28/06/2026
“A hospice is one of the purest expressions of community that exists.”
And we really need, respect and support it. Thank you St Mary’s Hospice for everything. And indeed hospices around the country, committed to caring.
Friday afternoon ponderings - sorry this is quite long!
I spend quite a lot of time online, reading charity-related posts, when you work for a charity you tend to live and breathe it, it's a passion not just a job.
Lately online "charity - bashing" seems to have become a thing.
Lots of big name charities are closing branches as shopping habits change, and online the trolls are rife. It's so sad and demoralising to see.
Based on actual comments I've seen - I wrote a "thing" ... Here's the first part - I'm actually quite nervous to post this!
Anyway - here's my writing, I hope it strikes a chord ❤️ :
The title is :
I think about the people who say "Charities are greedy!"
I think about the people who say "Charities are greedy!"
and I dont understand.
I read that -they get everything for free so why are their prices not rock bottom?
That the community deserve bargains, they'd sell more if it was cheaper ?
And : that everything good goes online.
staff and volunteers keep the best things.
That the CEOs take all the money
That charity retail isn't what it used to be.
And perhaps they're right about one thing.
It isn't .
Neither is the world.
But every time I read those comments, I think about the donations.
The everyday ordinary ones.
The bags that arrive after somebody has died.
The coat that still smells faintly of Mum's favourite perfume.
The books carefully packed by a daughter who isn't quite ready to let them go and unpacks maybe just one ( or two)
To keep.
The ornaments wrapped in newspaper because somebody loved them once.
I think about the trust in those donations.
The unspoken sentence that comes with every bag.
"I hope this helps."
I think about the volunteers who freely give their time.
Week after week.
Not because they're paid.
Because they care.
I think about the friendships they form.
The confidence they build.
The purpose they find.
The cups of tea shared in back rooms.
The laughter.
The kindness.
And how they must feel reading those comments online.
And then I think about the families who needed the hospice.
The families who didn't receive a bill.
The families who were able to spend precious time together, you know - at the end.
Because somebody , somewhere,
gave a coat, bag, a book or a jigsaw.
Walked.
Ran.
Baked a cake.
Held a fundraiser.
Gave what they could.
I think about the people who say "Charities are greedy!"
And I wonder if they have ever sat beside a hospice bed.
Because then-
You stop seeing price tags.
You start seeing people.
You start understanding that none of this exists by accident.
That somebody has to fund the nurses, the counsellors.
Somebody has to fund the buildings, the equipment, the support and the care
Somebody has to find nearly £17,000* today.
And tomorrow.
And the day after that.
And somehow, every day, communities just... do.
Not because they have to.
Because they choose to.
Because they care.
Because they understand something that internet comment sections often forget.
And here's the thing: Most people are kind.
I know this because I see it every day.
I see it in the donor carrying in a bag and they smile "I hope this helps."
I see it in the volunteer making tea for a nervous new starter.
I see it in the customer who says "take an extra couple of pounds".
I see it in the families who come back years later to say thank you.
I see it in communities who quietly keep showing up.
Again. And again.
And again.
A hospice is one of the purest expressions of community that exists.
Strangers helping strangers.
Not because there is something in it for them.
Because one day there may be.
And when that day comes-
They'll be grateful the hospice was there.
Behind every donation is a story.
And behind every story is a person.
*£17,000 is roughly the daily cost to run the hospice! Not a typo! Daily!
Charity Retail Association
