The President's Club Annual Gala - "Men Behaving Badly"

The funds could pay for 15 ventilators or a month's accommodation for 13 families to stay with their loved ones at the London hospital

I can understand them refusing future donations (well, there won't be any) but does the GOSH charity investigate the source of all the donated money they receive to see if they feel morally justified in receiving it? Are they being too self-righteousness at the expense of children and their families?

I heard that discussion on the radio this morning Anniebach very interesting . Why should any woman make another one feel bad about what they choose to do to make money ? I can’t remember who said it but £150 ( plus huge tips apparently) for a few hours dressing up in a sexy outfit or 20 hours cleaning toilets?

The first quote was from the Independent, here's one from the Sun:

A Great Ormond Street Hospital Trust spokesman said: "The expert medical treatment that children receive at the hospital will not be affected by the return of these donations. The day-to-day care and running of Great Ormond Street Hospital Trust is entirely paid for by the NHS. GOSH charity has not taken the decision to repay this money lightly. The decision was made by the senior management team at the charity and the board of trustees, supported by the hospital."

www.thesun.co.uk/news/5437922/families-slam-great-ormond-street-hospital-london-presidents-club-donations/

I agree niggly

I'm sorry, but I think that's just dreadful! Why haven't former donations been spent bearing in mind the on going desperate need, who or what is the money being handed back to, the donators? another charity? Let's face it, the only losers here are desperately sick children and their equally desperate parents.

I have read that GOSH is returning the money it received from The Presidents' Club but that is not just the money from this year's auction which has probably not been handed over yet, but all money received in the past. Some families are not very happy about that and think that they should keep it for the benefit of the children and their families

“All monies raised in our name go to support vital work. However, due to the wholly unacceptable nature of the event we are returning previous donations and will no longer accept gifts from the Presidents Club Charitable Trust.”

Possibly the money from previous years has not yet been spent (if not, why not?) - or will they be using taxpayers' money to return these donations? To whom will the donations be returned? Another charity in more desperate need may be glad to receive it, of course.
It was accepted in good faith in previous years so personally I don't think they should return it to wherever.

As a charitable trust has been set up where will this money go to now? Back to those who donated? To the Dorchester?
Perhaps those who would ultimately benefit from this money should have a say rather than those in charge of the charities.

Providing the job description is 100% accurate I see no problem in offering the positions- but I doubt "Must smile and make pleasant conversation whilst sleezy old men grope up their skirts, pat them anywhere and expose themselves" will get many takers.

Shirley, you need to watch the Mark Steel take on it, particularly about all the men who were there but miraculously never saw anything.

Interesting discussion on radio, two feminists with different opinions . One claims some feminists are now dictating what jobs women should do , I agree with her.

Maybe grampie might like to rephrase “high end fundraising” [blushh]

I heard of someone with a similar experience NanKate when asked what she thought of the offending body part she replied " well it looks like a penis only smaller "
I don't think GOSH should have returned the money either, but reconsidered any future offers of fundraising by this group. I think I read they have recouped the money from crowd funding.

Totties encouraging old men to donate more cash.

...it’s about time we had a different tactic for high-end fundraising.

Only just come to this thread and don’t have the stamina to read all the posts. So this comment may have been made before. I noticed from the photos many of the men were smoking, I didn’t think smoking was allowed in that sort of setting.

Many years ago I remember a story where a man had exposed himself to some middle aged woman, who didn’t flinch but said something like ‘put it away man it’s hardly worth looking at’. He ran away. What a gal.

I believe there were over 300 men at the event, only a small minority apparently acted in this way - I think it unreasonable that now every man who attended is being tarred with the same brush.

I thought 'dirty old men' when it first come out lol...once they had a few tots of scotch they think they re gods gift. Also I expect because they are wealthy and donating tons of cash they thought they had the right to behave like it.....wonder what they're wives said to them when all this came out ???....I see Jimmy Tarbuck was there, he said he didn't see anything like that going on......."I bet ?

My take on this is very simple. If any man I knew had ever attended such an event, he would be crossed off my "Christmas card list", never eat a meal in my house again and if he had the cheek to talk to me about it, I would tell him in detail what a second-rate human being and utter failure as a real man I thought he was.

www.independent.co.uk/voices/presidents-club-feminism-charity-fundraising-men-only-sex-sells-appeal-harassment-equality-a8177926.html

Mark Steel. You can watch or read.

Isn't a good teacher someone who guides you in your reading?

Thank you Annie. And I really do advise you to read the story of Barrie and the tragic Llewelyn Davies family. It's always a good idea to know at least a little about something you are discussing.

Trisher, you have been a good teacher. And do not tell me what to read, please stop trying to control threads

Actually Terribull, the boys I was talking about being touched by drunken old ladies are waiters and table clearers. They are also under 18 working in venues where they don't serve the drinks but collect the glasses and they are subjected to the same sort of thing that people are pointing out that women have to suffer. I don't think anyone should suffer these indignities, male or female, but there were clues that these girls were going 'on show'. That doesn't mean they should have been groped but it's naive to believe you won't be at risk. Its a sad world sometimes.

Oh Annie do stop trying to pick holes in everything I say. Read a few books about Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family then make your own mind up. One of the titles Barrie used for Peter Pan at first was The Boy Who Hated Mothers.

But trisher that is not proof of him being a paedophile, it can be read differently if not looking for darkness in it

I don't know if he was Anniebach but a lot of what happened would be more carefully investigated today. For example in 1902 in Little White Bird (a first person story) he wrote David and I had a tremendous adventure. It was this – he passed the night with me... I took [his boots] off with all the coolness of an old hand, and then I placed him on my knee, and removed his blouse. This was a delightful experience, but I think I remained wonderfully calm until I came somewhat too suddenly to his little braces, which agitated me profoundly... I cannot proceed in public with the disrobing of David.