I've been involved as a patron of the children's mentoring charity Friendship Works for more than 20 years. Beginning in 1977, Friendship Works is the oldest youth mentoring charity in the UK, providing children facing hardship with a long-term mentor to spend time with each week. Mentors build a friendship to give a child additional adult support in their life, to be a positive role model, to encourage and listen to them, and to help build their confidence.
Many parents face the kind of difficulties that mean they can't provide the amount of support their children need. By giving children extra and consistent support, we can make sure they are most of their childhood and grow up to make the choices that are right for them.
It's a cause I feel passionate about and, when I first started working with Friendship Works, it was a tiny charity with only two staff and a handful of children and families to support. One of the rewarding things about being a patron over a long period of time is seeing how the charity has grown and how my support, and that of other patrons, has contributed to that growth.
In recent years, my involvement has become more hands-on. It started in 2005 when the chief executive asked if I could help to organise and host a dinner event at the Savoy Hotel. I was delighted to be asked. It was a brave move for such a small charity and I wanted to make sure it worked. It caused sleepless nights for all involved, but with appearances by Charlie Dore and Victoria Wood it was a great success.
From there, things have grown somewhat. An Evening with the Stars is now the annual flagship event for Friendship Works. I have the role of organising the event in rotation with my fellow patron, Tim Pigott-Smith, who I helped to bring on board. We're responsible for recruiting the stars of the title, putting the programme together and promoting the event by spreading the word. I'm proud of the fact that we have been instrumental in turning this into a hugely successful annual fundraiser which has attracted much more long-term support for Friendship Works.
Past events have involved Dame Judi Dench, Michael Ball, Alfred Molina, David Morrissey, Bill Nighy and Anna Friel – in fact almost anyone who has been foolish enough to give me their telephone number. Just a month ago I was joined on stage by Sian Phillips, Michelle Dockery and Sheridan Smith to perform to a full house at the Café de Paris, which raised more than £115,000 for Friendship Works. Fellow Welshman Neil Gordon puts together a great band. It's hugely rewarding for us all to look around at the end of an event and know that we are part of a team that has resulted in such a spectacular outcome for this small, hard-working charity. And it was fun. What could be better than that?
People in the public eye are always being asked to be a patron of one charity or another, so what makes a charity-patron relationship work?
A good patron should be an ambassador who is in regular contact with the charity they support and who is willing and passionate enough to speak out when needed (and preferably without being asked) about their chosen cause. A patron should want to bully their friends, family and other contacts into supporting them too.
A patron should choose their charity carefully. Don't say yes just because you've been asked. Make sure you really respect and care about the cause. Make sure it's a charity you can really be proud of and where you think you can genuinely make a difference.
It's important to agree your role. Sit down with the staff and agree how you can best use your knowledge, influence, contacts and skills to help the charity.
Get involved, be available, communicate with the team, be ready to work hard and be one of the team. Friendship Works and the patrons who support them such as Tim and myself, have a good relationship which is based on mutual respect and agreed roles.
And my advice for charities? Make sure that your patrons care and understand about your cause. Make sure you have a role for them. Famous names on a letterhead are attractive – but if you really use your patrons they will enjoy it far more. Give them a job to do that they can do well, and you'll go far.
Friendship Works and the hard work and dedication of their volunteer mentors is a proven, cost-effective way of avoiding trouble and unhappiness in a child's later life. It shouldn't rely on charity, but it does and along with my friends I'm honoured to be able to give Friendship Works the support they need and deserve.
Jonathan Pryce is an acclaimed actor and patron of Friendship Works
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