Hi Everybody.  What have I learnt today?

1)  That the horrors still continue in Syria.

2)  That despite many successful clear ups it has been estimated that there is still around 50 tons of rubbish left by climbers on Mount Everest.

3)  That apparently the singer Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame does huge amounts of good for young people.  Last year he apparently donated his £500,000 personal fee for judging in the TV programme, ‘The Voice’-to the Prince’s Trust.  My hat comes off to you Mr.am.

4)  That Marks and Spencer have a “PLAN A”.  They intend to be the World’s most sustainable retailer.  Superb video:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/MS-TV/b/311612031?intid=emtv_337_0_1677092086001

5)  To listen to my mother.  She said, ‘What about Marks and Spencer’?

6)  That most Big Issue Sellers are having a far far harder day than I am.

7)  That sitting around a camp fire as the night draws in, chatting, is hard to beat.

Number 1 is just atrocious, number 2 is ridiculous, 3 and 4 are inspiring, 5, I should know by now, 6 needs to be ‘changed’ now, and 7, thank goodness for 7.

Yes, I did my placard thing today!  Not for long though, the crowds were really not very interested.  No one that spoke to me had heard about crowd funding-so I enlightened them!  As I walked back to my car, placard ‘upside down’ under my arm, a group of youths said, ‘Ah, what are you crowdfunding?’ and I said, a 3 month litterpick.  ‘Oh, you’re the guy they were on about in the newspaper!’  So I felt I hadn’t totally wasted my time.

I passed a diamond merchant’s shop that I helped fit out 7 years ago…so I popped in, gave them my card and explained my pitch.  It was worth a try!  I bought a Big Issue magazine from a seller on the high street.  A middle aged man who had had an epileptic fit the night before.  No hospital treatment, no bed to sleep in, exhausted.  And I thought I had hassles.

I picked up a hitch hiker the other day.  Another human being with problems of his own, problems cascading through his life that had a life of their own.  We can ‘sometimes’ help stop the rot.

Tomorrow I employ him.  4 hours work.  £8 an hour.

The Mission: Lay-by cleared ups.
The Result:  One man £32 better off, money for electric and money for food, work well done, a bit of a chat, a cup of coffee, a bite to eat…and a dose of self-worth to add to his CV.  I hope.

Could be a very good last day of this campaign?  Lay-bys cleaned, one man a little happier and another doing what he set out to do, cleanin’ up the World and paying his helper.  One thing missing, ‘my’ pay, but I’ll be working on that-quite hard I think!

Tomorrow Folks, tomorrow.

http://www.pleasefund.us/projects/please-the-documentary-part-1