In praise of volunteers

Attending events forms a regular part of life for editors of small newspapers.
The three in my diary last week had something in common – they underlined the increasing need for volunteers in the community.W
ednesday evening was spent in Cheddar for the licensing of a new priest-in-charge. This service may sound like the DVLA’s job, but was a heart-warming and largely informal welcome from a packed congregation for the Rev Sue Rose and her family.
Three parish churches had been without one since the previous priest retired 15 months ago, and most of the workload fell on the (unpaid) churchwardens.
Thursday took me to the launch of 2009’s Mendip In Bloom competitions at Gaymer’s Cider House, Shepton Mallet.
Cash-poor Mendip District Council are reducing their administrative support for this event which adds a wealth of floral colours every year. So the busy volunteers have agreed to take on the extra work previously done by council officers.
Friday evening saw the launch of a natural history exhibition at Wells and Mendip Museum, which - you have guessed - also depends on volunteers to keep it open to the public.
Two things which are clear during these uncertain times is that mid-Somerset’s reliance on volunteers will grow during the recession, and we need to appreciate their value.
Philip Welch

Justice must be public

Complaints usually arrive on Thursday.
Not that we receive many. In fact I had none last week.
Most result from people reading their conviction on a criminal charge in the Journal or Gazette that morning.“What right have you to print my court case?” they ask.
“A key principle of the English legal system is that justice is seen to be done,” I reply.
“We have an obligation to ensure that justice is not done in secret.”
Nobody wants to advertise a criminal conviction to friends and family, but publicity acts as a deterrent to potential wrongdoers.
We reject suggestions from complainants that such publicity is a breach of privacy, and I would publish my own court case in this newspaper if I was convicted of a crime.
What does seem wrong is the way that rich and powerful celebrities invade other people’s privacy then demand everyone respects their own privacy when it suits them.
An example is the TV and radio host Jonathan Ross who broadcast his taunting of actor Andrew Sachs, saying Russell Brand had enjoyed sex with Mr Sachs’ granddaughter.
This is the same Jonathan Ross who used heavy duty lawyers to threaten editors with dire consequences if they dared to print an innocuous photo of him playing tennis.
Philip Welch

We all need news

You will not be surprised to learn that I am in favour of reading newspapers and opposed to Somerset County Council’s decision to save £10,000 by ceasing to buy national papers for its public libraries.
We all need to keep informed about what is happening in the wider world as the global nature of our problems with the economy, climate, environment, terrorism and poverty become ever more apparent. Lack of knowledge leads to unfounded prejudice and making the wrong decisions. Remember President George W Bush?
Certainly news and background information can be readily accessed through newspapers’ websites, but reading it on paper remains a more rewarding experience for most people, and some users question whether Somerset’s libraries have enough computer terminals to meet demand.
Nor should we forget that public libraries were founded by enlightened pioneers from an earlier age for the public’s benefit and need to be properly funded. We can also ask if wiser savings could have been made elsewhere.
For example, in the costly political propaganda pumped out relentlessly by whichever party rules in County Hall.However, there is one extremely small group of people who will be pleased to see libraries cancelling their orders for national newspapers – their editors.
They want readers to support the papers they read by buying them.
Philip Welch