David Blunkett: Why do we need red noses to make us charitable?

The generosity of the British people on these very special occasions is now renowned. From wearing a red nose to celebrities allowing themselves to be presented as more foolish than ever is part of the fun and the bizarre and sometimes crazy way in which we demonstrate that we care.

Imagine, however, if this was reflected day in day out rather than on these high profile occasions, important and welcome as they are.

That is why I’m launching a cross- party inquiry supported by the Charities Aid Foundation to try and get to the bottom of why we can be so generous at particular times of our life or, particular times of the year, but see this fall away dramatically in middle age.

Charitable giving supports the hard work of tens of thousands of charities, voluntary organisations and community groups that transform lives and communities across the country.

Without them, a swathe of vital work in our communities simply would not happen – from providing medical research, supporting hospitals and helping young people to supporting disabled people, the homeless or schools.

But the decline in giving is a long term problem. Since the war, people have become progressively less inclined to give. The over-60s now make up 50 per cent of all donations to charity, compared with just over one third of donations 30 years ago. And the over-60s are now more than twice as likely to give to charity as the under 30s.

In part, this might be accounted for by the protection of incomes in retirement that we as a nation have given to older people who disproportionately continued to cast their votes compared with the young. But this is only a tiny part of the conundrum.

The proportion of all money given to charity by people under 30 has more than halved in the last 40 years. Statistics like that show that we 
cannot sit back and take our generosity for granted.

I want to investigate how we can engage young people in giving and keeping their enthusiasm throughout their lives. We will be examining ways to make sure people develop the habit of giving as they grow up from early childhood: Are schools doing the right things? Are charities helping to educate people about their work? Is society doing enough?

People who devote their time, money and expertise to charity find it a deeply fulfilling experience, and in many cases provide a lifeline for those who would otherwise struggle in these harsh times.

But they do more than that. Giving time or money to charity, supporting causes dear to your heart builds our society and makes us all stronger. Not as a substitute for what we take on as the duty of society through our taxes but because the glue that holds society together can only be sustained if people themselves feel that they wish to contribute and can see the benefit which their generosity brings to others. For young people, the act of volunteering and helping others binds them into the world in a way few other activities can.

Every young person should experience the sense of fulfilment and community spirit that giving provides, whether that is raising money for a community charity, giving some time to a local event or responding to a national or international appeal. It’s all too easy for that to be lost. As well as being the most likely to be unemployed, young people are the most liable to face struggles affording the rent or raising the deposit for a mortgage. Giving time or money is hard when so much of life feels like a struggle.

But learning to work together, support others and building something bigger than yourself should be an essential part of everyone’s education and an essential part of life.

Those who lived through the war speak about the camaraderie and community that pulled Britain through its darkest days. We need to reinvent some of that spirit so we all pull together.

The spectacle of Saturday night revelry on some of our city streets might hit the headlines, but the overwhelming majority of young people are eager to help others, anxious to support causes and keen to get involved.

A survey by the Charities Aid Foundation suggests that 9-11 year olds give as much as £20m to charity each year. Sixteen to 18-year-olds give even more. There’s no doubt that young people want to help, and this week thousands of people will show they care by getting involved in Comic Relief.

We need to harness this massive enthusiasm young people have at school to ensure there is no generation gap and all our young people grow 
up giving.