When is a donation not a donation?
Discussion
On holiday last week in the North East we decided to have a mooch around Durham Cathedral, not because we are religious especially, but to admire the magnificent architecture.
We have been in a couple of times before in the distant past whilst on holiday
Upon entry the area narrowed near the counter, it was roped off but you could still move through just about. There was a sign that said "suggested donation £3.00" (Fair enough)
You could either leave nothing or £20.00 it's entirely up to you.
I walked through intending to drop a fiver into one of the several collection points inside, when a voice behind the counter said "If you would like to leave your donation BEFORE you go in"
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
We have been in a couple of times before in the distant past whilst on holiday
Upon entry the area narrowed near the counter, it was roped off but you could still move through just about. There was a sign that said "suggested donation £3.00" (Fair enough)
You could either leave nothing or £20.00 it's entirely up to you.
I walked through intending to drop a fiver into one of the several collection points inside, when a voice behind the counter said "If you would like to leave your donation BEFORE you go in"
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
I wouldn't have taken offence at the sign, or indeed a big sell at the end about how your donations will help rebuild/maintain the XYZ part of the building, but yeah that would have annoyed me.
When I visited Durham after a decade of seeing it whilst on the train from Scotland to England, all they wanted to talk to me about was the Venerable Bede and how much of a big shot he was. They wouldn't talk to me about Cromwell using it as a prison for the Scots and most intriguingly there was a defaced Sarcophagus/Monument to some dude and his (presumably) wife which had no helpful plinth, unlike all the others.
Still worth a visit, though, and I didn't feel pressured about money on the occasion I went.
When I visited Durham after a decade of seeing it whilst on the train from Scotland to England, all they wanted to talk to me about was the Venerable Bede and how much of a big shot he was. They wouldn't talk to me about Cromwell using it as a prison for the Scots and most intriguingly there was a defaced Sarcophagus/Monument to some dude and his (presumably) wife which had no helpful plinth, unlike all the others.
Still worth a visit, though, and I didn't feel pressured about money on the occasion I went.
Wacky Racer said:
On holiday last week in the North East we decided to have a mooch around Durham Cathedral, not because we are religious especially, but to admire the magnificent architecture.
We have been in a couple of times before in the distant past whilst on holiday
Upon entry the area narrowed near the counter, it was roped off but you could still move through just about. There was a sign that said "suggested donation £3.00" (Fair enough)
You could either leave nothing or £20.00 it's entirely up to you.
I walked through intending to drop a fiver into one of the several collection points inside, when a voice behind the counter said "If you would like to leave your donation BEFORE you go in"
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
I would write that off as a sign of the times to be honest along with a clerical error. They’ve clearly placed the donation box at the entrance as in their minds they wish any donations to be made on entry combined, almost certainly, with the modern trend for most people not to make a donation. We have been in a couple of times before in the distant past whilst on holiday
Upon entry the area narrowed near the counter, it was roped off but you could still move through just about. There was a sign that said "suggested donation £3.00" (Fair enough)
You could either leave nothing or £20.00 it's entirely up to you.
I walked through intending to drop a fiver into one of the several collection points inside, when a voice behind the counter said "If you would like to leave your donation BEFORE you go in"
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
In reality, they need to either place the donation box inside or to remove the term ‘donation’ from the sign. At present they are just trying to have their cake and eat it and not getting it quite right. The result being to make well intentioned people feel awkward.
Nanook said:
Where does the money go to?
National Trust?
Church?
As that would probably make difference to whether or not I made a donation, and what size the donation was.
I would imagine it goes to the upkeep of the church (which to be fair must cost a fortune).National Trust?
Church?
As that would probably make difference to whether or not I made a donation, and what size the donation was.
https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit-us/frequen...
Wacky Racer said:
On holiday last week in the North East we decided to have a mooch around Durham Cathedral, not because we are religious especially, but to admire the magnificent architecture.
[stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
What "principle" exactly? [stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
Pothole said:
Wacky Racer said:
On holiday last week in the North East we decided to have a mooch around Durham Cathedral, not because we are religious especially, but to admire the magnificent architecture.
[stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
What "principle" exactly? [stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
Pothole said:
Wacky Racer said:
On holiday last week in the North East we decided to have a mooch around Durham Cathedral, not because we are religious especially, but to admire the magnificent architecture.
[stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
What "principle" exactly? [stuff]
I just pretended not to hear her and carried on, having a look around the building eventually leaving without donating as a matter of principle.
If the sign had said Admission £3.00 I would not have had an issue at all.
To me, a donation should be entirely at your discretion.
Thoughts?.
You need to check the wares first so you can then decide how much the donation should be.
Monkeylegend said:
The principle that if you go to a restaurant you pay for the meal after you have eaten it not before
You need to check the wares first so you can then decide how much the donation should be.
I'm not sure you need to see anything to understand how expensive the upkeep of an 800+ year old building must be. The OP's snotty attitude achieved nothing. There are plenty or restaurants at which one pays before receiving one's food, let alone eating it.You need to check the wares first so you can then decide how much the donation should be.
Wacky Racer said:
I would imagine it goes to the upkeep of the church (which to be fair must cost a fortune).
https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit-us/frequen...
No doubt. https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit-us/frequen...
And last time I looked, CoE only had several billion squid in various assets. They must really be feeling the pinch.
Pothole said:
Monkeylegend said:
The principle that if you go to a restaurant you pay for the meal after you have eaten it not before
You need to check the wares first so you can then decide how much the donation should be.
I'm not sure you need to see anything to understand how expensive the upkeep of an 800+ year old building must be. The OP's snotty attitude achieved nothing. There are plenty or restaurants at which one pays before receiving one's food, let alone eating it.You need to check the wares first so you can then decide how much the donation should be.
It's not about the cost of upkeep though, the church are very rich with £Billions invested. It's more about saying donations are voluntary then expecting someone to pay before they even set a foot inside.
If you enjoyed the visit, and feel others would (family, friends, children etc) then please donate.
If everyone took a selfish viewpoint, then these places would not survive & future generations wouid miss out.
Its part of our history & heritage, we should feel proud to donate to maintain it. It will quickly get diluted out if we don't....
If everyone took a selfish viewpoint, then these places would not survive & future generations wouid miss out.
Its part of our history & heritage, we should feel proud to donate to maintain it. It will quickly get diluted out if we don't....
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