General Chat

where would you start 'making a difference' ?

I watched the last one a couple of nights ago, and as always find it heartening to know there are people all round the country doing amazing work. :))

Its hard to say, because for a start THEY don't know where they can make a difference, and they are in a completely strange area where they are not known.

But, I think it would do something with the homeless charities, these are the ones that seem to be the most ignored, with animal, children and cancer charities all coming way up the list. (only in my opinion, doesn't mean it's fact).

I already work hard in an organisation raising money for cancer patients and cancer research. I know that research costs so much money and that it is largely donation funded especially when it is a new treatment or drug. The cost to get it onto the market is astronomical. So that's where my money would go.

Sue xx

Any money I have spare goes two thirds to Tommys the baby charity and a third to the dogs trust.

Can't see that I'll be changing that anytime soon...sooooo fingers crossed for a lottery win for me so they'll get a lovely windfall should that day every come ! xx

Forgot to add...that if it was for a local charity or smaller charity only I'd donate it to the Miscarriage Association who also do a fantatstic job xx

i would give

half to James Cook hospital and half to zoe's place

Good question!

Firstly MS Society and the local hyperbaric chamber, I would sponsor two Special Care stations for premature babies and support Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Although that would be AFTER I had made sure family and friends were helped :-)))

I bet everyone who answers will choose to help a charity that means the most to them personally, natural isn't it?

Sue xx

I'd be fibbing if i said any different Flower lol x

aw thats easy ! zoes place, my sister place, and the pdsa, xxxx

Well thats what the secret millionaire is about though. They all give to charity, but the question was, if YOU were the secret millionaire, where would you begin?

I would give nearly all to research for Motor neuron Diesease - then make sure my family had sufficient to get by.

Supersleuth .I would give to MND too .My Dad died from that .Anything to help find a cure .

i think this is where I differ from you supersleuth...I'd make sure my family and friends (and my little family) were sorted first..THEN I'd do the charity thing...not vice versa.

Would love to say I'd do it the other way round...but I can't in all honesty. But fair play that you would. You have my respect

xx

Point missed again. It's not what would you do if you won a million.

Its what would you do if you were the secret millionaire...like the ones on TV.

Your family are already well off thanks to your generosity
You already have given generously to the bigger charity of your choice

But you are place incognito in a completely strange area, and invited to find out about the area to see which LOCAL charities you could give to. Where would you start?

As I said, I'd start with the local homeless charities, and see what's going on there. Perhaps the hostel could do with my help. Perhaps an local charity helping them to find jobs and/or homes needs my help. perhaps a meeting place is needed for those in need, for a cuppa and a place to go. Lots of local charities deal with things on an immediate level, and have nothing to do with the bigger charities that don't have that personal touch,

in that case TW I haven't got a blinking clue.

A local Childrens hospice most likely xx

Always to animal sanctuarys.

back sorry got engrossed in Richard hammond's Invisible world...I am not 'scientific' but do find it fascinating :)

Teresa has explained it really well :)

It wasn't so much about the money, we all have charities we give to or would like to give to if we had the money. It was more the actual 'doing' rather than the 'giving' that interested me. One of the things i find so interesting about it is the way the millionaires themselves are changed by the experience as much as what money they give out and to whom.

I think the 'obvious' charities, get support, as Teresa said in first post, animals,children and cancer charities...because we nearly all have a 'connection' with them...whereas the vast majority of us don't know anyone homeless personally, or an asylum seeker, or just people on the 'outside' of society for some reason.

It's the way that the 'secret millionaire' is put into a world so far from what they are used to, often that they have no idea really exists...or that they have pre-conceived ideas of..eg jobless = workshy.

Morning, Rose.

Two local causes for me. The Arts centre where I work - so we are not constantly struggling for grants or donations from the council, funding bodies or the Arts council(s) various. Some of our groups are in danger of closing and we don't want to put the fees up because they are the ones catering for young people and the elderly.

Secondly, I'd help Doorway, the local charity for homeless young people, many of them emerging from care with nowhere to go. They don't just find them homes but offering counselling for those with emotional problems.

Gwynne

Jane .... my Uncle died from MND two years ago. He was taken medication from Italy that really slowed it down. I understand there was an arguement over licensing so it was withdrawn.

He was due to have a pioneering lung pacemaker but suddendly deteriorated so was not well enough and died a few months later. He was the type of person who would have done anything for his extended family - a truely wicked diesease.

My family have set up the John Greenwood Trust - registered through C.A.F. to co-ordinate world wide research and are raising money to fund a specialist scientist. (At Sheffield I think).

As a secret millionaire I would also fund improvements for local improvements - the NHS and ambulances do not have enough equipment or understanding to support people with MND directly.

Muffy ..... sadly my reasons are only because a family experience. I would also give something back to the local carers.

So many plans but need ££££££'s !!!!!!!

I think I have flogged my answer to death Rose, everyone by now must know that my greatest wish is for my Son and his wife and 3 daughters get a 3 bedroomed council house and out of their very small 2 bedroomed one.........don't see much hope for them, so my priority would be to get details of all the 3 bedroomed houses near to the school and go round there with them and say......choose...... oh well, I can dream.....

I think I would give a percentage to charity and then put it away in the bank and get some advice as to making it go further....... there are lots of people around me that I could help......