from broken biscuits to building culture: why giving back is personal.
“Charity begins at home,” they say. I don’t think it should end there, but for me, that’s where it all started.
Growing up in Hackney, East London, I was raised in a community where helping others wasn’t an annual gesture. It was just what you did, every day. Our family spent time in local working men’s and women’s clubs, often alongside veterans who’d served in the armed forces. Nobody had much, but when someone needed support, we made it happen.
That spirit of generosity didn’t come with hashtags or headlines. It was about cooking a neighbour a meal. Giving time. Showing up. And above all, remembering we were part of something bigger than ourselves; the community around us.
I recently found old photos that made me smile. Me, my sister Emma and the Broken Biscuit Club. I was 9 when we formed it with our friends Claire and Tonia. We had about thirty members, doing what we could to raise money for the Electron Microscope Appeal at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney. We even had a theme song (to the tune of We Are the Ovaltineys; who remembers that?!). We raised £240.95 in our first year and kept doubling it year on year.
That sense of purpose has never left me. It still shapes how I lead, work, and live. Giving back isn’t just about donating money or volunteering (although these matter). It’s about being generous with your time, your energy, and your influence. It’s not performative. It’s personal. It’s an attitude that is homegrown.
In work and life outside it, communities are built by people who understand the power of generosity. Because when you give without expecting anything back, when you lead by example, when you lift others up, it causes a ripple effect, so that the generosity is shared further still. And that becomes your community, and your culture.
The Broken Biscuit Club isn’t around anymore, but I like to think its spirit is still going strong and that many in my network would have been dedicated members. Would you have joined?!