In Wimbledon, and in the UK more generally, December tends to be a time of giving.
The celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas excite a charitable spirit in the general public, and according to a Donor Pulse survey conducted by Enthuse, 80% of 18-24 year olds plan to donate to charity over the festive season.
However, this raises the question of why we can’t have this charitable impulse all year round – because people are in need of charity all year round, aren’t they?
To illustrate my point: the Trussell Trust always puts out an appeal around December for donations, and this year was no different.
It urged people to donate to their local food bank – of which there are six in Wimbledon – due to the increased demand over Christmas.
These appeals aim to direct the charitable feeling people have around the season, and they usually do this well, encouraging people to donate.
Yet, although the Trussell Trust puts out appeals all year round, they are consistently most effective in December.
And this pattern is not exclusive to food banks – from charity shops to monetary donations, people in Wimbledon are just more generous when they’re in the festive spirit.
‘I’m reminded of the need for charity more often’, Heather Leece says.
‘My school does a collection for the food bank, and we try to raise money for local charities, so I’m reminded to be charitable in my own time as well.
It’s a really wonderful part of the season.’
So, people feel more inclined to be charitable in the holiday season.
But how can we keep this charitable spirit alive for the rest of the year?
One way to do this is to donate little and often, rather than a chunk of money in December.
It feels more financially viable in most cases, and it also builds a positive habit of donating that will remain with you.
However, the main way to create meaningful change in our donation habits is self-reflection, and holding ourselves accountable.
People who are in a position to donate some of their income should, as they should recognise the fortunate position they are in in having that money, and having the luxury of being able to decide what non-essential to spend it on, rather than having to decide between basic necessities, as so many people in the UK are forced to do.
The holiday spirit will only take us so far – at a point, we must hold ourselves accountable for the good we could be putting into the world, but are choosing not to.
If every person in Wimbledon donated £2 each month, we would raise more than £31,000 a year for charity.
That is a huge amount of money that could make a massive difference to the quality of life of so many people.
And that is only the beginning of what we, as a community, could do – if we only have the strength to band together and do it.
