You've heard of taking payment holidays from mortgages or loans, so why not from charity donations? Such techniques may help the fundraising sector to survive the turmoil of the credit crunch, reports Third Sector (May 14). Under gloomy economic conditions, charities should protect themselves by putting a greater emphasis on cash-giving, as well as investing in retention programmes, says Simon James, planning director at WWAV Rapp Collins, a marketing agency. “Strategies to win back donors who defect must be a key focus, and charities will have to look at ways to keep causes in people's thoughts after cancellations,” he says.

But can the third sector retain its independence, when it is increasingly dependent on government funding? Susan Kramer, Cabinet Office spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, is sceptical. Small charities are distorting their plans to qualify for various government funding streams, rather than genuinely reacting to community needs, she tells The House Magazine (May 12). “So bereavement work, which is surely needed across all my community, is one year focused on ethnic minorities and another year on long-term carers. This ... is a far from optimal way to function.”

Would social work function better with the equivalent of police community support officers to complement full-time professionals? Community Service Volunteers (CSV) has been running pilot projects in Sunderland and Bromley, South London, where volunteers are matched with families who are in the child protection system on the at-risk register. They help with day-to-day tasks and lend a sympathetic ear, reports Community Care (May 15). But do social workers have reservations? Only initially, say Jean Pardey, CSV's project manager. “Once people see the volunteers and the types of volunteers and the in-depth training we do, they start to realise it's not a threat, it's a managed and supported process.”

Teachers can also usefully volunteer - as foster parents, reports The Times Educational Supplement (May 16). At Springboard School in Lancing, West Sussex, four of the 14 staff members are foster carers. Glen McPleat has cared for three boys and thinks the two roles are highly complementary. “It can be frustrating teaching hard-to-reach children. You go two steps forward and one step back. It's good to see how that works with these children at home.”

MPs are all ears for charity

Hard-pushed charities and better Westminster lobbyists than their deep-pocketed business counterparts

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There is also acute pressure in the NHS to find placements for medical students. More than 7,000 students enter medical schools across the UK each year and are being introduced to clinical settings increasingly early in their training. Consequently, arranging clinical placements has become a huge task, reports Student BMA (May 2008). Ian Noble, the British Medical Association's medical students committee chairman, says: “Placements are hugely important. But I am concerned that as student numbers have increased, the number of teachers on the wards has not increased proportionately.” Paul Anderson, a consultant physician in respiratory medicine at Sheffield Teaching NHS Trust, says that teaching is an important and rewarding part of his role, but he concedes that “there is a capacity issue”.

Media monitor

One woman didn't see the funny side after staff at an NHS clinic left a voicemail message branding her a boozy, smelly junkie, the Daily Mirror (May 15) reports. She missed a call politely telling her about an appointment at a genito-urinary centre. But the caller did not hang up properly and recorded herself and work pals saying: “She smells, she has black teeth, she's a typical either druggie or alkie because she's dead skinny.” The local NHS trust chief said: “We apologise unreservedly.”

Recycling is an unforgiving business with rigid rules. Green bins, blue bins, black bins - you could excuse a 95-year-old war veteran who is nearly blind putting a ketchup bottle in the wrong bin, couldn't you? Nope. Norwich City Council binmen refused to empty it and attached a tag warning him not to break the rules again, the Daily Mail (May 14) reports.

Police officers have been given a ticking off for wearing the chin straps on their traditional custodian helmets “inappropriately” on their bottom lip, The Daily Telegraph (May 16) reports. West Midlands Police chiefs have told officers to tuck the straps in or helmets will roll.

Leicestershire County Council spent £1 millon to protect a colony of rare newts only to discover that the colony did not exist, the Daily Express (May 16) reports. A bypass project was delayed by months and thousands spent on newt fencing and traps to protect hibernating great crested newts - who failed to wake up because they were never there in the first place.

People who don't wake up will be on the minds of University of Bath students who apply for a new foundation degree in funerals. The course, the first of its kind in Britain, will cover subjects such as disposal of remains and customer service, reports The Independent (May 13). A college spokesman said the course would provide students with “perspectives on death, dying and loss”, though presumably not on dealing with being dead drunk.

Headline of the week

'BAA BAA black sheep'
A hearing on Terminal 5 was delayed by MPs because BAA bosses were not prepared, says Building (May 16)

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