You don’t need me to tell you that the news is utterly grim at the moment.
When the latest energy price cap rise was announced last week, it became clear that the circumstances we now find ourselves in are outwith the control of ordinary people.
This is a problem that requires government action and leadership.
The sooner the better.
And while there’s very little we can do as individuals, that doesn’t stop us worrying about what’s to come.
Nor does it relieve us of the urge to scroll through social media to read the latest predictions of a winter of suffering and hardship.
So I’ve decided I’m taking a day off from it.
I’ve read all the money saving advice the internet has to offer.
And if anything, it’s made me feel worse, not better.
The bad news will still be there tomorrow. So today I’m on a quest to find the good.
From Shropshire to space – the good news is out there
I won’t pretend it’s easy to find. But I did come across a few moderately cheering tales.
And I think that’s as much as we can hope for, to be honest.
The first involves my number one favourite genre of news: wee girls being amazing.
Thirteen-year-old Lilly-Grace from Shropshire has spent the last two years rehoming abandoned and neglected pets.
She has saved 45 animals in that time.
And she and her mum now share their home and garden with a verifiable Noah’s Ark of guinea pigs, chickens, dogs and cats.
As an aside, this story has also taught me that a group of guinea pigs is known as a ‘herd’, which is the most joyful thing I’ve heard all week.
We’ll now travel on the feel-good train from Shropshire to space.
Although, given the climate emergency, I’m not sure if this next one technically counts as good news.
But pickings are slim so we’ll just go with it, shall we?
Space agency NASA has developed a giant new moon rocket which could lay the groundwork for the first bout of moonwalking in 50 years.
It could also pave the way for flights to Mars in the 2040s.
So if things get really bad on this planet, at least we’ll have other options.
There is good news for benefits claimants
Closer to home, a new benefit to provide financial support to those with disabilities has been rolled out across Scotland.
The Adult Disability Payment has replaced the Personal Independence Payment.
The Scottish Government says the new system has been designed to “treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect.”
Adult Disability Payment is now open for new applications across Scotland.
You can apply if you are between 16 years old and state pension age, need help with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long term health condition.
Apply at https://t.co/uvEdT9hwLV pic.twitter.com/1xHO7iDZiC
— Social Security Scotland (@SocSecScot) August 29, 2022
Moira Tasker, the chief executive of Inclusion Scotland said the new benefit was a “leap forward’’.
“It has the potential to enable disabled people and Scots with long-term health conditions to participate in their communities and wider Scottish society’’ she said.
‘’Whether that is through work, education, family life or simply a life lived without fear of phone calls or letters demanding repeated assessments and sanctions.’’
From the stage to the streets, we might soon be celebrating
You want more good news?
Taylor Swift has announced she will release a new album in October.
So couples on the edge of a relationship breakdown might want to hold off until then, so they’ve got a decent soundtrack for their heartbreak.
And talking of taking out the trash, the bin strikes might finally come to an end, after a new offer was made to settle the council pay dispute.
If it was up to me, I’d give the bin workers the fair pay they’ve asked for.
And then I’d add an extra 20% on top.
We’re all miserable enough without tight-fisted politicians forcing us to wade through rivers of rubbish as we’re walking down the street.
When the good news is right there on your doorstep
And finally (as newsreaders say when they’re about to move on to a segment on tap-dancing goats or something equally hopeful) my street had its own slice of good news this week.
At the weekend, my eight year old daughter invited all the neighbours to a bake stall she set up to raise money for the Child Poverty Action Group.
Out internet isn’t working which means the 8 y/o is watching CBBC which means she’s just seen two wee boys selling lemonade to raise money for charity which means she is now asking me how she can set up her own charity stall and whether I think we should put balloons on it
— Kirsty Strickland (@KirstyStricklan) July 30, 2022
Money is tight for everybody at the minute.
And I wasn’t sure she’d manage to reach her ambitious (and self-imposed) fundraising target of £100.
But reader, she absolutely smashed it.
If there’s one thing my neighbours love as much as my wee girl, it’s delicious cake. So the two combined meant we were on to a winner.
She raised an incredible £300 for the charity. And I couldn’t be more proud of all the work she put in to make it happen.
We had music playing. And neighbours, friends and family all hung about the stall for hours eating cake and chatting in the sunshine.
The bad news was still on the telly when we packed up for the day. But the brief respite was lovely and much needed.
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