ONCE THE addictions to deadlines and grammar have gone, ageing news hounds are supposed to sink into grumbling cynicism and double-scotches.

Alasdair Forbes, for eight years the managing editor of the Phuket Gazette, has chosen instead to renew his friendship with teddy bears and other toys.

In the process he is helping to discover new ways of making life on the island easier for those in need, as well as developing his own new and now-public passion.

The hectic newspaper life, reporting the island's highs and lows each week, has gone. Times are different.

Shock Horror Probe, there are even some days now when AF, as former Gazette staffers know him, no longer even wears a necktie.

Journalists have a knack for gleaning what's going on so AF's knowledge of the many intricate networks on the island is helping him to guide the development of the Phuket Community Foundation.

While he's the first to admit many others behind the scenes have achieved much, he has somehow ended up as the PCF's spokesperson.

In plain, simple language, the PCF's aim is to take good ideas and turn them into action.

As a brokerage for good works, the PCF provides the means to achieve charitable aims and deeds that benefit communities of all kinds.

And here's where the teddy bear comes into it.

AF has been busy introducing a couple of toy libraries at schools, an idea borrowed from Australia that will enable many island children to develop that all-important gift: imagination.

While the island's children invariably look neat and proper in pressed uniforms, many tourists probably don't realise that lots of Phuket working families cannot even afford toys.

Nor, it seems, can they afford motorcycle backlights.

The other PCF project of note has been to give away hundreds of 20-baht backlights so motorcycles carrying two, four, or six at night can be seen and not splattered over the road.

Both these projects are designed to shed the spotlight on the main aim of the PCF: as a centre for community ideas and action.

''More schools are lined up for toy libraries, and we will give away more backlights,'' AF says. ''But ideally, we'd like someone to come along and manage both these projects for us.

''They are just good examples of what can be done with the kind of investment in all types of resources that a community foundation can conjure up.''

The foundation's main aim is to act as a sort of marriage broker, where people with good ideas can be helped to meet others capable of making those ideas work.

More often than not, this involves expertise, skills or simply contacts. Data lies at the heart of what's being attempted: it's the silky nose on the teddy.

For this reason, some sizeable PCF funding is going into a study that will provide a ''social map'' of Phuket's education facilities.

''We need to know how many schools there are, how many teachers, which schools are falling down etc, because education is the key to everything,'' AF says.

''Next the researchers will go to local communities, talking to village leaders about informal education, so we get a kind of a map of what skills are available everywhere.''

This information will be available to anyone who wants it, so they can tell with pin-point accuracy what's needed and where.

It's a deep and meaningful scientific study that should prove the worth of statistical analysis in helping those in most need, rather than those who make the most noise.

And as AF says, projects organised through the PCF should be ideal for companies large and small the world over who want an outlet for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in different ways, at all levels.

Meanwhile, the future for Phuket's needy seems as bright as a shining backlight.

If you have an idea, a special skill, a network of people who can help, or a spare teddy bear or two, contact AF and his colleagues through www.phuketcharity.org


Horrific Crash Kills 16 on Bus Bound for Phuket
Latest A shocking bus crash in the neighboring province of Krabi kills 16 people as they were heading for Phuket, highlighting the need for improved road safety.
Horrific Crash Kills 16 on Bus Bound for Phuket

Phuket's Grand Mosque Plan Wins the Governor
Photo Album With one in three of Phuket's population being Muslim, the prospect of a Grand Mosque is a significant ambition. And now the plan has three potential sites and the Governor's support.
Phuket's Grand Mosque Plan Wins the Governor

All Safe in Patong Emergency Rescue Practice
Photo Album A rescue drill involving a gps system and aircraft support was carried out on Patong beach today to demonstrate what should happen when tourists strike trouble at sea.
All Safe in Patong Emergency Rescue Practice

Small Phuket Beach Gains Big Eco Cleanup
Photo Album A gem of a beach, Kata Noi, gains a cleanup and some trees from the resort that benefits most from the sun, sea and sand there. Others come to help, too.
Small Phuket Beach Gains Big Eco Cleanup

Outrigger to Brand Seventh Laguna Phuket Resort
Latest The Outrigger brand now has its third Phuket resort, a sign of confidence in the island's future. This one will be at Laguna Phuket, where construction of resort No. 7 is well under way.
Outrigger to Brand Seventh Laguna Phuket Resort

Phuket Deal Spurs Free Trade for Seven Nations
World Exclusive Breakthrough talks on Phuket seal a historic deal that will lead eventually to free trade between Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Phuket Deal Spurs Free Trade for Seven Nations

Aussie Bar Solves its Beer Mat Heist Problem
Photo Album Patong these days is quiet out of season although sporting events can still attract a crowd to the Aussie Bar. Just leave those kangaroo bar mats alone, ok?
Aussie Bar Solves its Beer Mat Heist Problem

Monsoon Riders Title, Kalim Beach, June 12-14
Phuket has had surf competitions since 2002 but nothing like 2009, with three tournaments each over three days in a big new series. Local riders with face a test against the best.
Monsoon Riders Title, Kalim Beach, June 12-14

Phuket Fashion & Music Week, Patong, June 24-30
Photo Album High stepping models strutted their stuff in Patong at the preview of the first Fashion Week at Jungceylon that promises parades and a party every night.
Phuket Fashion & Music Week, Patong, June 24-30

Jabu Sunset, Sails and Champers: Photo Special
Photo Album If mahogany and moonlight and sparkling seas take your fancy, a cruise off Phuket on the Jabu may prove ideal. Phuketwan put the sailboat to the test on a day trip.
Jabu Sunset, Sails and Champers: Photo Special