Pay it forward

The marble/aventurine mix that fills the gleaming turning circle outside AAT Towers was cautiously disturbed by hesitant footsteps this week, as we were doorstepped by a charming Brummie bloke called Josh. The doorman informed us that he was collecting for the NSPCC. Ordinarily, we’d have told him any kind of plausible fib to get rid of him, but in this case, we let him do his whole kindly spiel.

Kids are born into appalling poverty and horrible circumstances every day through no fault of their own, and while we’re lucky enough to withstand some shocks — and have done so, God knows — being able to help and not doing so is a bit shitty, isn’t it? We are all temporary leaseholders of a body that works and a society that can come apart at the seams if enough of us are shits, so to echo Barack Obama: “Don’t do stupid shit.”