WHILE many invest in Sky TV or upgrading their computers, hundreds of other people in Bolton today do not even have that most basic of items: a cooker.

In Bolton last year, the Guild of Help spent more than £15,500 providing cookers for needy people who had turned to them in desperation.

At the same time, the Guild had a six per cent drop in income.

This state of affairs is not only a sad reflection of the gulf that exists between the "haves" and "have nots" today. It also highlights exactly how reliant society has become on the voluntary sector, without taking responsibility for how it finds its funding.

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