Charity begins

One thing which has always impressed us is the number of folk who give of their time to volunteer, for no reward. There are 33 listed charities in LLandudno and more than 40 in Colwyn Bay, and that excludes churches. Many of these act as social focuses for people; Rotary, for instance - which holds weekly meetings - has members from professions across the board and a fine reputation for working hard for local charities. The Talking newspaper comprises a band of extremely dedicated individuals who give selflessly of their time to help the blind and partially sighted, a growing number in the area. The hospice is well known, as is the Air ambulance appeal, and the list includes numerous charities dedicated to helping young people. In these recessionary times, charity shops, however, are not always a welcome indicator of the financial health of a town but these shops are also seeing a drop in donations and more haggling at the check-out till. It's another worrying symptom of the recession; when money become tight, the vulnerable are the first to lose.