A dedicated reader of a West Midlands daily newspaper has bequeathed £11,000 in her will to the title.

The lady’s cheque was sent to Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson for him to distribute to local good causes through the paper’s Charity Trust.

As editor of the Trinity Mirror daily, he is also honorary chairman of the Trust which started life in the late 1800s as the Birmingham Mail Christmas Tree Fund to provide toys for deprived children.

It changed focus in the early part of the last century to hand out thousands of pair of boots to the Second City’s shoeless youngsters.

Now called the Birmingham Mail Charity Trust, it distributes grants of up to £2,000 to deserving local community groups who have nowhere else to go for help and money has bought everything from new playground equipment to motorised wheelchairs.

All donations come from Birmingham Mail readers and local businesses keen to see the money spent only in the local community.

Steve wrote on his blog: “The £11,000 windfall for the Trust came from the will of a lady who obviously had some link with or benefit from the Trust in her earlier years.

“We’re getting in touch with her estate to find out if we can publish a story about her generosity.

“It’s a much-needed sum as, with the income of the National Lottery and dozens of charities employing powerful teams of fundraisers, donations have declined in recent years.

“For that reason, the Trust has now modernised its structure, employing a part-time fundraiser to raise its profile and using the good offices of the Birmingham Foundation to look after back-office administration and banking.

“The good news is that this new direction has already doubled donations in its first year, leading to grants of £20,000 in the last six months.

“The £11,000 cheque is very much an extra to this revenue and it will be quickly distributed to needy causes by Trustees who carefully assess applications every two months.”

Comments

James (13/03/2009 10:21:25)
Hallelujah – at last a good news story after what must have been one of the most depressing news weeks in our industry’s long and proud history!
I don’t know about anyone else but I have found stepping onto this site this week has been like navigating through a minefield – you are almost scared to open a page.
Well done to HTTP for keeping us bang up to date with the bad stuff but thanks also for remembering we all need some ‘comic’ relief at the mo.

Brendan Martin (13/03/2009 11:06:10)
Your headline is a bit misleading. She didn’t leave the newspaper the money. That would only encourage them! She left it to their trust so that they coud give it to others.

Charlotte Peters Rock (13/03/2009 11:36:30)
Not too much benefit acrues to the lady – after her own death, by this wonderful gesture of help. Only the satisfaction, during her life, that she was helping people – whether or not she could see it.
Seems to me like a good example of of pure-vein altruism. This is a commodity which is in very short supply following the 1980s/1990s/2000s scramble for cash-at-any-price.
Perhaps more examples could be gleaned, so that the balance can be redressed.
News about thieves and charlatans, rougues and killers is all very well, but that a streak of altruism still persists in our human make-up – in spite of this – is truly amazing. Hire some planes and write it across the sky!
Give us the truly human news. This woman’s bequest is a prime example of humanity at its best. And I am certain that she is not alone.
Not everyone needs the sickening bribes of ‘good fun’ and ‘red noses’ to benefit other humans.

Observer (13/03/2009 13:01:00)
Do journalists qualify as a good cause yet?

When does the Pudsey shooting season begin? (13/03/2009 13:22:10)
Well said Charlotte regarding Comic Relief! I am sick and tired of these celebrities jumping on the charity bandwagon and getting people to donate to this and Children in Need or whatever.
It would be co much better if these same celebs donated a days salary. It would have the same result and we would not have to tolerate the inane, aren’t we good for doign this chit-chat, that normally accompanys these televisual events.
How about these same people putting on an event for us hard-pressed, overworked and underpaid journos.

fred bloggs (13/03/2009 14:12:33)
When does the Pudsey shooting season begin?
Please! Hardworked, go and stand on a factory line for nine hours or dig some coal deep underground to see what hard work is. I’ve never read such selfy pitying bilge as has been the case on here for the past 6 months. It’s not just journalists that are feeling the pinch it is everybody in every newspaper and then most people in other industries.