This is slightly off topic but....
Business has a role to play in the community that it exists in. I was thinking about this on the train back from an Institute of Directors course today. It is not really a responsibility in a legal sense although of course there are rules regarding the environment, HSE etc., but it comes from the fact that if a business exists in a community then it should do what it can to help the community. After all that may well be where its next employee is drawn from.
As with most companies we give a certain amount to charities, one for example that provides information packs to local schools on drug awareness.
However one community involvement that we started last year and have continued this year is our sponsorship of a local juniors cricket club, Grindleford. The juniors season has just ended and it has been terrific to see children from age 7 to 14 enjoying the sport of cricket. There is a huge amount of effort put in by members of the club, in their own time, to provide the children with the opportunity to both train, and take part in competitions.
What has been really pleasing this year is that the number of children involved has grown so that now over 35 children are benefiting from the health and social benefits that team sport brings. The do not just come from the village but from miles around.
Given the UK's preoccupation with “out of control youth”, seeing the enjoyment 12 weeks of cricket training and matches has given, just by offering the children something to enjoy on a regular basis, has been superb. If more companies invested in such schemes we may help alleviate the problem of bored kids, just help give the kids something to do. Not all of them will turn in to the next Freddie Flintoff but they all enjoy it and the cost per head is negligible.
