Each week Kevin publishes his very own Kev’s Column on-line. This week he takes a look at how the Torbay Holiday Helpers Network encapsulates the idea of a Big Society:
The thought of losing a loved one or of seeing a family member suffer is one of the worst things any of us can imagine happening in our lives.
I know from experience what this is like and it can feel like there is little to look forward to, other than taking the person you care for to their latest Hospital appointment or treatment session. Likewise for them the future is something to fear not look forward to.
Five years ago Luke Tillen, a Hotel Owner in the bay, decided to make a difference to those facing this situation after watching an episode of Channel Four’s “Secret Millionaire”. The programme had featured a small charity that provided holidays to make the lives of children who were terminally ill great in terms of enjoyment, even though they would be short in length.
The aims of the charity he founded as a result, Torbay Holiday Helpers Network, are perfectly explained on their website:
“What THHN does is not going to change any situation or cure any illnesses but what it does do is give families something positive to focus on, acts as a good distraction from hospital appointments and situations families are faced with, but most of all it gives families quality time together to build those all important memories that they will treasure forever.”
THHN is not about a large business throwing money at sponsoring an event in the hope of brand enhancement or about very wealthy individuals just writing a cheque. The core of its success is that individual businesses look at what they can offer in terms of services, for example use of a room or a free visit to an attraction, then work together to create a holiday package that makes a real difference.
Over recent years there has been a lot of debate politically about what exactly is meant by the statement “Big Society”, with various suggestions being put forward. Examples of what it might mean have been suggested from neighbours agreeing to maintain their street to councils giving an incentive to recycle. Yet for me the best example is the THHN. Their goal is to use resources that might go to waste normally, for example an unfilled bed room in a hotel or space available for visitors at an attraction, then put them together in a package that has real social value.
In the recent economic climate few small businesses could afford to offer up cash, but that does not mean their ability, or will, to support charitable causes has decreased. As THHN shows offering a service you provide can be far more effective, if put together as a package for those in need. An opportunity to contribute to society in a way that brings a huge reward, just not a monetary one.
This week I had the chance to take someone from our community to Downing Street for an event that would include a chance to meet the Prime Minister. David Cameron is known for his stated desire to create a Big Society and has himself suffered the loss of a child. It was therefore obvious who I should invite to talk to him about the best aspects of the bay, Luke Tillen of the THHN.
As the THHN website states their work will sadly not change the outcome for a family or cure an illness in the way our NHS can. Yet the impact of their work is easily seen in how a family that felt it had nothing to look forward to can create special memories to last a lifetime.
I treasure the memories of the last conversations I had with my Mum when she knew there was not long left for her in this life. I know others reading this will have similar memories of their own relatives and thanks to THHN whole families have been able to spend some special times together.
I am always clear that my focus is to achieve things, not waste time on petty point scoring. I hope that the trip to Downing Street this week will have given ideas as to how the idea of a Big Society can be made real. A few more businesses in other parts of the country being encouraged to look at charitable work via hearing about how THHN has come together would be something I would be proud to have played a little part in.
You can find out more about the work of the Torbay Holiday Helpers Network on their website: www.thhn.co.uk