Charity Shopping for CD's.

Do you know an English, female, singer called Elkie Brooks?

I ask you because I went to one of her live concerts recently and the concert hall was "sold-out". Every seat was filled. The average age of the members of the audience must have been 63 years old. on stage, Elkie admitted that she is 67 years old and this was a suprise. If you are British and older than 21 years, admitting your age used to be reserved for officials such as the Police, your Bank and Government Agencies. I was taught that to ask a woman her age was very bad manners!

I mention the subject of age because Elkie has been singing since she was a teenager: her work is described on the pages of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkie_Brooks where her age is there for all to read. There is also a list of her CD's which have been released over her career. She is a versatile singer. Sometimes she is as loud and raucous as a bawdy fishwife calling for custom on a stormy winter's dock-side. The next minute she sings songs as softly and as any ballad which has brought you near to tears. During this concert she even sang one song 'a capella'.

Elkie Brooks, is an English singer, born in the northern City of Salford, who has been entertaining for over fifty years. It's true that she doesn't illustrate her concerts with lasers, flashing lights or thousands of kilowatts of sound. There are no projected video's. There is no revolving stage. She doesn't fly. There are no stunts. Only music. Two costumes. Six musicians. No time wasting. Just Elkie. Just song after song with a fifteen minute break in the middle. She still has the melody, talent and energy to sell every seat in a theatre for at least one of the nights of her National Tour, as well as making and selling CD's.

In my life, Charity has always been a part of British life. When I was very young, the most obvious charity was 'Rememberance Day', or 'Poppy Day'. This charity collected most of its money each November. You gave a coin in return for a deep red poppy to pin on the shoulder of your coat. The poppy reminds us of the blood-red flowers which grow in Flanders on the French/Belgian border. Where millions of men died in the 1914/1918 Great War. The charity has helped our damaged soldiers ever since. Poppy Day continues to this day. But we do not have Poppy Day Charity shops.

'Charity Shops' in the streets of our Towns and Cities are a recent phenomenon. Above their windows and doors you will read, "The Red Cross", "Sue Rider", "Cancer Relief", "RSPCA", "Help the Aged", to mention only five of the many major national societies. You may also find a shop which is named after local charity.

Some years ago, during a financial recession,  many shops began to close. People had less money to spend. Some shops were not selling 'important' items. Supermarkets cut their prices and small shops could not make a profit. As they closed, the shops and streets began to look untidy. People started to go to other shopping streets. So even the remaining food shops had fewer customers and the Towns were now losing the business taxes. They wanted the shops to re-open.

It was also a bad time for Charities; fewer shoppers gave fewer Pounds into their collection tins. So the Towns allowed Charities to 'take-over' empty shops for a reduced tax. The Charities used their shops for people to leave their unwanted items. In these shops, volunteers choose the best items and put them on display, 'For Sale', and the prices are very cheap! Everything else is re-cycled.

So, in the UK it is possible to spend a morning, or afternoon, visiting local Charity Shops. You will find clothes, hand-bags, shoes, toys, books and, perhaps, furniture. And it will always be possible to find a selection of music. Celine Dion, Sinatra, Beddingfield, Bon Jovi, Rhianna, Kylie, WetWetWet, BoyZone, Lighthouse Family, REM, R.E.O, Travis, Spice Girls, Whitesnake and even Aerosmith, among the CD's on the shelves.

But, in my region, I think people must want to keep their Elkie Brooks CD's at home.