On this Valentine’s Day, our CEO, Richard Owens, reflects on what we do as an organisation.

“Not for us are the sentimentalities and consumerism of the Valentine’s industry. Our love is a real and messy one. It costs us and it hurts. It takes time to heal when it is lost and it is small and fragile sometimes, especially when standing up to the powers of hate.

One of our 4 collective values is RESPECT and within this we consciously talk about love. But what is that for us in Compassion Acts? As it is such a commonly used, and perhaps abused, word, I thought I would try to expand a bit. It self-evidently comes from our background as a Christian Charity and in that tradition not only do we hear that ‘love is patient and kind’, it is also the very challenging instruction to ‘love your enemy’ and ‘love your neighbour’.

Given how hard it is to love unreservedly, because of our human frailties, it seems the only way is to make an effort, to be intentional. So the word ‘respect’ which is used as one of our core values is not a bad starting point. It’s a decision to avoid judging, to walk in another person’s shoes, to think the best of the other, celebrate differences, and love yourself enough to know your own limits and boundaries.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone, and I hope that in whatever incremental way, the love that we can share and experience here is uplifting and enlivening for us and the whole community. This Valentine’s Day, know that wearing your heart on your sleeve, being vulnerable and allowing others to be fully themselves is not only allowed, but a core part of our values as an organisation.”