At Lourdes I saw the Big Society in action
SIR – When David Cameron became Prime Minister he launched his dream of a “Big Society”. That dream was of a country in which people helped each other without expecting any financial reward. Cynics mocked, disbelieving that this could ever happen. However, I’m proof that there are men and women happy to give up their holiday time in order to help disabled people. I have just returned from a wonderful week in Lourdes in the care of volunteer members of the amazing Knights of Malta. These volunteers come from every walk of life: busy mums, bankers, doctors, teachers and nurses. What they have in common is unlimited kindness and caring skills, shaped by days of basic training in handling and looking after their disabled or mentally sick charges. When asked why they do it, they answer with a single voice “It is a privilege to serve such a noble cause.” As someone who is wheelchair bound as the result of a severe stroke, I really appreciated being pushed for “walks” along the river that runs past the grotto, where candles blaze, having been left there by the international visitors to this very special shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette. Throughout my week a helper was always on hand to help me in and out of bed and get showered and dressed, to make hot drinks, serve food they had cooked themselves and gather up clothes for the laundry. Throughout the country, churches of every denomination help the poor and needy just as they have done for centuries. My own parish church of St John the Evangelist, Islington, has a daily sandwich and hot drink service, the food made by an invisible team of volunteers. On bitterly cold winter nights the large crypt is converted into a warm shelter. Hot water is provided for washing, beds and sleeping bags are provided for safe refuge and, best of all. A hearty breakfast is much appreciated by the homeless, whose only shelter is a local park. Maybe that Big Society was not a dream at all. Yours faithfully, Suzanne Greaves London N1
