Charities frequently act as the canary in the mine, drawing early attention to social problems such as the extent of homelessness or poverty, and leading the way in providing relief. This was particularly evident at the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. Foodbanks were in the front line as unemployment and poverty increased; women's charities reported and responded to a growth in domestic violence during the lockdown periods, as detailed in Chapter 6; Shelter campaigned to prevent eviction of tenants falling into arrears with private-sector landlords; the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) publicised an increase in the abandonment of pets; and the Alzheimer's Society spelled out how restrictions on visiting care homes were increasing the confusion and suffering of people with dementia. Charities were also engaged in the policy debate on plans for national recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in relation to the environment. Wildlife and Countryside Link, for example, proposed the establishment of a Nature Service to take on rural projects and provide employment, and CPRE, the Countryside Charity (formerly the Campaign to Protect Rural England) launched a manifesto for a ‘green recovery’ that took issue with the government's plan to ‘build, build, build’.

Generally, however, charities were in a gloomy place at the end of the second decade of the 21st century. For the best part of 20 years, until 2010, they had a reasonable relationship with government and were well protected by their general reputation and the positive associations of the word ‘charity’. It was comparatively rare during that period for them to be criticised in the media or by politicians. Lately it seems as if they are under scrutiny all the time, and there have been periods when national newspapers and television current affairs programmes seemed to be competing with each other to come up with the next charity-knocking story.

Why has this remarkable change taken place? Charities, after all, are part of a tradition that began a millennium ago in Britain of doing good, serving others, defending the poor and weak, opposing injustice and pressing for change and progress in society.