Alan Gandy

Somehow I’ve been set down a path since the latter part of last year. And a series of things have brought me to where I am now. The big idea, I’ve mentioned in passing a couple of times.

Only Elle and one of my oldest and closest friends know exactly what I’ve been thinking about.

So what are the things that have led me to it?

Kiva

I guess the first thing was finding Kiva.org, the micro finance site, which enables people, even those of us who don’t happen to have an awful lot give others a leg up, for what really is pocket change to us.

Elle and I made a commitment to put in $25 a month to help finance small business owners in distant lands. And continue to do so. It’s a very satisfying feeling – knowing that somewhere, for someone, that money (which lets face it we probably would have blown on wine) is doing some good.

Where the real beauty of the formula works, is that if you make that monthly commitment, eventually as it’s repaid you end up with a float, that just keeps getting reinvested and recycled. It keeps on working. Sheer genius!

Geoff Holt

We had the honour of meeting Geoff last year, for anyone who’s not heard of him, Geoff is a quadriplegic sailor. He was the first quadriplegic to sail around Britain, and when we met him he was just about to set off on his voyage to become the first to sail the Atlantic.

Geoff is a truly inspirational guy, who touches everyone he meets. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s capable, and in many ways will describe the accident that caused his disabilities as the making of him. One of the most positive thinkers I ever met.

…and what I really admire about Geoff is that he has the ability to help and inspire people whilst doing exactly what he wants to do. This is what really struck home with me personally and has influenced my thinking.

Geoff is the Royal Yachting Association Disability Sports Ambassador, and was recently awarded an MBE for his services to disabled sports. If you want to know more, you should buy Geoff’s book Walking on Water: A Voyage Around Britain and Through Life. It’s an excellent read!

An unnamed charity

We had a spat with a charity we have supported for a number of years over the summer (documented elsewhere so I won’t repeat it). I’ve lost my faith in giving my time or money to such charities after this.

When people use phrases like “plagued by well meaning volunteers”, accuse us on lying (whilst lying through their back teeth themselves), and then go on to describe us as ‘belligerent” because we happen to dare to question them on a number of their practices and terms of phrase. To my mind a charity should be MORE professional and above reproach than any other organization. This one proved themselves not!

Anyway, enough of a rant – suffice it is to say it leaves a bitter taste!

So, since these things I’ve been hatching my idea… And I’ve been pondering it, and refining it for a while now. Then along comes…

Vincent

How many ideas do we all have, that we sit on for an age – however good they are. Sometimes we need a call to action. Vincent was mine. Early this year we were asked for our help to publicise the case of a missing person – Vincent, a young Frenchman. His sister contacted us to see if we’d carry an article on him after he had been missing for six months, which of course we did.

After a day or two it struck me, we live on a relatively small island, I can find him. I did (no need to relay the whole story, you can view it here if you want to). I met his sister from the airport and we went to track him down and managed to make contact in minutes.

Seeing them reunited really touched me, the love, the devotion, the hardship he had been through all over in an instant it was very emotional. And a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

So, here I am at the conclusion…

I need to get my hands dirty, I need to do something good, and I have a plan!

Watch this space... or help me get started by clicking here…

Related posts:

1. Geoff Holt
2. 4th February 2011
3. Finally: I know what I want to do when I grow up…!