Far from the campaign trail - a happy 10th birthday to @suffolkgiving

My days are, for those who know me in a more professional capacity, not merely an endless round of tea drinking and paper oscillation. I do have a life which balances my work, to mangle another PR catchphrase.

This evening, for example, I was at an event to celebrate the tenth birthday of the Suffolk Community Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting good works across the county and which not only raises funds in its own right but also administers endowments on behalf of donors both corporate and individual which give grants to a range of causes.

It is a bit 'great and good', as one might expect, but then Suffolk can be like that. And, whilst I occasionally joke about having become a member of the country gentry, it isn't really a role that I naturally inhabit. I do, however, give what some may see as a generous amount each year because, for one thing, I can afford to, and for another, I am rather fond of my adopted home and want to put something back into it.

I have, at various events over the past few years, met a range of outstanding individuals and groups who do incredible work for the disadvantaged and vulnerable, either picking up where the public sector has left off, or offering resources or opportunities that would not have existed otherwise. And if, in some small way, I have helped to enable them to do so, it gives me a sense that life is not as wretched as some might suggest.

You could, if you like, consider it as the 'Big Society' that was apparently such a fashionable concept five years ago but is mentioned only in passing now.

In a rural county like Suffolk, it often requires relatively small sums to make significant changes to the quality of life of the citizenry, and the Suffolk Community Foundation does much to enable local communities to empower themselves. Since its official launch in 2005, it has handed out £10 million in grants and has a similar amount in its endowment funds - it is a key player in the charitable and voluntary communities.

So, happy birthday, Suffolk Community Foundation, and many happy returns for the years ahead...