Continuing our series of South London People, Angie Macdonald talks to Roy Downes, aka The Charity Man.
For the past eight years Roy Downes has been a familiar figure on many a Dulwich doorstep. Armed with his folder of letters and press clippings and a cheeky grin, it’s likely that Roy has knocked on your door and asked you to help support his chosen charity.
“I feel proud that the Dulwich neighbourhood has been exceptionally kind to me over the years,” says Roy. “This year people have taken me to their hearts.”
Roy, who is disabled and suffers from a number of illnesses including spina bifida and hydrocephalus, has been collecting for charity for twenty-two years – ever since he left school. “It’s a way of giving back,” he says. “And keeping my brain active. It also means I can look back knowing I’ve made up for some of the misdemeanours in my youth.”
Each year Roy sets himself the challenge of either a charity collection or an event. This year he is collecting for four different charities: The Blue Cross, Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, BBC1 Children in Need and Living and Loving – a HIV Children’s Project which works with children in India and Thailand.
“I raise the bar each time I set a challenge for myself,” says Roy. “I’m aiming to collect £600 for the Living and Loving Project. That money could allow a family to eat for three years. So far I’ve got £260. The remainder of the money I collect this year will be split between the other three charities.”
Over the years Roy has built up a list of regulars and once a year he pays them a visit to tell them about his challenge for the year and update them on his progress. He has regulars in Dulwich, Herne Hill and Camberwell, where he is based.
In a good week Roy can spend many hours going from door to door. But because of his ill health, he needs to pace himself. There are days when he is unable to function and he often can’t cook or hold things because of shaking in his hands.
One of the highlights of Roy’s charity work was an event he organised for BBC1 Children in Need in 2003. It was held in a restaurant near Piccadilly Circus and was attended by the actress Jenny Agutter and the Town Crier of Southwark, Peter Moore. “The icing on the cake was the attendance in full uniform of two members of the Royal Household Cavalry,” says Roy, smiling as he remembers the stir they caused.
Last year he organised an event at St Luke’s Church, Peckham in which he raised funds for Age Concern and the Royal National Lifeboat Initiative. The Mayor of Southwark attended and test match cricket and opera tickets were auctioned.
Since leaving school, Roy has raised a total of £5,061 for charity. His goal is to raise £10,000 altogether. “Once I’ve achieved that I may help other people achieve their goals.”
Roy is aiming to collect £1,500 this year. So far he’s collected £1,352, so it looks like another goal will soon be achieved.
All Roy’s hard work hasn’t gone unrecognised. In 2006 he received a Civic Award from Southwark Council “for work and dedication to the community”.
What Roy loves about his charity work is “the satisfaction of upping the stakes each year. And the reception from children in the neighbourhood. Often I’ll knock on a door and hear a child shout, ‘Mummy, it’s the Charity Man!’”
If you would like to help Roy achieve his goals and donate to a good cause at the same time you can contact him on 020 7564 1632.
