The importance of friends
- By Richard Branson -
- Dec 18, 2012
As we all know, there are few things in life more important than friends. Especially at this time of year, nothing is better than surrounding yourself with your nearest and dearest.
That’s why I’m glad to see David Cameron throw his weight behind Britain’s, sadly losing, battle against dementia by launching the Dementia Friends Scheme. With over 700,000 people affected by the illness in Great Britain alone, charities supporting sufferers really need this type of support – as well as the innovative research projects, like Memory Lane, that are trying to improve the life of those living with dementia.
Like people, all charities need friends, not just those that the Prime Minister backs. Everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment, giving charities an even harder time than usual to generate the funds needed to do their fantastic work every single day. They need to be more innovative, more social media savvy and generally hunt out support wherever they can.
One entrepreneurial way of generating funding that I love is society lotteries such as the People’s Postcode Lottery. Streets of players are in with the chance of winning great prizes together as communities, they have fun and all the while raise money for charities – over £21 million in this case. This money goes to fantastic causes such as The Elders, who help resolve conflict around the globe, and the Carbon War Room, who are tackling global warming.
So, with it being the season of giving, we should all befriend a charity. Because we all know, you can never have too many friends.
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
