Page 365 - James Caan - The Real Deal

35 · My Life as a Dragon

also asked to film a special show for Children In Need where kids
would pitch their business ideas to us. Most of the children who
came to see us were fourteen or fifteen, but this nine-year-old
called James Buckley tap-danced in and told us about his Look for
Loneliness campaign in schools. Lots of kids felt left out, he said,
and he wanted £5000 to print posters and badges for schools to
distribute that encouraged kids to include less popular kids in their
games.
I was very impressed by him, and really quite touched by his
selflessness, so I offered him the £5k he asked for. Then Duncan
also offered him £5k and this poor kid had to decide which
Dragon he wanted to take the money from, or if he wanted £2500
from each of us. Let me tell you, my heart was pounding as if I’d
run ten miles: there was no way I wanted this little boy to choose
Duncan over me!
‘I think,’ said little James, ‘I think I’d like to take the money
from James.’
Oh! The relief! We all shook hands, but as James was leaving
the Den Duncan had to ask him why he had taken my money and
not his. James thought about it for a second and then said:
‘Because James is the new Dragon and I didn’t want him to be
lonely.’
My heart melted, and when Christmas came round, I really
wanted to do something for him. I called his mum and asked what
James would like for Christmas. She said she’d give it some
thought and get back to me. I thought it might be a go-kart or a
Wii, but when she called she said that James had thought about it
and what he really wanted was to meet Ed Balls, the Secretary of
State for Children, Families and Schools!
How on earth was I supposed to get him that? Out came my
Rolodex, and I found a friend who knew that there’s a children’s
party at the Houses of Parliament every Christmas, and this year
the man in the Santa suit was going to be Ed Balls. Perfect.I

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