Community and Charity

This post is third in my current series, things I love about England. This particular love comes from reading the Cambridge News and Crier, an odd little newspaper reflecting the oddness of the English. Each week there are inevitable stories of protest regarding proposed developments. The people take very seriously their grade 1 and 2 listed buildings, meaning the buildings are historical and protected. Improvements to buildings that change the appearance or layout, new developments next to listed buildings that could detract from their beauty, or large developments that increase traffic and congestion are definitely not in the cool. Tradition is more important than growth, and as an American this is refreshing, as much as it is frustrating for those businesses wishing to "modernize". What is most refreshing to me about it is the commitment of the community to writing letters, distributing leaflets, and really showing up at council meetings.
Equally impressive is the massive push for charity. There are many races and runs for various groups, but even more astounding are the really creative endeavors. For example, Perfect Pizza, down the street from us, has raised all of their pizza prices by 25 pence and absolutely all of those 25 pences will go straight to the teenage cancer fund. The local veterinary hospital needed new equipment and so they created a naked vet calendar, artistically and modestly posing around the office and with the animals; self produced, it is really very funny and touching. And there are scores of other examples.
In a sense, they are very thoughtful about both the emotional needs of people and a people's history. Perhaps my favorite example so far is a neighborhood who grew tired of being pelted with apples by unruly youth (yobs), so they bought an apple press together and are using those apples for juice to give away. In a society where healthcare and housing are a given, the people are freed up to raise money for science, preserve their local history, and create mercy from restlessness.