Tuesday, 3 July 2007

Anne Boyd (our Funding Advisor) today ran a workshop at WBC to advise groups and individuals who are interested in applying to the Council’s one year grant programme. One of those attending was our own Maria Waszkis who is working to set up a much needed Watford association for Polish migrants. Another participant was my son, who is interested in doing some youth work based around graffiti art: all good experience for him.

I met Angela Runagall, who will be our IiP assessor. She seemed very pleasant, and we planned our assessment visit in a fortnight’s time.

At lunchtime, WCVS staff had an informal leaving lunch for Maria who has been wonderful as our temporary office administrator. Such events are always rather sad, but particularly so when the person departing is so popular and has so much to offer.

After this, I visited the YMCA to discuss procedures for checks with the Criminal Records Bureau. The YMCA are registered as an “umbrella body” with the CRB so it makes sense for us to do our checks (on staff and volunteers) via a local voluntary organisation rather than via the County Council in Hertford.

Angelo arrived at 3:00 and we sat down to talk about IT: there are so many needs, so many technologies, so many interdependencies, so many stakeholders and so many political considerations. Things are really very very complex. We talked with barely a break until about 7:00 when we agreed on the additional information that we need in order to take a decision.

Once home, I read through Farzana’s NVQ file: I am one of her "expert witnesses" and of course I am taking this responsibility very seriously.