Giving it away

PEOPLE can be incredibly generous - as actors from York Theatre Royal discovered.They were out and about in the city for a photocall with Evening Press photographer David Harrison to promote the theatre's latest show, the Derby McQueen Affair.

It is a dark comedy about three former students and a dodgy journalist who hatch a sure-fire get-rich-quick scheme.

They invent a sob-story - a five-year-old York girl suffering from a life-threatening illness - and use it to launch a bogus charity. Before they know it, the money is rolling in.

Pure fiction, of course. Except that when they popped outside for the photocall, the actors found themselves becoming the unexpected beneficiaries of the fictional bogus charity.

Snapper Dave asked them to hold out their "collecting tins" - boxes with the face of an angelic little girl and the words Derby McQueen on the side - to pose for the photo. Before they knew it, three passers-by had dropped money in.

"They didn't even ask us what it was for!" says theatre spokesman Duncan Clarke. "We weren't shaking the tins, just holding them out because the photographer asked us to. We were only there a couple of minutes and three people put money in."

It is a story that raises a giggle of recognition from Janet Morley, fundraising manager with York's St Leonard's Hospice.

"I had the same experience." she says. "I was taking a collecting box to Acomb (to put in a shop), just walking down the street with this box in my hand, and a woman stopped me and put in £5. I was quite taken aback. All I could say was 'Oh, thank you'."

St Leonard's Hospice is a well-known local charity, and Janet thinks she heard the woman murmur something about "for the hospice" - so presumably she at least knew what she was giving to.

Not so the three people who gave to the Theatre Royal crowd. The thesps even tried to protest they were only actors: but to no avail.

We have all probably given to charity on impulse at some time, often without having a clear idea of what the money will go towards. In the case of the celebs conned into offering public statements of support for entirely fictitious charities by the Channel 4 spoof Brass Eye, it was probably attention-seeking that was the motivating force.

But what about the rest of us? Are we just conditioned to respond when we see a red tin being shaken?

Or is it something more?

Nick Lane, who wrote The Derby McQueen Affair, believes it's because it makes us feel good about ourselves. "It's like paying the daily entrance fee into the 'aren't I a good person' club," he says. Which is not to say he's cynical about human nature. He says he is a great believer in people. It's just that often, in our busy lives, we don't have time to do all we feel we should to help those less well off. "But we do have time to give money."

The main character in his new play, a former student up to his ears in debt who "creates" the character of the little girl Derby McQueen, justifies the scam to himself at first by saying he is doing his victims a favour, says Nick. "He thinks he is not stealing, he is making people feel better."

Nick was inspired to write the play by two things. One was the experience of his sister, who used to work for a fundraising firm trying to get people to sign up for charitable donations on the streets of London and Leeds.

Most people went past without signing up: but there was a significant minority who did sign up, but were in too much of a hurry to find out what they were supporting. "They could have been giving their support to a terrorist group," says Nick.

The other inspiration was the case of American woman Terri Millbrandt, who convinced her entire town that her daughter had leukaemia by cutting her hair off - and managed to raise nearly $50,000.

What staggered Nick was that even after the scam had been exposed, one man said: "Yes, we were fooled, but if the same circumstances came up again, it would probably happen again because it gave us a sense of community and we felt better about ourselves."

Janet Morley thinks there's a lot in that. It does make people feel good about themselves, she says. There is possibly also an element of "taking out insurance" about it.

"It's almost as if they think 'if I give you that, I will never need you,'" she says. She thinks it is wonderful that so many people are so giving; but wishes they would take the time sometimes to find out a bit more about what they are giving to.

"I'm always very pleased when that happens," she says. "I don't feel offended at all. People should ask."

Other charity workers agree with that: and not just because they think you should always check out the charity you are giving money to so as to make sure you're not going to be ripped off.

It is about taking notice, about caring. Simply shoving some cash into a box can be an excuse for not bothering to think about the world's problems.

"Sometimes it is easier to give money than to put yourself out and give up some of your time," says Jane Preston, business manager with York Against Cancer. "That's certainly not always the case, obviously, and we do have a really good base of support. But I think there is sometimes a tendency to think that by giving money that salves my conscience today."

James Player, deputy chief officer of Age Concern, York, says that as much as the charity appreciates the money donations it receives, often a gift of time is more important.

The charity desperately needs volunteers who would be willing to spend even one hour a week just talking to lonely older people, he says.

But in our cash-rich, time-poor society, it seems time is often the one commodity we don't have enough of to go around.

The first 25 people to contact the York Theatre Royal box office, in person or on 01904 623568, will receive a free pair of tickets for the performance of the Derby McQueen Affair on Saturday at 7.45pm

Who gives...

It is almost impossible to guess who will give money and who won't when you're doing a street collection, charity workers say. Well-heeled people might walk straight past.

"Then you'll get some youths coming who you think are going to whip the tin off you, and they empty their pockets into it!" says Jane Preston. "That's very touching."

By and large, people of all ages and backgrounds give - and don't give. Some people make a beeline for you as soon as they see you collecting, says Janet Morley. Others adopt the 'blinkered' look that means 'I can't see you'. A favourite technique for those who want to avoid giving, says Jane, is the 'deep in conversation' manoeuvre, where people will make a point of being engrossed in discussion with friends or colleagues as they pass.

and why...

A friend or family member has suffered

Because a charity is local

The 'aah' factor - cancer charities, children's charities and animal charities often find it easier to raise cash

Giving makes us feel better about ourselves

'Insurance' - if we give to a particular charity, maybe we'll never need them ourselves

The Derby McQueen Affair opens in the Theatre Royal studio tonight (Friday) at 7.45pm and runs until July 10. Tickets, priced £8 and £9 (concessions £3.50) from the Box Office on 01904 623568.

St Leonard's Hospice can be contacted on 01904 781576, York Against Cancer on 01904 764466, Age Concern York on 01904 621020.

Updated: 09:38 Friday, June 18, 2004