At the weekend the Give More Campaign kicked off in West Quay Shopping Centre, Southampton.
Local charities and members of the general public were invited to make a pledge, in writing, or on camera, to Give More time, energy or money to local causes.
Research carried out by YouGov suggests that 65% of Southampton adults have given time, money or energy to causes they care about in the last six months, this is about the national average of 62%.
Interestingly, 58% of Southampton people think that need in their local community is likely to increase in the next 12 months, but in response to that, an astonishing 43% say that they could Give More money, time or energy to charity than they currently do. This statistic puts Southampton on the map (along with Sheffield) as the highest proportion of people saying that they could Give More. What a warm feeling, it makes me proud to live in Southampton, and delighted to work with a Southampton based charity.
As we (the UK) are officially back in recession, we know that need will be increasing in our communities. The Give More Campaign aim to encourage the general public to think creatively about how they might be able to Give More energy, time, or money to causes that they care about is a simple one, but hopefully the impact will have far-reaching effects.
I was certainly pleased to be invited to make my pledge and feel that, now I have publicly committed to something, I am duty bound to see it through.
How will you pledge? Who will you support? Can you Give More?
To make your pledge public: http://www.givemore.org.uk/ and click the Pledge Now button on the top right of the screen.
