Wherever charity begins please pay a visit to Hebden Bridge

TWO letter writers (Yorkshire Post, August 3) advocate that charity should begin at home and, in principle, I endorse that maxim. I also agree with Peter Hyde that money should not be given away so freely to other countries due to the dire economic circumstances in this country.

Furthermore, it is exceptionally easy for corrupt regimes to misappropriate large amounts of money so that the ordinary people who suffer fail to receive financial and other donations. However, as a Rotarian and one who is very much committed to our motto of “service above self”, I cannot agree that all aid to other countries should cease.

There are many different forms of aid, and money can be raised to help a particular cause, such as the recent Rotarian support given to the eradication of polio on a worldwide basis.

Another project which some members of my Rotary Club still support is PhysioNet, which specialises in the collection and export of wheelchairs and other equipment to help disabled people overseas. We believe in encouraging people in other countries to help themselves.

If people choose to raise money or give practical help to specific causes in other countries, they can only foster goodwill, but more public money in this country obviously needs to be channelled into projects which benefit people directly at a local and regional level.

With reference to the original statement that charity should begin at home, I would like to take this opportunity to draw readers’ attention to the situation in Hebden Bridge. My recent visit (on July 22) was particularly illuminating because I was given a conducted tour of the town centre area which was badly afflicted by the two recent floods (on June 22 and July 9). Knaresborough Rotary Club has responded to the recent flooding of Hebden Bridge with a donation of £500 to the Rotary Club of Hebden Bridge towards their relief fund. A fellow Knaresborough Rotarian and I met Hebden Bridge Rotary Club vice-president Brian Boocock 
and Rotarian Neil Croft who acted as our hosts and explained to us the full impact of recent events.

Over four feet of water flooded parts of the town centre and damaged businesses which included a computer shop, an art gallery, a book store, numerous cafés, local produce and charity shops.

The local primary school had to be evacuated. Approximately 86 shops and businesses have suffered damage and financial loss as a result of the two flash floods. The townspeople have rallied together and most shops are now open as usual. Sandbags and skips are still in place, but the people of Hebden Bridge have displayed fortitude and courage in the face of adversity. It is obvious that, when viewed objectively, the town will suffer from the after-effects of the flooding for a long time, due to the financial impact on businesses and damage to buildings.

The second flood, on July 9, was a particularly frightening experience for many people because water flooded the areas with ferocity and very quickly. In spite of this, most businesses are now trading and the people of Hebden Bridge desperately need visitors to their town to help local businesses.

The tourist industry in my beloved county of Yorkshire has generally been very negatively affected by our wet spring and summer, and this was illustrated by the cancellation of the Great Yorkshire Show before its second day. Morale remains low in this region, so in order to boost morale and local businesses, visit our lovely Yorkshire towns and make a start to allow charity to begin at home by supporting the businesses and people of Hebden Bridge.

From: Philip Johnson, Greencliffe Drive, Clifton, York.

PETER Hyde (Yorkshire Post, August 3) perpetuates the idea that there is some divine authority behind the words “Charity begins at home” when, in my view, the words are just a cloak for meanness and selfishness.

Perhaps I am wrong but the Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins has the following entry: charity [OE] Charity begins at carus, the Latin word for dear.

This was the base of Latin caritas, dearness, love , which eventually gave us the English word. The early sense of charity, in the 12th century, was Christian love of your fellow men. The modern sense developed from the fact that supporting the needy is one of the qualities of this. The saying charity begins at home, a person’s first responsibility is for the needs of their own family and friends, dates back to the 14th century.