One good turn deserves another...
Waiting in the queue of Topshop my eyes glaze over the array of leaflets, sweets and gift vouchers at the till point and a box of fire-exit green wristbands attracts my attention.
The wristbands are part of a recent trend that crams as many different colours as possible on to your wrist to support various charities and causes. The fire-exit green wristbands support the NSPCC's 'Full Stop' campaign.
The young girl in front of me in the queue asks if the wristbands are available in orange. Giving her a blank look and a forced smile the sales assistant replies, "They only come in green – the colour of NSPCC's campaign."
The customer, who is clearly jumping on the wristband-wagon, does not appear to be bothered by the fact that one child is killed by their parent or guardian every week in England and Wales. She is more concerned with how well she can accessorise her wardrobe with the popular wristbands.
Someone who is very concerned with contributing to charitable causes on a regular basis is Linda Giles, 40, a mature student from Chatham in Kent. Linda juggles her studies with a part time job and dedicates her Tuesday evenings to a drama group helping disabled adults develop their skills. It became clear that this is something she feels very strongly about, "I've always wanted to do voluntary work. I got in contact with a voluntary bureau and they gave me a list of options. I enjoyed drama at school and was looking to help a vulnerable group. The drama group Quercus met everything I was looking for."
Quercus is for adults aged eighteen through to their late fifties. They have a very mixed group of people with various disabilities and different levels of skill. The evening starts with a warm-up, a ball game or maybe a sign language song. If the members have a forthcoming performance they will usually break down into groups and rehearse. The activities are varied each week, sometimes focusing on costume and prop making, emphasising the fact that the group is not therapy but a social event.
Balancing her studies with a marriage, a part time job, her young son and the Tuesday evenings at Quercus is tiring but Linda believes it is worth it. "They get a lot out of the group," she said. "They enjoy drama and Quercus is a place where they can learn, build their confidence and generally have fun."
She added that the volunteers are exactly that, people who choose and want to be there. Linda emphasised the friendly atmosphere in the group, "The members see us as friends or buddies rather than supervisors. We want to be with the adults."
The drama group is a place the adults can go to, where they can be free to be themselves without the fear of being discriminated against. Although the group is large, there is clearly a strong family feel to it. They often tour schools in an attempt to educate children about the facts surrounding disabilities. Many volunteers who support people with special needs believe young children's prejudices can be changed early on. There can be a lot of stigma when it comes to disabilities.
Richard Brewster, Scope's chief executive, believes students like Linda can make a difference, "The biggest barrier disabled people face is negative attitudes. We recognise that these pervade at all levels in society but people in high profile positions must understand the impact their words can have."
The trend of wristbands is helping to combat these negative issues and the apathy to charitable causes. But it has to be asked when the fashionable wristbands tail off like all good trends do, will the fashion followers be so concerned with making poverty history or supporting the NSPCC's 'Full Stop' campaign?
It is people like Linda who are prepared to juggle their lives to contribute to charity groups and make a real difference, but for the hundreds of thousands of people wearing wristbands at least it is a start.
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