’m still stuck!!
There are so many deserving causes... this year in particular
The Portreeve often uses their time in office to raise funds for a local cause, charity or project. The problem is, I’ve found it really difficult to pick out a single cause that I want to support. There are so many deserving causes and, this year in particular, so many that need our support.
A few weeks ago I went to the Ashburton SOUP event - I had a very nice bowl of soup and listened to several pitches for funds. What struck me was how little money was being asked for and what a big impact that was going to make for these groups or the people they are supporting. The Bank Youth Project (supporting young people in the town) just wanted some nice paints for a project, another group was raising funds for some table cloths and perhaps some nice tableware for tea parties to support people with dementia. These groups were thinking along the lines of £100 - £200.
So if we were to raise £1000 say, that might mean we could help 5-10 local good causes. We could make a real difference to the lives of perhaps 200 people. By supporting multiple causes, we could also reach a lot more people who might think about supporting us - helping us to help others.
Help me by telling me about local causes you would like me to support
Back to my problem - we can think of one or two groups we could help, but as I learned at the Ashburton SOUP event, there are people I’m just not aware of who are doing amazing things to help others in our community and who just need a little leg-up. So I thought I would ask you to help me by telling me about any local charities, causes or projects that you would like to see me support - anything where a little would go a long way!
If, at the end of the year, I can say that we’ve made a difference in the community and raised awareness and interest in who the Courts are and what we do then I will be happy with a job well done!
So, let me know what your chosen cause (or causes) would be using the Contact form on the site, or just email me at portreeve@ashburtonportreeve.info - and we will support as many as we can! If you also sign up for Portreeve's News - we’ll send you occasional updates on what we’re doing, who we’re supporting, progress and more...
Thank you!
Sean Wilson
1201st Portreeve
Karen Turner
Master Bailiff