Just some of the letters we receive...

Peterborough District Hospital

Dorton House School

Queen Elizabeth Hospital For Children

National Deaf-blind League

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield

This Guest Editorial appeared on the London & UK Datebook website www.thedatebook.co.uk :

'Charity' - is this the definition?

   The Celebrities Guild of Great Britain

                     By David Simpson

I have often been asked to define 'charity' - and today I may have found as good an answer as ever. It involves honest dedication and heartfelt commitment to the provision of very real support and relief to the needy.

I found the answer during a conversation with an extraordinary woman - Ella Glazer - who has worked on an entirely voluntary basis for 30 years after founding the Celebrities Guild of Great Britain in 1977. It is a small organisation that operates from a modest office in Cockfosters and is carried ever-forward through Ella's energy and the dedication of several part-time staff whose salaries - in Ella's own words - 'are meagre to say the least'.

The charity accepts requests for assistance from individuals with disabilities and other charities who also work to provide support for the disabled. The charity then organises the events - with the support and participation of celebrities - to raise the funds to provide what is needed. In 30 years the Guild has provided everything from minibuses, first aid boxes, furnishings for old people's homes and musical instruments to a dance floor for the Chicken Shed Theatre, sensory gardens and portable dialysis machines . . . the list goes on for pages. Ella has no idea how many individuals have been helped . . . has no idea how many events have been organised . . . and has no idea how much has been raised in the last 30 years. Nor does she want to know. The focus of the team is entirely on tomorrow's request and how it will be achieved.

Auctions, dinners, panel games, golf tournaments and cycling marathons are just some of the events organised by the Guild to raise its funds - each and every one of them supported by a variety of celebrities and public figures from the worlds of show business, the arts and sports. None receive any form of payment for attending - not even expenses. From Barbara Windsor to Sir David Jason, from Stephanie Beacham to the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin - the photo archives are a fascinating Who's Who dating back to 1977 right up to the present.

Of their many events over the years, the Guild was the first to stage an Unsung Hero scheme to recognise and applaud those individuals who have given time and energy to help others over a period of time and with no reward or award. Now in its 23rd year, and attended over the years by various members of the royal family, it is interesting to note just how many similar schemes are now in operation across the country on both national and local scales.

The recipe for the charity's success? There are two words. The first is - respect. Respect for the individuals asking for help. Respect for the celebrities who give their time unconditionally. Respect for those attending their fundraising events. The other word is - fun. Every one fundraising commitment is made with the express aim of ensuring that all those attending have real fun. When folk have fun, you create a bond with them and the closer the bond the more generous their contributions. Two words - its strikes me - that some charities need to bring back in to their vocabularies.

Thirty years have brought changes. Foremost is the ever eager competition within the charity sector from the thousands of newly registered organisations and secondly, the changing face of our celebrity-driven culture. This is clearly evident when Ella sees younger celebrities turning up to Black Tie events in jeans and putting their feet on the table. Ever the optimist, Ella comments, 'perhaps they'll grown out of these habits' . . . I wonder.

The Celebrities Guild of Great Britain, however, stays true to its calling and carries on doing what it does best and in a manner that clearly works. It has no wish to grow larger - preferring instead to remain a size where the level of requests is manageable and the service it provides highly personal.

As it faces its 30th Anniversary, the Guild will stage two key events:

The first is a 30th Anniversary Celebration Lunch on Sunday 15th October at The Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in central London attended by many celebrities who have supported the charity over the years - 30 of which will take guests on a trip down the Guild's Memory Lane. The second is an Inaugural Poker Tournament on Sunday 10th December at the Holiday Inn in central London.

We wish the Guild every success. It is an inspiration to the power of commitment and having goodwill as the bedrock of an organisation.