Just last week Brassall Christmas in the Park announced that their 2018 event will be cancelled. This is sad news for the community.

My first year in Ipswich I went to Christmas in the Park at Sutton Park. It was a great event, filled with children singing, local vendors, and all sorts of other things for the children to do. This is a big loss for Ipswich.

But the sad truth is, as we further and further dilute our local economy with more and more corporate chains these events will find it harder and harder to find sponsorship. Bunnings isn’t coming running to add their banner to the event. Woolworths won’t see the value in this event. And you know Costco won’t be donating any money to the cause.

Corporate Philanthropy

Before leaving university I took a course on Corporate Social Responsibility, big businesses way of saying they care.

It really doesn’t have anything to do with caring about community, or actually wanting to help, it a science that looks at being socially responsible only from a cost/benefit lens.

Many of the CSR plans I’ve seen include desired audiences, talk about mitigating reputational risks and many included a corporate foundation. Some corporations required staff to volunteer only for certain “high level” events, not the neighbourhood carols in the park.

Real Philanthropy

As time passes, and more of our spending get sucked away from the community through formula business, the citizens will start to realise that these events wouldn’t go on without the community businesses.

So this 30th of November I hope you do something great to create beautiful memories with you and your loved ones, to help them see the hidden potential in our charming little city. Sadly it will be a little harder this year to make those memories.