Lessons from Aberystwyth: Charity begins at home

A grainy photo of Aberystwyth seafront taken during my time there as a history student in the early 1980s PIC CREDITS: Hilary Gavin

By HILARY GAVIN

CHARITY, they say, begins at home and it’s a proverb that I have, on the whole, equated with selfishness in my life.

Saying that, I’ve begun to view this short truism in a different light over the past two years as our modern-day individualistic society continues to eschew the extended family in Britain.

You could say my sister and I were blessed as children and later as adults to have supportive parents who “were there” for us both in times of crises. Of course, they weren’t rich so they didn’t loan us vast amounts of money, but they offered us something much more vital for our personal well-being – a loving home.

Of course, there was a time as an ambitious young adult when I found living at home stifling. My sole aim in life was to prove my worth in society by succeeding in my chosen profession.

Now, I won’t spend long writing this WordPress blog today, but I’m old enough now to realise that human-beings can only function coherently in society when they feel safe, secure and loved.

And the ability to integrate into our communities is so much easier for those of us whose parents instilled a sense of self-worth in us as both cherubic children and later as rebellious teenagers.

So, yes, I’ve have to say that I’m beginning to see the value in the proverb: “Charity begins at home” in a caring society.

At this point, you might be wondering why I’ve posted photos of my old seaside university town of Aberystwyth that I took in the early 1980s as a history undergraduate there.

As you can see I took a grainy picture of the prom and old castle at Aber and another one of the finish-line to what must have been a charity fun run. At the moment I can’t, for the life of me, recall the name of an old acquaintance pictured running with his arms aloft, but he was a friendly, kindly fellow student if I recall rightly.

If you ever research Aberystwyth, University of Wales, you’ll see that Aber Rag was, and possibly still is, legendary among British universities for its charity fund-raising exploits.

On the whole, most of my fellow undergraduates got roped in to some extent with Aber Rag in the early Eighties, and I have to admit I did too in my first year as “a fresher”.

A friend of mine and I joined an Aber Rag trip from Aberystwyth to rainy Manchester to rattle our collection boxes unaware the organisers hadn’t applied to the city council for fundraising licences.

Yes, you could say we were naive nineteen-year-olds, but where did my pal and I decide to set up camp to fundraise that day?

Yes, you’ve guessed it – directly outside Manchester’s City Hall, so it didn’t take long for one of the council’s licensing officials to shut us down, so to speak, by issuing us both official warnings.

Perhaps, we should have stayed at home that day in Aber? Lol!

Hilary Gavin

A freelance journalist who wants to see a return to public accountability in the local press

Hilary Gavin

Journalist & Writer

6 Southover Way

Hunston

CHICHESTER

West Sussex

PO20 1NY

Tel: 07940 444664

Email: grumpywoman@hilarygavin.blog

Hilary Gavin

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