Sunday 1 February 2009

Don't Send In The Clowns


Lack of funds is curtailing the activities of a charity that entertains sick children in hospital.

THEY spread infectious laughter among some of Scotland's sickest children in the emotionally charged atmosphere of the country's hospitals and hospices.

But the pioneering Clowndoctors charity, which has been trying to help the healing process for almost a decade, is having to cut back its life-enhancing programmes due to a lack of funds.

The clowns, all trained professional actors and performance artists, deliver their services in 14 health care units across Scotland. The charity says funding is drying up as a result of the recession hitting the financial trusts that support it.

The organisation costs £240,000 a year to run.


Is that all? What a shame that such a small sum can't be provided for such a worthy cause.

Meanwhile, there is another 'charity' which never seems to be short of a bob or two.

SmokeFree Action is headed up by the biggest fake charity of all: Action of Smoking and Health (ASH). ASH, like all the rest of the "stakeholders", were created by the government but try their best to pretend to be a grass-roots organisation. Since they are registered with the charities commission it makes it that bit easier to inspect their accounts:

Year ended 31st March 2007

Department of Health: £210,400

Wales Assembly Government: £110,000

Supporting charities: £185,228

Donations & legacies received: £11,143


Doesn't seem right, somehow.




1 comment:

banned said...

Reminds me of a story some years ago when a young Mum took her sprog to A & E; there was thus chap entertaining the assembled injured with his trick bycicle but Mum was pissed off with having to wait a while before being seen.
The Doctor turned out to be the very same entertainer !

She rattled off a complaint about it ( "my little Johny dieing while Doctor clowns around " ) before being told that.
A) Entertainment can be very theraputic and
B) The entertainer/Doctor was doing it during his lunch break.