A neighbour of mine, with a special needs child, is saying that she is rushing through requests for essential lifting equipment in her home before these facilities become unavailable. I have heard that my Social Services authority has been asked to make savings running into tens of millions of pounds.

And the evidence from applications we are receiving for help where any local authority is involved is that it is taking longer to get on the waiting list for help, the waiting time is longer and the amount of support you can expect to receive, for people with mobility difficulties in their own home, often leaves a funding gap between the amount granted and the cost of these essential works.

The impact on most charities during these difficult times is more applications for help requesting larger sized grants at a time when our income streams are under stress. EEIBA’s Council (governing body), mostly comprises people who are working in the electrical industries and their collective view is that the industries we serve are unlikely to see improving economic conditions until 2012.

The dilemma we face in the charity world is how to do more with less. In more than thirty years in the third sector, I cannot recall such difficult times. A fact borne out by so many of our established partners in other charities facing exactly the same sort of pressures, which means that their support is becoming restricted. The impact on our welfare grants budget can be imagined.

The situation is not all gloom and doom however. Rather like the national picture, much of our time is sent talking and debating about how best to achieve efficiencies and financial cutbacks. I don’t hear much about those measures we could and should take to grow the country’s business activities which, if this happens, would mitigate some of the anticipated financial cutbacks.

The same could be said for EEIBA in that reaching out with our awareness and understanding activities should not only ensure people in need know where to turn to but also give many who don’t know about EEIBA and what we do, an opportunity to help, however modestly.

Low value donations from a large number of people really can make a huge difference, which is why we are doing so much more this year to think about and develop our marketing activities, so as to position EEIBA in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of people connected with the electrical and electronics industries who do not at this time know about us or help us. Also, for many, this is the very time when they need their benevolent fund the most.

I am also encouraged by two recent conversations. The first was with someone connected to one of our Branches who was enthused by taking on board some of our fairly simple and basic steps, along an existing model which worked so well in the Midlands, which can strengthen fundraising activity in his part of the UK. The second is that the managing director of a company is encouraging his staff to do more for EEIBA for truly altruistic reasons, in helping the charity, but also because it makes economic sense for him and his business as this support will ensure his firm’s name is also more widely seen and known.

Daniel Finkelstein in a Times article (19 May) said: “Britain is, thankfully, an increasingly tolerant and socially liberal country. And people want the old, the sick and the vulnerable to be cared for. They don’t regard public spending cuts as a liberation, they are nervous of them and support public services.” He goes on to say: “This is a Britain – moderate, socially liberal, economically liberal, tough minded – to which this new coalition speaks...” in talking about the new government.

I think he has a point. I believe EEIBA, and the people connected with EEIBA, in the circle which comprises of those on the governing body, staff, volunteers and supporters are moderate, socially and economically liberal but also tough minded.

With the times ahead, I’m convinced these tenets represent the correct approach to the next year or so.

Here is Walter’s story

In September 1953 following my return to Civvy Street from National Service in the RAF, I attended a meeting of the Midland Section of the Electrical Wholesalers Federation at the Queen’s Hotel, Birmingham and – as the new boy on the block – I was appointed EEIBA Collector and I have been connected with them to this day.

Besides collecting from the delegates at each meeting it was part of my responsibility to encourage companies to range for their staff to make regular weekly or monthly deductions from their wage packets in support of their industry charity. In addition through my connections with bodies like the Birmingham Electric Club and the ASEE Birmingham Branch, I found myself helping to organise social gatherings such as Annual Dinners and Ladies Evenings where quite substantial sums of money were raised from raffles, tombolas, etc which, I like to hope contributed consistently to EEIBA and helped it to help individuals in need.

At that time, there was one residential home – Broome Park – in Surrey which provided loving and caring accommodation for people from any part of the electrical industry needing rest and recuperation.

Over the years, the massive support from the major players in the industry like CEGB, Electricity Council, the GEC, English Electric, Ferranti etc, etc, enabled EEIBA to build other facilities.

In the 1980s, my father – then in his nineties – spent a very happy recuperation after his hospitalisation in one of EEIBA’s homes. EEIBA’s President at that time was Denys Johnson and he and I became good friends bumping into one another regularly at fundraising events in London and throughout the country.

With the break-up of the publicly-owned electricity generating concerns and the disappearance, one by one, of the ‘giants’ of the industry, income started to fall and, at the same time, the perceived needs changed and the emphasis switched to financial assistance in the home – not necessarily for medical help – so these residential centres were disposed of, one by one.

Financial help continued to come from the electricity boards, from companies like the Weir Group, from organisations like the Institution of Electrical Engineers and ELECTREX, the major electrical trade exhibition in the world, which continues to this day (for which – as a former Chairman – I am truly delighted). But the ongoing changes within the industry appear to have lost the “family feel” of days gone by, in my view. I know it is becoming harder and harder to maintain the funding at the level needed, despite the ever increasing calls for help.

Following an unfortunate episode, a company of which I was chairman, connected with the mobile phone industry, was forced out of business causing me to lose many tens of thousands of pounds, whilst the onset of the recession in 2008 lead to the termination of four of the five consultancies I had built up over the last 30 years. I was left with only 25% of my income and in trouble and who came to my rescue? Yes, you’re right – EEIBA. So, here I am thankfully in receipt of funds that have kept me going in my search for a new position where age and experience is regarded as as asset rather than a liability.

They say that what goes around comes round and it will soon be 60 years that EEIBA and I have been together during which I have gone from one extreme to another. The wheel has indeed turned full circle!

Walter Balmford
April 2010

Seven trade press colleagues, with event support from another, are to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge on 8, 9 May. They will climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours, walking more than 25 miles and climbing in excess of 10,000 feet. With the proceeds of their efforts coming to EEIBA. Have a look at their website: www.justgiving.com/eeiba3peaks Some are known for undertaking this sort of challenge, but not all. They are all stars!

And then we had a cheque in from WF Electrical, donating the proceeds of a business promotion scheme where their customers agreed to give rewards points to us. Some more stars!

The day seemed to have a bit more shine after all!

It was something of a surprise to be told in the summer of last year that EEIBA is one of four charities to benefit from the estate.

This good news, for us, is tempered by the fact I can’t thank anyone for this gift and I have no idea why this person decided to benefit us in this way.

Although over the years EEIBA receives legacies, these are difficult to predict, for understandable reasons! So we neither budget nor forecast (unless we are absolutely certain) this income stream in our projections. This is, however, one instance when the unexpected is most welcome!

So, thank you. You have a made a real difference.

It is good to hear from some of them and industry friends - some using EEIBA cards which is fantastic.

It is also an astounding and sad truth that some of the people we look after will be alone during the holidays, which makes the greetings from EEIBA more appreciated.

If the feedback from our governing body (Council) is anything to go by, which is usually the case, 2010 may see continuing hard times for us all.

This makes the letter and cheque from Carillion we have received so special. Their staff nominated EEIBA as one of 50 charities to benefit from a special series of events, marking their 10th anniversary as an independent public company. They said: “We hope this [donation] will go some way towards supporting the excellent work which is being done by EEIBA.”

The autumn and winter season of fundraising dinner dances and other events is now well under way. The season started with our long established Yorkshire Ridings Branch holding their “bit of a do”, in reality a prestigious black tie dinner dance, at the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate. Our Gloucester Branch’s Ball was well received at the Tortworth Court Four Pillars hotel on 13 November, with the Northern Ireland Branch Electric Ball coming up on 27 November. The Midlands Branch Christmas Party and our friends at the 12 Electric Club in Kent will be raising funds for EEIBA during December.

Our friends and volunteers in Scotland go in for the most spectacular Christmas Lunches with (hopefully) more than 1,000 guests at the two events in Glasgow and Edinburgh and a new lunch in Aberdeen as well. Sussex Branch is not to be outdone with no less than three Christmas Lunches in Brighton, Eastbourne and Crawley. And, Yorkshire Ridings Branch Christmas Lunch is also a firm favourite in the calendar (see the calendar of events on the website for details).

It is just amazing how our heritage of these events is supported so well, thanks to the volunteers in the Branches who put their body and soul into making it all happen.

powerBall, in the Great Room at London’s Grosvenor House, also went very well, with the industry getting behind the charity, giving their support and using this, and all our other events, as a way of entertaining their customers, clients and associates. Numbers were 200 or so down on the 2008 event with fewer premium tables and less in income from sponsorship, reflecting the difficult times during which we are living. However, net proceeds at some £225,000 were a fantastic result.

I am well aware that not everyone can attend black tie dinners, golf days, fishing competitions and all the other ways in which we try to raise money from events. This is why we are so keen to promote and develop our individual giving programmes, such as Power Lottery, company specific power draws, becoming a Senator and remembering EEIBA in your Will as a means of involving and giving everyone an opportunity to give and to know more.

The research by the Grandparents Plus charity behind the articles resonates with me. I have been thinking about how people live with poverty and impact which charities like EEIBA can have on individuals and households and how we can describe what we do in a way which engages with our supporters and donors, to enthuse and encourage them. I am also mindful that we have several welfare cases where we are supporting grandparents to look after their grandchildren.

Poverty can be said to be about not having the basic necessities of modern life. To be sure, these “basic necessities” in Great Britain bear little resemblance to other places in the world. And while we can argue about what is meant exactly by “basic necessities”, the impact of poverty in this country, and worldwide, is considerable.

Individuals and households who cannot engage fully in modern society makes us all the poorer, economically and socially. The reasons why people face poverty can be many and various (the impact of redundancy, the health of a key family member and other social issues, such as divorce). Also, some in our community face a lifetime of low incomes due to social, education, mobility, health and employment issues and prospects.

Education and welfare systems seem to provide little by way of training and support, as a life learning skill, to help us deal with crises and difficult circumstances as well as fairly basis budgeting skills.

So, as a result, some manage with living on the breadline much better than others; some just don’t cope very well and need our support and training to do so.

Anyone in the social work field will tell you that living on low income grinds away at the social fabric of families and households. Perhaps too, the prospect of little by way of change and improvement in personal and health circumstances presents an even greater significant contributory factor to feelings of well-being and optimism. The reality of coping with poverty day to day and in the future can depress even the most positive of souls. Poverty is really a huge energy block.

So the effect and impact on individuals and families when, however this achieved, someone from EEIBA (or an organisation like us) reaches out to help must, for many, be a cathartic moment. Just listening is a huge boon. Offering practical solutions and helping to think about potential ways forward makes such a difference to how people feel about themselves.

The prospect and reality of sourcing benefits and allowances, support from other organisations and our own cash grants programme must literally be seen as a godsend to so many. I think about the pensioner couple whom we helped by claiming Pension Credits and other allowances, of which they were completely unaware. By means of our knowledge and skill, EEIBA was able to almost double this couple’s weekly income, without giving them a penny of charity grant.

The impact on them was huge and lifted them out of poverty, giving them the prospect of a more positive future. Families facing the key income earner being made redundant must induce huge worries about how to manage day to day living and how to give the family the opportunities which loving and caring parents would wish their children to be able to grasp. Offering help, being there to help, is a sure way of demolishing some, if not all, of these brick walls which so many face.

It is all about the strong helping the less strong so that all of us can live full and enriching lives. As someone said to me recently, “thank goodness our industry has a charity like EEIBA”. I agree. Our commitment, by the volunteers and Branch network of supporters working in conjunction with the charity’s Trustees and staff, does so much to contribute towards the well-being of so many in our society who face such hard and difficult times.

What we have to do is to make sure EEIBA is known and understood as a key driver towards finding solutions and relieving need.

The following Monday saw President, Ian Humphreys, at EEIBA’s Scottish Forum of Branches in Edinburgh. Ian had been to the SELECT Annual Awards in Glasgow and then went to the long established Yorkshire Ridings Branch annual PowerBall in Harrogate.

He joined me and colleagues Pat Sheldrake, Claire Paton and Tracey Mackay with EEIBA Branch supporters in Scotland. We talked about our new governance structures following Council’s decision to re-organise its sub-committees which arose from some really helpful feedback we received from an earlier Branch Forum about our decision making processes.

We went through the new staff structure in relation to the welfare caseworkers and then studied a detailed finance report while looking at some of our fund-raising tools. One of the agenda items was about Scottish identity. The general consensus of the meeting was EEIBA’s awareness is poor throughout Scotland and it was felt that a lack of feedback from functions to participating companies does not help our cause. Some of the suggestions put forward including use of posters to be made available at trade counters and staff canteens, using some of the trade magazines, particularly CABLEtalk and emailing news and information to supporters.

It was also pointed out how helpful it would be to have more Scottish beneficiaries included in the case histories part of our website. I was also really pleased that a couple of the Branch supporters are happy for their name to be put forward for our new contract visitors to undertake some welfare visits in Scotland and I will follow that up in the next few weeks to make sure they are involved.

The next day I had a chance to call into the Falkirk office and to introduce myself less formally to Tracey Mackay and to pick up on several projects and issues with Claire Paton. And then onto the Electrical Distributors’ Association’s annual Scottish Function.

The EDA Scottish Function is an unusual, albeit regular, event in the industry calendar. More than fifty years ago, when the industrial manufacturing base was centred around the Midlands, Scottish wholesalers devised a very simple formula to invite manufacturing colleagues to Scotland for informal discussions and contact.

Until then, with communications as they were, they had few opportunities to meet manufacturing colleagues in the supply chain. Even though communications have improved immeasurably, it is still a very popular event for people in electrical manufacturing and wholesaling to meet up informally over a period of a few days to catch up, update, have a whinge and moan, resolve issues, make new friends and just to spend some time out of the usual hurly burly of commercial life, getting to know each other.

I have been invited to this event for more than ten years now and every time I have been, it has proved its worth in time, trouble and effort to attend. This year, with sponsorship for the forthcoming powerBall my main priority, I had a golden opportunity to undertake some discreet “begging” at some of the sessions. I brought home with me more than £2,000 in cash from fund-raising during the Function, together with a valuable voucher for a holiday package at Gleneagles Hotel which we will use at powerBall. I was able to tie up some sponsorship deals for powerBall and recruit three potential runners in the London Marathon. I need to also follow through with contacting some new faces in the industry to leverage more support for the charity.

Happily I was also joined for part of the Scottish Function by Ian Humphreys. It was helpful for him to meet and greet so many people, especially as we will meet up with many of them at powerBall in the next few weeks.

It seems our industry colleagues will support their charity even though they are facing very tough economic conditions. They share our view about keeping as much as we can in the calendar. They were very pleased to learn there will be more than 1,100 people sitting down to powerBall this year and that our Branch events continue to provide welcome income streams and regional focus.