The Crippleage

The Crippleage

The Crippleage

John Alfred Groom was a London engraver and evangelical preacher, who became concerned with the plight of the poverty-stricken and often disabled girls and women who sold flowers and watercress in the streets around Farringdon Market. His work with them began when he founded the Watercress and Flower Girls’ Christian Mission in 1866. A permanent home for the mission was found in Harp Alley and Lord Shaftesbury became its first president. Religious services were held at Foresters’ Hall until its destruction in 1890, after which John Groom purchased Woodbridge Chapel, Clerkenwell.
Taking inspiration from the trend for imported handmade flowers, John Groom set up a factory in Sekforde Street, close to the Woodbridge Chapel, where disabled girls could work at making artificial flowers and thus make a living for themselves. The girls lived in houses in Sekforde Street, rented by John Groom. Further factories were subsequently built in Woodbridge Street and Haywards Place. The name of the charity was changed to John Groom’s Crippleage and Flower Girls Mission in 1907.

Cheques checking out

 

 

Cheques will be phased out by October 31 2018, the UK’s Payments Council has announced. The 15-strong body, comprising members of the banking industry, said cheques were in “long-term, terminal decline”. Chief executive Paul Smee said: “There are many more efficient ways of making payments than by paper in the 21st century, and the time is ripe for the economy as a whole to reap the benefits of its replacement.”

The council faced opposition from businesses and charities who argued that when individuals can no longer use cheques to make payments or donations they will loose money and much needed contributions. Personally I very rarely use a credit card and certainly not a debit card when making contributions to charities by post.

The Payments Council have vowed to work over the next nine years to “promote and explain” the alternatives to the public and their goal is to ensure that by the cheques death knell in 2018 there will be no scenario where customers still need to use a cheque.

Despite the decline in the use of cheques from approximately 10.9 million per day in 1990 there are still approximately 4 million cheques used each day in 2008, clearly there is still a demand, although a declining demand by the public.

If cheques are removed from the system there has to be concerns that many will resort to paying by cash and keeping large sums at home with the increased risk of theft or exploitation of the more vulnerable in society. In addition for those who have been refused access to a credit card due to unemployment or retirement the humble cheque is a safe way to make transactions by post. For those who travel aboard the travellers cheque has often been a useful back up in the event of debit card faults, another avenue that the Payments Council will need to address by 2018.

Despite the Payments Council’s pledge, there is a danger that some members of society will be denied access to a safe and convenient method of making payments. Perhaps the banks need reminding that although we use their facilities they hold and use our money, they are there to serve us, the general public not the other way round.