Social experiment anyone?

Just how much difference could Colchester people make to Colchester charities simply by co-ordinating effort? This was something I wondered as I shopped online using www.easyfundraising.org.uk and realised that I'd raised around £40 on my home account and a similar amount on my work account.
I'd chosen 2 different charities and both of them had around 5 supporters.
Not a lot of cash for them then. But it had cost me nothing to do.
So what would happen if a group of people, let's say Colcestrians decided to all use the same fundraising website and support the same charity? Possibly for a month at a time so that everybody's chosen charity got a turn at being supported by the whole group.
So the only change in habit would be to go to the fundraising page before making a purchase so that a percentage of sale is donated by the retailer to the charity.
Possible common retailers include amazon, premier inn, jessops, trainline, moo business cards but there are hundreds of others covering just about everything we might buy.
At the moment there doesn't seem to be a team group facility on easyfundraising so maybe we could simply post in comments below our names or tweet them, I'm @nneerraakk
It wouldn't be fair for me to choose the first charity so maybe someone else can take first comment below to add their charity of choice. The only thing I would ask is that since I'm trying to see how this works in a limited area the charity has a CO postcode registered office.
As soon as the first comment is in I will switch my account over to that charity changing to the next one on the comments list on the first of each month. I will also tweet on the first of each month using #colchesterfundraisers to let everyone know what that month's charity is.
Fingers crossed this will snowball and we'll end up with loads of funds raised for local issues.
Any questions post them in the comments below and if possible let me know on twitter that it's there.
Good luck, Colchester, let's see how we do :)
Anyone care to be first with their charity?

Girl Reading - Katie Ward

This one came recommended to me via several BookCrossing friends as the author has also been known to BookCross locally. As usual I met the suggestion with the disdain "a friend wrote this book" often inspires in me.
Then there was a book signing in Ipswich and I'm a sucker for helping people along their way, indie bookshops or small authors. Off I went and there sat Katie as their front of house for the signing session, all alone. No staff on hand to chat to, no punters queuing.
So that's me £12.99 down straight away.
Then I find from another local friend that this is a book of short stories. I hate short stories.
Having offered to pass it on to someone else it languished for less time than is common in my house before I picked it up. And got sucked in.

The author picked me up and plonked me down in Siena in the 14th century. Very neatly done, smells and sounds came to life. The description of the hospital immediately put me in mind of the possible environment of L'Hospice de la comtesse in Lille which may not look right at all but the visualisation was not of the appearance but the atmosphere.
I met the young orphan, I felt her confusion and I met the artist and began to understand the politics of Siena, the church and the people. Historical writing at it's best.

Suddenly I am removed from Siena. It's time to visit Amsterdam. Here I meet a deaf girl who struggles through the plague times. I'm reminded how childbirth was dangerous, I reminded of the harsh conditions for the insane and I'm shown the insecurities of a second wife in a first wife's household.

I've met a photographer, a medium, an MP's assistant and lots of others.I've travelled through time (thankfully mainly forwards). I've revised my stance on other people's opinions of books. This one is in no way a book of short stories. Patience will out.

As I read through I was put in mind of Barabara Erskine with her highly researched medieval fiction, Margaret Atwood with her science fiction and Vikas Swarup with his "nip around and bite you on the bum" surprise skills.

I am still left wondering though- how is it that an author so young is so skilled and what is yet to come. I will be spending another £12.99 as soon as possible. Meantime against my usual habit this one remains on the shelf!