Like most people, Diary has spent its long winter evenings binge-watching the Traitors, a reality game show where a bunch of strangers compete for thousands of pounds, with the US version released this week.
Contestants are picked to be ‘faithfuls’ or ‘traitors’ to obtain the money either honestly or by deception.
This columnist was surprised to discover Wilf, who was a brilliant traitor in the original UK version of the game show, is a fundraising officer in his day job. Which got Diary thinking...
The editor was not amused by Diary’s column proposal, which was the ingenious idea of a charity sector version of the game show.
This columnist thinks Children in Need star Pudsey would be a faithful, whereas Blush, his female counterpart, would be an unscrupulous traitor keen to get the upper hand on the yellow bear for once.
Speaking of mascots, Civil Society Towers gained its own this week. Diary must issue a disclaimer, as this role may or may not have been thrust upon an unassuming squirrel.
However, this is entirely its own fault for being cute and chubby outside the office. (For anyone wondering, the squirrel would also be a traitor.)
He has been named Squilliam.
Badger blunder
In other animal-related charity news this week, disaster struck as a little badger’s home became frozen over due to plummeting temperatures. The badger looked for some rest bite at a car dealership where he’d crawled under one of the vehicles.
He was tempted to safety with biscuits, and the charity Oxfordshire Badger Group came to his rescue. He is now recovering at Nutkin Ward rescue before he can be set back into the wild.
The badger has been named Biscuit in honour of his favourite treat.
Blue Monday
The week began with Blue Monday, a term used to denote the third or fourth Monday in January as "the most depressing day of the year" since 2005.
This modern usage of the term has been dismissed in recent years as a cynical attempt by companies to convince consumers they should buy holidays and other cheering products to lift their spirits.
This year, mental health charity Samaritans recoined the day Brew Monday to call out the myth of the bleakest day of the year and encourage people to meet friends for a cuppa instead.
Diary was particularly impressed by the charity's Scottish branch, which put its own spin on the event to celebrate the country's delicious national soft drink. (Disclaimer: Diary is not currently being sponsored by Irn Bru, sadly).
It’s time to stop the myth about this Monday being ‘blue’ and instead start a conversation over a brew – or Bru 😉
— Samaritans Scotland (@Sams_Scotland) January 16, 2023
Thanks to @IrnBru for stocking up our Brew Monday stall at Glasgow Central Station today!
We are here until 2pm, come join us! 👋 #BrewMonday #BruMonday pic.twitter.com/pgFWnfIbKv
The charity has also encouraged people to create their own Brew Monday fundraising event.
Related articles
