Big Society and Aerodrome Heritage

Wouldn't this thread be better in the members only General Discussion?

Paul , I did not say whether I thought the "Big Society " would actually work, only that ifit acheived it's stated aims it might actually improve certain aspects of life in the UK.

Charity IMO , should not be subsidised by HMG.

Any charity should really be independent of government funds and thus also independent, as far as possible , of government interference.

I realise that that is not a practical proposition in many cases - but allowing one donor (ie:HMG) to have the ability to hold an axe over their heads is not a very desirable state of affairs.

Charity IMO , should not be subsidised by HMG.

or local government either for that matter... however HMG and local government should ensure an operating environment in which good charities and causes can thrive.

Any charity should really be independent of government funds and thus also independent, as far as possible , of government interference.

quite so... they should be answerable to their stakeholders rather than funding bodies.

DF's Cartoon sums it up

I'm not sure that it does - it simply reflects a popular stance.

I also think that this thread should be deleted ASAP before it gets out of hand.

It's not there yet... although it may be worth repeating the OP's message as it poses a very good relevant question:

To bring this thread back onto track, I think the Big Society is where we are helped to help ourselves - in short, if we wanted to preserve something - Harrington Thor pads for example (my own pet subject) - we would need to get a band of reliable people together, create a credible plan (almost like a business plan) that would identify what we wanted to achieve, how, and what our revenue streams would be. Then, I understand we could apply for some sort of funding (possibly Heritage Lottery Funding) - funding that would be dependant upon meeting set criteria by given dates.

Not convinced in this instance it would work (private land, low interest outside us nerds, etc). It's a lot of work, and not something you could take on lightly...