No matter how carefully we plan our lives, as the old saying goes, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” A twist of fate can rewrite history in a heartbeat.

The recently-departed Queen Elizabeth II experienced this at a young age when her uncle, King Edward VIII, refused to give up the love of his life and instead chose to give up the throne, making her father king.

As Queen, she selflessly dedicated her life to public service. It is reported that as a patron of more than 600 charities, she helped raise more than £1.4 billion.

It is a valuable lesson to us all to think about the importance we place on public service, civic duty, and charitable work. Here in Watford, there are many good causes and amazing work happening.

We should ask ourselves whether we cannot do something too, however little, to contribute to our society and wider town.

Whether it’s putting an extra packet of pasta in your supermarket trolley for the foodbank or finding a charity to volunteer for. By offering some of our time and effort for good causes, we improve the quality of life for others.

Even sparing two minutes to chat to a neighbour will help, especially if the cost-of-living crisis is biting hard and hitting home.

The Volunteering and Charitable Giving Community Life Survey recently reported that less than one third of people here have volunteered within the past year. This is the lowest recorded figure collected in the history of the survey.

Perhaps the legacy of Queen Elizabeth should be to inspire us to do more.

 

Cllr Matt Turmaine

Cllr Matt Turmaine

 

  • Cllr Matt Turmaine is Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Watford