For any CVS, membership renewals are a perennial nightmare. All our members needed to renew in April 2007. One group (long-standing CVS members) we have now e-mailed five times and telephoned three times all for a £15 membership fee. I am sure they will rejoin sooner or later, but meanwhile they called today and still want detailed advice on a rather delicate internal matter. What should we do?
Vanessa (our Development and Training Officer) has a much expanded workload and she is currently chasing down about twenty hares that I’ve set running. One of these hares is to book both of us on the Charity Evaluation Service’s PQASSO training. A while ago, Vanessa said that CES’s enrolment form requested far too much information, including from our strategic plan. Today, Vanessa discovered that the enrolment form is only available as an uneditable pdf file, so both our forms have to be completed in long hand with old fashioned pen and ink. Vanessa was indignant at this inefficiency, despite not usually being good IT Champion material. But Vanessa is perfect Excellence Champion material so of course she would not simply accept the situation. She challenged CES. And then she was told that the form could not be made available for editing as people kept forgetting to sign them. Vanessa asked me, “do we really want to do business with these people?” and although I secretly found the situation hilarious I knew Vanessa was right. But then, mercifully, someone at CES saw sense and mailed Vanessa an editable version of the form. Another triumph for Vanessa and for Watford CVS.
I had a lesson from Helen in erecting the Volunteer Centre’s stand as I am “doing a conference” on Saturday at the Colloseum - the launch event for the Watford Community Housing Trust. The stand all works very smoothly and I rather enjoyed it. In the afternoon I attended a meeting of the steering group for the Guidepost Trust’s research project on access to Mental Health services.
And then I worked into the evening proofing our long-awaited and soon-to-be-published Directory of Community organisations. I finally left the office about 10:00 pm. But I still had to drop by to see if the Comet Hotel in Hatfield is a suitable venue for our February 2008 county-wide trustees conference.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Today I had my first visit to North Herts CVS’s new offices, located on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Letchworth: open plan, modern, spacious, light, good wiring. I was quite envious. They are based on the first floor and there is no wheelchair access, but nor was there access at their previous premises.
I was there for a meeting of the HIC steering group and we had a very productive day sorting out the next stage of the HIC Consortium Development Plan and starting to discuss future projects. The timetable for completing this work is now pretty tight and we are just starting to feel the pressure a bit. But we are making very good progress and I am confident we will end up with a good plan. I am meeting Jacquie Hime again on Friday to try and finalise planning for the next steps.
Back home, I worked through the Value and Volumes results. There are still a few discrepancies to resolve but sometime soon I will finally be able to say that this task is completed.
The news from Burma is not good, with the military junta suppressing the pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks. I know the current Burmese dictatorship is abhorrent, but I don’t know the particular agenda of the Buddhist monks. In recent years, the words freedom and democracy have been grievously corrupted. The words now have something to do with the ability to use coercion (including invasion, terror, bombing, beatings, torture, kidnapping) to impose a way of life on other people. In both east and west, it seems deeply unfashionable to believe that people should exercise free will and enjoy personal freedom to live as they choose.
Also on the subjects of religion and politics, I watched The Protestant Revolution on television. Tonight's episode contained a line from Dr Tristram Hunt that I will long savour: "What is the connection between this urinal and the Protestant Revolution?"
I was there for a meeting of the HIC steering group and we had a very productive day sorting out the next stage of the HIC Consortium Development Plan and starting to discuss future projects. The timetable for completing this work is now pretty tight and we are just starting to feel the pressure a bit. But we are making very good progress and I am confident we will end up with a good plan. I am meeting Jacquie Hime again on Friday to try and finalise planning for the next steps.
Back home, I worked through the Value and Volumes results. There are still a few discrepancies to resolve but sometime soon I will finally be able to say that this task is completed.
The news from Burma is not good, with the military junta suppressing the pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks. I know the current Burmese dictatorship is abhorrent, but I don’t know the particular agenda of the Buddhist monks. In recent years, the words freedom and democracy have been grievously corrupted. The words now have something to do with the ability to use coercion (including invasion, terror, bombing, beatings, torture, kidnapping) to impose a way of life on other people. In both east and west, it seems deeply unfashionable to believe that people should exercise free will and enjoy personal freedom to live as they choose.
Also on the subjects of religion and politics, I watched The Protestant Revolution on television. Tonight's episode contained a line from Dr Tristram Hunt that I will long savour: "What is the connection between this urinal and the Protestant Revolution?"
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
I spent the early morning dispatching some e-mails and trying to sort out my diary (which was beginning to look a little wayward).
Promptly at 10:00 we had a meeting of our accommodation working group (expertly chaired by Pam Handley) and easy agreement was reached on the next steps. This group has now met three times and to the outsider I suppose it appears there has been little progress. But from the inside, I see this group gradually positioning itself to achieve something quite exciting.
With a continued steady hand from Pam Handley, continued commitment from the various participants, and in due course appropriate political buy-in from Watford Borough Council, I think …. Well. We shall see.
Maria (our Office Co-ordinator) is one of those people who absorbs knowledge effortlessly and seems able to turn her hand to anything. After the accommodation meeting, I spent a few happy hours with her going through the post audit journals and reversing journals. Eight weeks ago, Maria had never done any bookkeeping whatsoever. Now she knows the software as well or better than I do, and easily understood the purposes of the various journals we posted.
After this, I met with Sha-Lee (our Directory and Information worker) to talk through the first draft of the new Community Directory for Watford. Sha-Lee has collated and checked all the data and produced a simple very attractive design for the Directory. Now we are at the final proof-reading stage and it should be at the printers very soon.
Before leaving the office, I responded to the consultation Delivering Quality Health Care for Hertfordshire. I made the points that the PCTs needed to have an open honest partnership with the voluntary sector properly informed by the Compact, and that voluntary transport schemes could provide a perfectly practical and cost effective solution to the transport problems faced by many of the PCT’s users.
I finally left the office about 6:30 but still had to drop off for a few visits on the way home.
Back home, worrying news from Burma led to a minor disagreement with Jackie about whether Burma had a border with China. I was wrong of course, there is a border of about 1,000 miles. She barely crowed at all. Has there ever existed a more perfect and lovely being than my dearest Jackie? I think not.
Promptly at 10:00 we had a meeting of our accommodation working group (expertly chaired by Pam Handley) and easy agreement was reached on the next steps. This group has now met three times and to the outsider I suppose it appears there has been little progress. But from the inside, I see this group gradually positioning itself to achieve something quite exciting.
With a continued steady hand from Pam Handley, continued commitment from the various participants, and in due course appropriate political buy-in from Watford Borough Council, I think …. Well. We shall see.
Maria (our Office Co-ordinator) is one of those people who absorbs knowledge effortlessly and seems able to turn her hand to anything. After the accommodation meeting, I spent a few happy hours with her going through the post audit journals and reversing journals. Eight weeks ago, Maria had never done any bookkeeping whatsoever. Now she knows the software as well or better than I do, and easily understood the purposes of the various journals we posted.
After this, I met with Sha-Lee (our Directory and Information worker) to talk through the first draft of the new Community Directory for Watford. Sha-Lee has collated and checked all the data and produced a simple very attractive design for the Directory. Now we are at the final proof-reading stage and it should be at the printers very soon.
Before leaving the office, I responded to the consultation Delivering Quality Health Care for Hertfordshire. I made the points that the PCTs needed to have an open honest partnership with the voluntary sector properly informed by the Compact, and that voluntary transport schemes could provide a perfectly practical and cost effective solution to the transport problems faced by many of the PCT’s users.
I finally left the office about 6:30 but still had to drop off for a few visits on the way home.
Back home, worrying news from Burma led to a minor disagreement with Jackie about whether Burma had a border with China. I was wrong of course, there is a border of about 1,000 miles. She barely crowed at all. Has there ever existed a more perfect and lovely being than my dearest Jackie? I think not.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Early problems and disappointments
The day began with a particularly unpleasant storm. Hopefully it will kill off this autumn’s plague of Crane Flies (what’s the plural of Daddy Long Legs?). The rain bought out heavy traffic and this delayed my arrival at the office. When I did arrive, I found that Maria’s PC had lost its network connection. I had no real time to help with this, but instead went straight into a meeting with a group from Inspiral Arts.
Inspiral Arts are a group of arts-orientated young people. They have a huge amount to offer their community and (without wishing to sound too old and pompous) I am keen to provide as much support and encouragement as I can. On this occasion, Inspiral Arts were eager to discuss how to convince WBC to support a bid to the Community Assets Fund for money to create a community arts centre in Watford. Sadly, I had to report that timings and logistics meant that WBC could support only a bid from YMCA. I felt like a cad and a bounder. But the group took the disappointment very well and I am sure their day will come.
"Isn't it strange; they've got their acts together"
After this meeting, I spent time trying to fix Maria’s PC. But without luck. Eventually I asked Maria to contact our IT support chap Angelo as I had to rush off to a PCT “showcase” meeting in Hatfield. This seems to be the meeting at which the various Herts PCTs all publicly signed up to the commonly agreed plan. This plan identifies three different service strands (outpatients, elective surgery, emergency care) and plans accordingly. It really does seem very logical and sensible. Professor Sir George Alberti, National Clinical Director for Emergency Access, seemed very impressed with the Herts PCTs: “isn’t it strange, they’ve got their act together”.
The turnout from the voluntary sector was tiny but at least someone was present to represent the VCS view. It wasn’t me: I was beaten to the draw by a lady from the Public Consultation Forum. But I did bump into my Chair Pam Handley, whose day job is chair of North and East Herts PCT.
At the end of the day
I checked in at the office and found that Maria had successfully rejoined her PC to the network with help from our IT chap Angelo.
In the evening I finished reading the marvellous Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories. Within the book, she makes gauche and incongruous references to the technical specifications of motor cars in the apparent belief that this is what men like to read about. Jeremy Clarkson has so much to answer for. With any other female writer, these awkward references would seem clumsy and pretentious. But with Kate Atkinson they only underline the charm and character of the book and its writer.
The day began with a particularly unpleasant storm. Hopefully it will kill off this autumn’s plague of Crane Flies (what’s the plural of Daddy Long Legs?). The rain bought out heavy traffic and this delayed my arrival at the office. When I did arrive, I found that Maria’s PC had lost its network connection. I had no real time to help with this, but instead went straight into a meeting with a group from Inspiral Arts.
Inspiral Arts are a group of arts-orientated young people. They have a huge amount to offer their community and (without wishing to sound too old and pompous) I am keen to provide as much support and encouragement as I can. On this occasion, Inspiral Arts were eager to discuss how to convince WBC to support a bid to the Community Assets Fund for money to create a community arts centre in Watford. Sadly, I had to report that timings and logistics meant that WBC could support only a bid from YMCA. I felt like a cad and a bounder. But the group took the disappointment very well and I am sure their day will come.
"Isn't it strange; they've got their acts together"
After this meeting, I spent time trying to fix Maria’s PC. But without luck. Eventually I asked Maria to contact our IT support chap Angelo as I had to rush off to a PCT “showcase” meeting in Hatfield. This seems to be the meeting at which the various Herts PCTs all publicly signed up to the commonly agreed plan. This plan identifies three different service strands (outpatients, elective surgery, emergency care) and plans accordingly. It really does seem very logical and sensible. Professor Sir George Alberti, National Clinical Director for Emergency Access, seemed very impressed with the Herts PCTs: “isn’t it strange, they’ve got their act together”.
The turnout from the voluntary sector was tiny but at least someone was present to represent the VCS view. It wasn’t me: I was beaten to the draw by a lady from the Public Consultation Forum. But I did bump into my Chair Pam Handley, whose day job is chair of North and East Herts PCT.
At the end of the day
I checked in at the office and found that Maria had successfully rejoined her PC to the network with help from our IT chap Angelo.
In the evening I finished reading the marvellous Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories. Within the book, she makes gauche and incongruous references to the technical specifications of motor cars in the apparent belief that this is what men like to read about. Jeremy Clarkson has so much to answer for. With any other female writer, these awkward references would seem clumsy and pretentious. But with Kate Atkinson they only underline the charm and character of the book and its writer.
Saturday, 22 September 2007
A relaxing romantic day reminiscing with Jackie.
And I finished Russell Braddon’s biography Nancy Wake or the “Little White Mouse”. She was an Australian girl who travelled to Europe in the late 1930s, married a Marseilles businessman, and then at the outbreak of WWII helped found an escape route for allied soldiers, then fled France herself in 1942, only to return a year later as a trained SOE agent to lead a force of 7,000 Maquis in the Massif Central. An amazing story of bravery and self-sacrifice.
And I finished Russell Braddon’s biography Nancy Wake or the “Little White Mouse”. She was an Australian girl who travelled to Europe in the late 1930s, married a Marseilles businessman, and then at the outbreak of WWII helped found an escape route for allied soldiers, then fled France herself in 1942, only to return a year later as a trained SOE agent to lead a force of 7,000 Maquis in the Massif Central. An amazing story of bravery and self-sacrifice.
Friday, 21 September 2007
Talking of chairs
In the morning, I met with Pam Handley for my monthly supervision meeting. In all truthfulness, rarely a day goes by when I do not at some point have cause to be thankful that I have Pam as my Chair of trustees. At this meeting, we had a typically constructive and wide-ranging discussion about politics, needs and priorities. Enormously helpful.
After, I spoke with Helen Price about the vacant role of Chair at Volunteering Herts. I suggested that she might consider offering to fill the role for a short period. Obviously she has the skills and ability to perform this role, but I had previously been concerned that Helen is already swamped with work within Watford. But this is a good development opportunity for Helen too, and she is smart enough to make sure that Watford gains maximum benefit from her closer engagement with county-wide agendas. So I hope Helen will “allow her name to go forward”.
I confirmed to WBC that I would attend a meeting on how to overcome inequalities in health care. As I was packing my bag to leave the office, I took a call from Herts County Council who invited me to a “desktop exercise” on planning for local emergencies. I think this was in response to an enquiry I had made about emergency planning in Watford following the summer’s flooding. Anyway, I said I would attend the event to make sure that I understood what might be expected of the voluntary sector in an emergency.
I replaced the receiver and was about to leave rushing to catch a train, when I received a message that the Ministry of Defence were on the telephone for me. My curiosity piqued, I took the call. There was a very pleasant man on the telephone inviting me to a meeting in London as advance planning for Veterans Day on 27 June. Different to Remembrance Sunday, the main purpose of Veterans Day is to remind people that veterans are of all ages and backgrounds and that they make an active contribution to their communities. I couldn’t make the London meeting but said I would be interested in helping stage a Watford event on 27 June.
At the end of the call I bolted from the office and just caught my train into London for a meeting at the Disability Law Service in Whitechapel. It was a useful meeting. DLS has made enormous strides in the past month or two and is still waiting to learn the outcome of further funding bids. London seems to change every time I visit. I arrived home just after 7:00 pm and enjoyed a nice evening at home.
In the morning, I met with Pam Handley for my monthly supervision meeting. In all truthfulness, rarely a day goes by when I do not at some point have cause to be thankful that I have Pam as my Chair of trustees. At this meeting, we had a typically constructive and wide-ranging discussion about politics, needs and priorities. Enormously helpful.
After, I spoke with Helen Price about the vacant role of Chair at Volunteering Herts. I suggested that she might consider offering to fill the role for a short period. Obviously she has the skills and ability to perform this role, but I had previously been concerned that Helen is already swamped with work within Watford. But this is a good development opportunity for Helen too, and she is smart enough to make sure that Watford gains maximum benefit from her closer engagement with county-wide agendas. So I hope Helen will “allow her name to go forward”.
I confirmed to WBC that I would attend a meeting on how to overcome inequalities in health care. As I was packing my bag to leave the office, I took a call from Herts County Council who invited me to a “desktop exercise” on planning for local emergencies. I think this was in response to an enquiry I had made about emergency planning in Watford following the summer’s flooding. Anyway, I said I would attend the event to make sure that I understood what might be expected of the voluntary sector in an emergency.
I replaced the receiver and was about to leave rushing to catch a train, when I received a message that the Ministry of Defence were on the telephone for me. My curiosity piqued, I took the call. There was a very pleasant man on the telephone inviting me to a meeting in London as advance planning for Veterans Day on 27 June. Different to Remembrance Sunday, the main purpose of Veterans Day is to remind people that veterans are of all ages and backgrounds and that they make an active contribution to their communities. I couldn’t make the London meeting but said I would be interested in helping stage a Watford event on 27 June.
At the end of the call I bolted from the office and just caught my train into London for a meeting at the Disability Law Service in Whitechapel. It was a useful meeting. DLS has made enormous strides in the past month or two and is still waiting to learn the outcome of further funding bids. London seems to change every time I visit. I arrived home just after 7:00 pm and enjoyed a nice evening at home.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Herts CVS
Knowing that I had a 9:30 meeting of the CEOs from all the Herts CVSs, I arrived early this morning to get some correspondence out of the way. Then Paul Ruskin (our regional IT champion) called to say he was held up in traffic in Cambridgeshire and would be late for the Herts CVS meeting. We had a very pleasant and productive talk through some IT issues. I know the call took 47 minutes because Paul told me so just as we said goodbye. Thanks Paul.
The 9:30 meeting of Herts CVS was plagued by bad traffic in Hertfordshire too and we finally got underway about 10:00. Paul Ruskin arrived and gave an interesting presentation on database options and the development of a county-wide “share hub” to share (and publish) core information. Over the past couple of years Paul has achieved a great deal for the Cambridgeshire Circuit Riders project and as the regional IT champion, but I'm pleased to say that he still carries about him the dash and swagger of the private sector and the evangelical enthusiasm of the new convert.
Also around the table was our saintly and wise Chairperson Ian Richardson, always seeking consensus and always ready with a kind word. Almost single-handedly and with few resources, Ian has fashioned a viable CVS operation over Broxbourne and East Herts, a fantastic achievement.
Also present were the utterly divine Jacquie Hime, who has transformed the fortunes of the CVS in North Herts making it a major service provider; and the elegant and steadfast Mary Green who has drawn on bottomless reserves of patience and creativity to sustain a CVS presence in Three Rivers; and the intrepid but demure Ann Jansz of Stevenage who very ably represents the county’s voluntary sector on Hertfordshire Forward; and the vivacious and adroit Laura Cronshaw who delivers an excellent CVS service in St Albans; and of course the charming and perspicacious Robin Charnley of Hertsmere who, equipped only with a sow’s ear, makes sure that voluntarism has a strong voice throughout Hertsmere.
That’s enough flattery for now. But my point is that the Herts CVS group are all intelligent and good people working hard to secure the best possible conditions for voluntarism. In this I think the County is well-served. The question is always: how best to co-ordinate our efforts when we each operate in such different circumstances?
Connexions
In the afternoon I met with our three Connexions Personal Advisors (Des, Farzana and Saud) to go through the feedback from our contract manager Louise Jones. This was extremely useful and also interesting as it highlighted one or two practical difficulties. For example, at each meeting with a young “client”, the system requires the PA to write up a few key points and get the client to sign their name to the sheet. But often the clients are in some state of crisis and always they resist formality to a greater or lesser extent. And the mere act of requesting a signature transforms the meeting and the relationship, not necessarily for the better.
Other things
Later in the afternoon I had a call from a BBC producer who had just finished recording at a local supermarket and who had a “van full of dry goods" to donate to a local charity. We do receive calls like this fairly often and are always pleased to help divert goods to our member organisations. In this instance, I suggested that the BBC contact the excellent New Hope Trust.
Vanessa asked about recruiting for a food hygeine course. Funding had been provided by Watford Borough Council and spaces were very limited - I suggested that she promote the course only to our member organisations. It’s often difficult to define which groups can benefit from each service, but when spaces are limited we have to give priority to our members.
Knowing that I had a 9:30 meeting of the CEOs from all the Herts CVSs, I arrived early this morning to get some correspondence out of the way. Then Paul Ruskin (our regional IT champion) called to say he was held up in traffic in Cambridgeshire and would be late for the Herts CVS meeting. We had a very pleasant and productive talk through some IT issues. I know the call took 47 minutes because Paul told me so just as we said goodbye. Thanks Paul.
The 9:30 meeting of Herts CVS was plagued by bad traffic in Hertfordshire too and we finally got underway about 10:00. Paul Ruskin arrived and gave an interesting presentation on database options and the development of a county-wide “share hub” to share (and publish) core information. Over the past couple of years Paul has achieved a great deal for the Cambridgeshire Circuit Riders project and as the regional IT champion, but I'm pleased to say that he still carries about him the dash and swagger of the private sector and the evangelical enthusiasm of the new convert.
Also around the table was our saintly and wise Chairperson Ian Richardson, always seeking consensus and always ready with a kind word. Almost single-handedly and with few resources, Ian has fashioned a viable CVS operation over Broxbourne and East Herts, a fantastic achievement.
Also present were the utterly divine Jacquie Hime, who has transformed the fortunes of the CVS in North Herts making it a major service provider; and the elegant and steadfast Mary Green who has drawn on bottomless reserves of patience and creativity to sustain a CVS presence in Three Rivers; and the intrepid but demure Ann Jansz of Stevenage who very ably represents the county’s voluntary sector on Hertfordshire Forward; and the vivacious and adroit Laura Cronshaw who delivers an excellent CVS service in St Albans; and of course the charming and perspicacious Robin Charnley of Hertsmere who, equipped only with a sow’s ear, makes sure that voluntarism has a strong voice throughout Hertsmere.
That’s enough flattery for now. But my point is that the Herts CVS group are all intelligent and good people working hard to secure the best possible conditions for voluntarism. In this I think the County is well-served. The question is always: how best to co-ordinate our efforts when we each operate in such different circumstances?
Connexions
In the afternoon I met with our three Connexions Personal Advisors (Des, Farzana and Saud) to go through the feedback from our contract manager Louise Jones. This was extremely useful and also interesting as it highlighted one or two practical difficulties. For example, at each meeting with a young “client”, the system requires the PA to write up a few key points and get the client to sign their name to the sheet. But often the clients are in some state of crisis and always they resist formality to a greater or lesser extent. And the mere act of requesting a signature transforms the meeting and the relationship, not necessarily for the better.
Other things
Later in the afternoon I had a call from a BBC producer who had just finished recording at a local supermarket and who had a “van full of dry goods" to donate to a local charity. We do receive calls like this fairly often and are always pleased to help divert goods to our member organisations. In this instance, I suggested that the BBC contact the excellent New Hope Trust.
Vanessa asked about recruiting for a food hygeine course. Funding had been provided by Watford Borough Council and spaces were very limited - I suggested that she promote the course only to our member organisations. It’s often difficult to define which groups can benefit from each service, but when spaces are limited we have to give priority to our members.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
I had tried to arrive early but heavy traffic delayed me. I arrived only just on time and had mixed feelings on discovering that my first meeting of the day (with a local group on charity registration) had been cancelled. Instead, I gratefully busied myself dispatching several overdue e-mails.
Later in the day I had a lengthy discussion with Laura here about voluntary transport in general and the PCT re-organisation in particular. Laura has identified seven voluntary organisations in Watford that use volunteer drivers, and an overall shortfall of 20-30 volunteer drivers. The current health service consultations are exposing major concerns about hospital transport. Yet the PCTs cut funding for our transport scheme a year ago. Laura is attending a health “transport summit” in tomorrow in Welwyn Garden City so maybe there is hope …
I heard from WBC that their preference is to bid to the Community Assets Fund for the Orbital Community Centre. This makes sense, and may leave the way open for continued negotiations / discussions around the scenery store.
The Sunflower Centre dropped by to erect an exhibition on domestic violence.
In the afternoon I left for home (dropping off to get some cheques signed), enjoyed an hour with Jackie and then went to Hertford to chair another PCT consultation meeting. This turned out to be not in St Andrew’s Church Hall as I had been told, but in St Andrew’s Church. This was quite an unexpected and magnificent treat.
I did not feel that the panel’s presentations and responses were quite as persuassive as at the Potters Bar meeting. Some responses to questions were even a little curt: perhaps PCT staff are feeling jaded as they near end of their sixteen week consultation period.
Later in the day I had a lengthy discussion with Laura here about voluntary transport in general and the PCT re-organisation in particular. Laura has identified seven voluntary organisations in Watford that use volunteer drivers, and an overall shortfall of 20-30 volunteer drivers. The current health service consultations are exposing major concerns about hospital transport. Yet the PCTs cut funding for our transport scheme a year ago. Laura is attending a health “transport summit” in tomorrow in Welwyn Garden City so maybe there is hope …
I heard from WBC that their preference is to bid to the Community Assets Fund for the Orbital Community Centre. This makes sense, and may leave the way open for continued negotiations / discussions around the scenery store.
The Sunflower Centre dropped by to erect an exhibition on domestic violence.
In the afternoon I left for home (dropping off to get some cheques signed), enjoyed an hour with Jackie and then went to Hertford to chair another PCT consultation meeting. This turned out to be not in St Andrew’s Church Hall as I had been told, but in St Andrew’s Church. This was quite an unexpected and magnificent treat.
I did not feel that the panel’s presentations and responses were quite as persuassive as at the Potters Bar meeting. Some responses to questions were even a little curt: perhaps PCT staff are feeling jaded as they near end of their sixteen week consultation period.
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Another fun day cram-packed with competing priorities
I started the morning with a very nice e-mail from Leslie Billy at Guideposts Trust: Just a quick note to say thank you very much for organising the theatre trip on Friday, Lorna, Howard, clients and I really enjoyed the evening and was very impressed with actors/actresses. Please pass our sincere regards to all the people involved in helping you to organise Friday’s event you should be very proud of your staff team and volunteers it was a great success.
I also received a less welcome e-mail from the Governance Hub: …I regret to inform you that the Governance Hub is not able to support your proposal …. we are unable to provide individual feedback …. We knew it was a "long shot" and we can guess the reasons for the rejection, but "unable to provide individual feedback"? Have these people not heard of the Freedom of Information Act? Open government? Do they think they are completely unaccountable?
I also followed up an enquiry I’d made of WBC about emergency plannign procedures and learnt a bit about Hertfordshire Resilience - the County’s emergency plan.
I continued discussions / negotiations with WBC about getting broader community sector access to training.
I began organising a WCVS stall for the Community Housing Trust launch on 29 Saturday.
I sent some notes to Inspiral Arts about plans for the refurbishment of the Palace Theatre’s scenery store.
I met with Vanessa about trustee training in Herts and about plans for a County-wide trustees conference early in 2008.
I spoke to Andrew Burt at County Hall about plans for a vacant HCC building in Watford’s Lower High Street – sadly HCC have plans for the building so WCVS can’t discuss using it.
I revised WCVS’s entry on the HCC website.
In the afternoon I met with Louise Jones of Hertfordshire Connexions who manages our contract. We had a very thorough meeting about our performance against the contract, and about our partnership with Connexions and with local schools: it was a most productive meeting and I think we made huge progress.
I also spoke with a very helpful chap from Digital Umbrella – an IT services arm of High Peaks CVS. They have a website that contains many of the features I want for Watford CVS’s website. We’ve an application in for funding – let’s hope it’s successful!
Around 5:00 I started work to clear some outstanding minutes that have been piling up. I managed to complete minutes for August’s meeting of the VCS Accommodation working group, and for more recent meetings of the Executive Committee, the Watford One World Forum, and of course our AGM (for which thankfully Vanessa had done most of the hard work).
The Good Life
I left around 7:30 pm and arrived home to a lovely meal. Wonderful stuff. My pleasure was only tempered by the sharp drop in temperature - winter is coming.
I started the morning with a very nice e-mail from Leslie Billy at Guideposts Trust: Just a quick note to say thank you very much for organising the theatre trip on Friday, Lorna, Howard, clients and I really enjoyed the evening and was very impressed with actors/actresses. Please pass our sincere regards to all the people involved in helping you to organise Friday’s event you should be very proud of your staff team and volunteers it was a great success.
I also received a less welcome e-mail from the Governance Hub: …I regret to inform you that the Governance Hub is not able to support your proposal …. we are unable to provide individual feedback …. We knew it was a "long shot" and we can guess the reasons for the rejection, but "unable to provide individual feedback"? Have these people not heard of the Freedom of Information Act? Open government? Do they think they are completely unaccountable?
I also followed up an enquiry I’d made of WBC about emergency plannign procedures and learnt a bit about Hertfordshire Resilience - the County’s emergency plan.
I continued discussions / negotiations with WBC about getting broader community sector access to training.
I began organising a WCVS stall for the Community Housing Trust launch on 29 Saturday.
I sent some notes to Inspiral Arts about plans for the refurbishment of the Palace Theatre’s scenery store.
I met with Vanessa about trustee training in Herts and about plans for a County-wide trustees conference early in 2008.
I spoke to Andrew Burt at County Hall about plans for a vacant HCC building in Watford’s Lower High Street – sadly HCC have plans for the building so WCVS can’t discuss using it.
I revised WCVS’s entry on the HCC website.
In the afternoon I met with Louise Jones of Hertfordshire Connexions who manages our contract. We had a very thorough meeting about our performance against the contract, and about our partnership with Connexions and with local schools: it was a most productive meeting and I think we made huge progress.
I also spoke with a very helpful chap from Digital Umbrella – an IT services arm of High Peaks CVS. They have a website that contains many of the features I want for Watford CVS’s website. We’ve an application in for funding – let’s hope it’s successful!
Around 5:00 I started work to clear some outstanding minutes that have been piling up. I managed to complete minutes for August’s meeting of the VCS Accommodation working group, and for more recent meetings of the Executive Committee, the Watford One World Forum, and of course our AGM (for which thankfully Vanessa had done most of the hard work).
The Good Life
I left around 7:30 pm and arrived home to a lovely meal. Wonderful stuff. My pleasure was only tempered by the sharp drop in temperature - winter is coming.
Monday, 17 September 2007
A very mixed day began with news from the 9th North Watford Scouts, who have received a letter informing them that the freehold of the land they occupy has transferred from Watford Borough Council to the new Watford Community Housing Trust. Why? And what does it augur? I mailed WBC to find out.
Then I had a long meeting with some key people from the Watford Disability Forum. This is one of CVS’s forums, but we are looking to raise its profile a little by finding a logo and revisiting its Terms of Reference. Forum members eventually agreed revised Terms of Reference and a new strapline: “opening the door to equality”. Sha-Lee will work on a new logo.
Then I reorganised our telephone tariff, talked with Herts County Council about Compact, and worked on proposals to create a new community arts venue in the centre of Watford.
Then Vanessa and I met to talk about trustee training, a county-wide trustees event, and PQASSO mentoring. PQASSO is a good QA system. But how on earth does it take five days training before the Charity Evaluation Service will authorise you to even talk to people about the standard? It will cost £1,000 each for Vanessa and I to qualify as PQASSO mentors. Do we really want to go through with it? After a long long talk, our answer is “yes”.
We are also trying to arrange / negotiate general voluntary and community access to training courses being run by WBC for Watford's five Community Centres. Obviously WBC want the five Community Centres to receive priority booking so it is suggested that other VCS groups receive just one weeks notice of any vacancies. And at 4:00 pm I am asked if I can fill six vacant places on a Trusteeship course starting at 6:00 pm. What a waste.
Then I had a long meeting with some key people from the Watford Disability Forum. This is one of CVS’s forums, but we are looking to raise its profile a little by finding a logo and revisiting its Terms of Reference. Forum members eventually agreed revised Terms of Reference and a new strapline: “opening the door to equality”. Sha-Lee will work on a new logo.
Then I reorganised our telephone tariff, talked with Herts County Council about Compact, and worked on proposals to create a new community arts venue in the centre of Watford.
Then Vanessa and I met to talk about trustee training, a county-wide trustees event, and PQASSO mentoring. PQASSO is a good QA system. But how on earth does it take five days training before the Charity Evaluation Service will authorise you to even talk to people about the standard? It will cost £1,000 each for Vanessa and I to qualify as PQASSO mentors. Do we really want to go through with it? After a long long talk, our answer is “yes”.
We are also trying to arrange / negotiate general voluntary and community access to training courses being run by WBC for Watford's five Community Centres. Obviously WBC want the five Community Centres to receive priority booking so it is suggested that other VCS groups receive just one weeks notice of any vacancies. And at 4:00 pm I am asked if I can fill six vacant places on a Trusteeship course starting at 6:00 pm. What a waste.
Sunday, 16 September 2007
Jackie and I spent a relaxing day visiting my Mum, babysitting our grand-daughter Beth and visiting our friend’s new Art Gallery in Letchworth.
In a household comprising two 40-something adults, two 19 year-old boys/men and one cat, I am the only vertebrate that does not scream like a girl at the merest sight of a spider. This past few days I have had to deal with four spiders of exceptional size and speed: big hairy things that move like greased lightning. Perhaps these spiders are another consequence of the wet summer like the super-abundance of fruit and slugs? And after bravely hunting down these ugly eight-legged brutes, my family ask: “oh, you didn’t kill it did you?”
In a household comprising two 40-something adults, two 19 year-old boys/men and one cat, I am the only vertebrate that does not scream like a girl at the merest sight of a spider. This past few days I have had to deal with four spiders of exceptional size and speed: big hairy things that move like greased lightning. Perhaps these spiders are another consequence of the wet summer like the super-abundance of fruit and slugs? And after bravely hunting down these ugly eight-legged brutes, my family ask: “oh, you didn’t kill it did you?”
Saturday, 15 September 2007
I finished AA Gill’s book The Angry Island where he expands on his theory that the defining characteristic of the English is the subversion of ferocious and deep-seated anger. He makes some plausible points. But the book’s most lasting impression on me will be that AA Gill is deeply insecure and occasionally spiteful like a child: I think he needs some big hugs.
Mind you, having said all that I was pretty angry about today’s result from White Hart Lane. Grrrrrr!
Mind you, having said all that I was pretty angry about today’s result from White Hart Lane. Grrrrrr!
Friday, 14 September 2007
In the morning I had long meetings with Des and then Saud about WCVS’s contract with Connexions (ahead of next week’s contract review meeting).
At lunchtime I hurried off to put in an appearance at the formal opening of Watford YMCA’s new residential accommodation. But I had the wrong time and was thirty minutes late, and by the time I arrived everyone had already feasting. With so much to do back at the office, I wolfed down a plate of food, nodded a few greetings and then rushed back to the office. I do hope YMCA don’t think I was too ungracious.
I briefly saw Mary Green of Three Rivers CVS who is thankfully returning from a long illness. I was meant to have met again with Sarah Pinnock of WBC but she had to reorganise her day as she is now going to be absent for some weeks for an operation.
In the evening, fifty people from Watford One World Forum gathered at WCVS for an Indian buffet and then a trip to Watford Palace Theatre where we saw an Indian cast production of A Midsummer Nights’ Dream: a very very good night indeed.
At lunchtime I hurried off to put in an appearance at the formal opening of Watford YMCA’s new residential accommodation. But I had the wrong time and was thirty minutes late, and by the time I arrived everyone had already feasting. With so much to do back at the office, I wolfed down a plate of food, nodded a few greetings and then rushed back to the office. I do hope YMCA don’t think I was too ungracious.
I briefly saw Mary Green of Three Rivers CVS who is thankfully returning from a long illness. I was meant to have met again with Sarah Pinnock of WBC but she had to reorganise her day as she is now going to be absent for some weeks for an operation.
In the evening, fifty people from Watford One World Forum gathered at WCVS for an Indian buffet and then a trip to Watford Palace Theatre where we saw an Indian cast production of A Midsummer Nights’ Dream: a very very good night indeed.
Thursday, 13 September 2007
I started today meeting with Sarah Pinnock and Kathryn Robson of WBC to discuss the need to link together WBC’s Cultural and Community Engagement strategies with our own nascient Community Development strategy and the Community Empowerment strategy that will be prepared by the new Watford Community Housing Trust. We had a very helpful discussion during which I also pressed successfully for the inclusion of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation who would soon be establishing a Watford Community Fund.
Over the coming years, this quadumvirate could be a key grouping.
I also got to follow up last week’s meetings: sending thank you notes to speakers at Networking Lunch and the AGM, and welcoming aboard our two new trustees with promises of a proper induction before our next meeting.
In the evening, aged Ken (our decrepit cat) lost his final tooth. A sad occasion.
Over the coming years, this quadumvirate could be a key grouping.
I also got to follow up last week’s meetings: sending thank you notes to speakers at Networking Lunch and the AGM, and welcoming aboard our two new trustees with promises of a proper induction before our next meeting.
In the evening, aged Ken (our decrepit cat) lost his final tooth. A sad occasion.
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Compact
After a morning trying to catch up on correspondence I travelled to St Albans to chair a meeting of the Hertfordshire Compact Working Group. This was a special meeting to address two key questions.
The first question was:
· Is the Compact a statement of absolute minimum standards (as might be expected if it is negotiated around the table with half a dozen statutory agencies moving at the pace of the slowest)?
· Is the Compact an aspirational statement of best practice (in which case “compact breaches” should be accepted as commonplace rather than otherwise)?
· Or is the Compact a quasi-legal agreement of standards to which everyone will comply and to which compliance can be enforced (in which case many statutory agencies will be far less happy to engage)?
Secondly: how many Compacts should there be in Hertfordshire? At present there is one County-wide Compact, and then an expectation that each District / Borough will also have its own (and some do and some don’t). If all did, we would then have sixty-six Compact documents in Hertfordshire, all needing to be regularly updated and distributed.
We had a useful discussion and consensus emerged around some important issues. There was general agreement that Compact standards and principles should be seen as a minimum requirement below which we should not sink. There was also agreement that if anyone does sink below the standards, then political and moral pressure should be used. There was clear agreement that the Compact should not be about “sticks” or legal enforcement. There was also agreement that the Compact documents would benefit from being shorter and clearer. Generally, it also seemed to be agreed that there should in the fullness of time etc etc be only one Compact in Hertfordshire. These are all very useful "wins" locally - specially at a time when the Public Law Project are seeking a judicial review to enforce Compact standards in Cumbria.
But mostly, consensus emerged around the immediate urgent need to Do Nothing.
This might seem like prevarication. Perhaps it is. But there is also logic because renegotiating a Compact or a Code of Practice can take months of hard work, as can realigning Compact agreements across the County. Meanwhile, the Compact Commissioner has resigned (after committing the Commission to revising all the national Codes of Conduct) and LAA2 is on the horizon for Hertfordshire. Any precipitous moves could easily result in a lot of extra work that is ultimately fruitless.
We agreed to meet again in December to review progress
Hertfordshire Children's Fund
From Compact I went to Hatfield for a meeting of the Hertfordshire Children’s Fund Partnership which is now in the process of winding up its affairs. They seem to have done a good job engaging with 5-13 year-olds. Over the past five years more than forty projects across Hertfordshire have been funded. Many have been very successful but it is too early to know how many will actually be picked up to receive mainstream funding: of the fourteen voluntary sector projects, I counted only one that had been picked up for mainstream funding.
After a morning trying to catch up on correspondence I travelled to St Albans to chair a meeting of the Hertfordshire Compact Working Group. This was a special meeting to address two key questions.
The first question was:
· Is the Compact a statement of absolute minimum standards (as might be expected if it is negotiated around the table with half a dozen statutory agencies moving at the pace of the slowest)?
· Is the Compact an aspirational statement of best practice (in which case “compact breaches” should be accepted as commonplace rather than otherwise)?
· Or is the Compact a quasi-legal agreement of standards to which everyone will comply and to which compliance can be enforced (in which case many statutory agencies will be far less happy to engage)?
Secondly: how many Compacts should there be in Hertfordshire? At present there is one County-wide Compact, and then an expectation that each District / Borough will also have its own (and some do and some don’t). If all did, we would then have sixty-six Compact documents in Hertfordshire, all needing to be regularly updated and distributed.
We had a useful discussion and consensus emerged around some important issues. There was general agreement that Compact standards and principles should be seen as a minimum requirement below which we should not sink. There was also agreement that if anyone does sink below the standards, then political and moral pressure should be used. There was clear agreement that the Compact should not be about “sticks” or legal enforcement. There was also agreement that the Compact documents would benefit from being shorter and clearer. Generally, it also seemed to be agreed that there should in the fullness of time etc etc be only one Compact in Hertfordshire. These are all very useful "wins" locally - specially at a time when the Public Law Project are seeking a judicial review to enforce Compact standards in Cumbria.
But mostly, consensus emerged around the immediate urgent need to Do Nothing.
This might seem like prevarication. Perhaps it is. But there is also logic because renegotiating a Compact or a Code of Practice can take months of hard work, as can realigning Compact agreements across the County. Meanwhile, the Compact Commissioner has resigned (after committing the Commission to revising all the national Codes of Conduct) and LAA2 is on the horizon for Hertfordshire. Any precipitous moves could easily result in a lot of extra work that is ultimately fruitless.
We agreed to meet again in December to review progress
Hertfordshire Children's Fund
From Compact I went to Hatfield for a meeting of the Hertfordshire Children’s Fund Partnership which is now in the process of winding up its affairs. They seem to have done a good job engaging with 5-13 year-olds. Over the past five years more than forty projects across Hertfordshire have been funded. Many have been very successful but it is too early to know how many will actually be picked up to receive mainstream funding: of the fourteen voluntary sector projects, I counted only one that had been picked up for mainstream funding.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Driving through early mornign mists, and via an hour or so at the office, I arrived early at the Niland Centre for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium's self assessment day (paid for by CapacityBuilders and facilitated by Liisa Wiseman) to assess our strengths and weaknesses and define our future priorities. The timing was a bit odd as HIC has already established a steering group that is now part way through … assessing our strengths and weaknesses and defining future priorities. But the first three-quarters of the day were useful in approaching things differently and extending the discussion beyond the steering group.
Those present (less than half of HIC members) had to assess ourselves across six headings: Stakeholder Engagement, Skills and Knowledge, Equalities, Performance Management, Consortium Team, and Communications. In each category there was a good discussion and in each category we scored ourselves somewhere around the middle.
Asset Transfers
In the evening I was back in Watford for a meeting of the Community Centre Strategic Group co-ordinating the attempted transfer of five community centres to local management. The meeting was chaired by Normal Powell of Community Matters who occupies No-Man’s Land somewhere between all parties.
The overall project seems to be quite some way along its trajectory, although some centres are more advanced than others. Two of the five transfers are being sponsored (not quite the right word) by substantial and experienced local groups (YMCA and the Women’s Centre) so will probably happen. Another transfer involves a consortium of groups all looking for place in the Holywell Centre And this will probably happen because it must. The other two transfers are more difficult as they involve smaller groups in looser alliances needing more support.
Community matters have set aside more than 40 days of training events for the five transfers. I think this is rather a lot. I must see if the more general VCS can “piggy back” on some of this training.
A brief chat with YMCA convinced me that they could build a good application to the Community Assets Fund built around the refurbishment needs of the Orbital Community Centre. Given staff absences and turmoil elsewhere this might be the simplest option. But I still beleive that the strongest application would be a no-holds-barred bid to renovate the Palace Theatre's old scenery store.
Driving through early mornign mists, and via an hour or so at the office, I arrived early at the Niland Centre for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium's self assessment day (paid for by CapacityBuilders and facilitated by Liisa Wiseman) to assess our strengths and weaknesses and define our future priorities. The timing was a bit odd as HIC has already established a steering group that is now part way through … assessing our strengths and weaknesses and defining future priorities. But the first three-quarters of the day were useful in approaching things differently and extending the discussion beyond the steering group.
Those present (less than half of HIC members) had to assess ourselves across six headings: Stakeholder Engagement, Skills and Knowledge, Equalities, Performance Management, Consortium Team, and Communications. In each category there was a good discussion and in each category we scored ourselves somewhere around the middle.
Asset Transfers
In the evening I was back in Watford for a meeting of the Community Centre Strategic Group co-ordinating the attempted transfer of five community centres to local management. The meeting was chaired by Normal Powell of Community Matters who occupies No-Man’s Land somewhere between all parties.
The overall project seems to be quite some way along its trajectory, although some centres are more advanced than others. Two of the five transfers are being sponsored (not quite the right word) by substantial and experienced local groups (YMCA and the Women’s Centre) so will probably happen. Another transfer involves a consortium of groups all looking for place in the Holywell Centre And this will probably happen because it must. The other two transfers are more difficult as they involve smaller groups in looser alliances needing more support.
Community matters have set aside more than 40 days of training events for the five transfers. I think this is rather a lot. I must see if the more general VCS can “piggy back” on some of this training.
A brief chat with YMCA convinced me that they could build a good application to the Community Assets Fund built around the refurbishment needs of the Orbital Community Centre. Given staff absences and turmoil elsewhere this might be the simplest option. But I still beleive that the strongest application would be a no-holds-barred bid to renovate the Palace Theatre's old scenery store.
Monday, 10 September 2007
I was supposed to be at the Holywell Centre in Watford hosting a Networking Lunch on the theme Working with Youth. The exciting speakers list included presentations from Millennium Volunteers / Prince’s Trust, Woodside Community Motorcycle Club, West Herts Youth Service, Hertfordshire Connexions, Hertfordshire Partnership Mental Health Trust, Stop Gap and StreetStars.
Instead I spent the day at home hiding my face from polite society and nursing a large “blemish” on my cheek. I worked on the Value and Volume report of our research into on the voluntary sector’s impact across Hertfordshire. But I would much rather have been at the Holywell Centre.
By the end of the day, my blemish had all but disappeared and my face was almost back to its usual radiant beauty. Back to work tomorrow.
Instead I spent the day at home hiding my face from polite society and nursing a large “blemish” on my cheek. I worked on the Value and Volume report of our research into on the voluntary sector’s impact across Hertfordshire. But I would much rather have been at the Holywell Centre.
By the end of the day, my blemish had all but disappeared and my face was almost back to its usual radiant beauty. Back to work tomorrow.
Sunday, 9 September 2007
This morning, my face looked even worse. Although I felt fine, my face looked as though I’d been in a bar-room brawl or had been kicked in the face by a mule. I spent the day in the garden.
Late in the afternoon I had a call from Anne (our Funding Advisor) to say that she would be off work on Monday so wouldn't attend the Networking Lunch that I was due to chair. I decided (vainly?) that I really shouldn’t be showing my face either. After all, who would believe that I hadn’t been fighting in the street? Or worrying mules?
I spoke to a few members of staff who seemed well able to cope without me, and I telephoned Pam Handley who was very understanding and agreed to chair the lunch in my absence.
Late in the afternoon I had a call from Anne (our Funding Advisor) to say that she would be off work on Monday so wouldn't attend the Networking Lunch that I was due to chair. I decided (vainly?) that I really shouldn’t be showing my face either. After all, who would believe that I hadn’t been fighting in the street? Or worrying mules?
I spoke to a few members of staff who seemed well able to cope without me, and I telephoned Pam Handley who was very understanding and agreed to chair the lunch in my absence.
Saturday, 8 September 2007
I drove Bobby to Brighton in readiness for the new academic year. His new house is right in the centre of Brighton’s arty bohemian district so I expect he’ll like it.
In the evening I sat out in the garden and then sat up with Jackie. On retiring to bed I discovered that half my face had turned a horrible shade of black. What’s going on?
In the evening I sat out in the garden and then sat up with Jackie. On retiring to bed I discovered that half my face had turned a horrible shade of black. What’s going on?
Friday, 7 September 2007
Our AGM
Everything went swimmingly despite several members of staff feeling very much par. Everyone went the extra mile and helped make a very good event. Despite my worries, the venue was fine. Despite my fussing, Maria and Sha-Lee managed the food brilliantly. The Chair of Watford Borough Council was supportive and succinct. Our external speakers both gave perfectly weighted talks: Tina Barnard introducing the Watford Community Housing Trust and Ann Jansz explaining the Hertfordshire LAA. And of course Pam Handley chaired the whole event to perfection.
Six candidates took part in a competitive election for the two vacancies on the trustee board. At the end of the meeting, Pam announced that our trustee board will now be joined by John Casstles (of the Sea Scouts) and Leslie Billy (of the Guideposts Trust).
Everything went swimmingly despite several members of staff feeling very much par. Everyone went the extra mile and helped make a very good event. Despite my worries, the venue was fine. Despite my fussing, Maria and Sha-Lee managed the food brilliantly. The Chair of Watford Borough Council was supportive and succinct. Our external speakers both gave perfectly weighted talks: Tina Barnard introducing the Watford Community Housing Trust and Ann Jansz explaining the Hertfordshire LAA. And of course Pam Handley chaired the whole event to perfection.
Six candidates took part in a competitive election for the two vacancies on the trustee board. At the end of the meeting, Pam announced that our trustee board will now be joined by John Casstles (of the Sea Scouts) and Leslie Billy (of the Guideposts Trust).
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Today was devoted to AGM preparations: correcting papers, final planning, fretting about numbers, etc.
Amidst all this, I was very pleased to note that Maria's work is paying dividends: the local free paper this week has devoted a full page to volunteering. Six months ago it would have been just a few square inches, but Maria has won them over. Excellent stuff.
In the evening, I travelled to Potters Bar to chair a public meeting on the future of NHS hospital services in Hertfordshire and North London. It was very interesting. There were two very good presentations and then a very good discussion. Several people attending seemed determined to dig their heels in and defend the current hospital arrangements: exactly the same hospitals with the same services and the same beds. This “radical conservatism” is a curious phenomenon: if things remain the same for long enough they become part of Britain’s unwritten constitution, part of our birthright for which people will go to the barricades - metaphorically, at least: this is Britain, after all. But of course things move on. What did people in the 1960s and before know about today’s health needs?
Amidst all this, I was very pleased to note that Maria's work is paying dividends: the local free paper this week has devoted a full page to volunteering. Six months ago it would have been just a few square inches, but Maria has won them over. Excellent stuff.
In the evening, I travelled to Potters Bar to chair a public meeting on the future of NHS hospital services in Hertfordshire and North London. It was very interesting. There were two very good presentations and then a very good discussion. Several people attending seemed determined to dig their heels in and defend the current hospital arrangements: exactly the same hospitals with the same services and the same beds. This “radical conservatism” is a curious phenomenon: if things remain the same for long enough they become part of Britain’s unwritten constitution, part of our birthright for which people will go to the barricades - metaphorically, at least: this is Britain, after all. But of course things move on. What did people in the 1960s and before know about today’s health needs?
Wednesday, 5 September 2007
I started this morning meeting with our auditors. There is one minor change to the draft audited accounts circulated for the AGM (a couple of wrong figures deep inside the detail of note 15) but everything else is fine.
I spent the rest of the day-time on correspondence and on preparations for the Friday’s AGM. Yes there is a problem with the paper I have written for the AGM amending our constitution. The proposed amendment included in the paper is exactly correct, but the text I have said is to be deleted is from the wrong paragraphs.
And at 4:00 pm I learn of an even greater problem. I thought the AGM was booked into the Main Hall at the Beechen Grove Baptist Church. It isn’t. It is booked into the smaller Lecture Theatre. Oh dear.
In the evening, there was a meeting of the Watford One World Forum. It was poorly attended. Our own fault: many people are still on holiday, it is the first day back at school for many others, it is two days before our AGM and five days before a networking lunch. What were we thinking?
I spent the rest of the day-time on correspondence and on preparations for the Friday’s AGM. Yes there is a problem with the paper I have written for the AGM amending our constitution. The proposed amendment included in the paper is exactly correct, but the text I have said is to be deleted is from the wrong paragraphs.
And at 4:00 pm I learn of an even greater problem. I thought the AGM was booked into the Main Hall at the Beechen Grove Baptist Church. It isn’t. It is booked into the smaller Lecture Theatre. Oh dear.
In the evening, there was a meeting of the Watford One World Forum. It was poorly attended. Our own fault: many people are still on holiday, it is the first day back at school for many others, it is two days before our AGM and five days before a networking lunch. What were we thinking?
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Sarah Pinnock (Watford Borough Council) and I spent the day in Cambridge learning about the East of England Development Agency’s Building Communities Fund and the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Assets Fund. Fascinating stuff.
The Building Communities Fund is £6m for the East of England region over two years and offers grants of £250,000 - £750,000 to groups wanting to buy premises for community purposes. Their focus is the sustainable economic impact of any project. One or two Watford groups might be interested.
The Community Assets Fund is £30m nationally and offers grants of up to £1m to refurbish properties that local authorities are in the process of transferring to community ownership. My guess is that Hertfordshire might end up with £500,000. The emphasis here seems to be very much on strategic change: transfers that will transform communities and the capacity of the local voluntary sector.
But the closing date for applications is only ten weeks away. This timescale hardly allows new transfer proposals to be developed. So most of the fund will probably be used to ease through transfers that were already in train. And long-standing transfer plans are hardly likely to reflect the latest policy directions of the Quirk Report and the Third Sector Strategy of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
On the return journey, Sarah and I had a long discussion about how best Watford should approach this opportunity. There are three options.
First, we could construct a bid around an existing planned transfer such as one of the five Community Centres already being transferred. Drawing up a bid will be a lot of work, and I don’t think it will really hit the right buttons as far as strategic change is concerned. But will any other local authority be better placed?
Secondly, we would identify an entirely new project or select one of those in the very earliest stages of incubation. There are a few of these sorts of projects, including the redevelopment of the Palace Theatre’s old scenery store and of the Hare Breaks Centre, but it is a vast amount of work to squash into ten weeks.
Thirdly, we can just do nothing and let the opportunity pass. After all, two key WBC officers are going to be on extended absence during the ten week development period.
What to do? My instinct is that if we are going to make a bid, we have to bite the bullet and go for option two. But is this feasible? Especially with the absence of two key WBC officers? Sarah and I agreed that there should probably be serious discussion of these three options and an early decision taken.
Foraging
In the garden, our tomatoes and peppers are struggling, but it is a bumper year for apples and (less welcome) for slugs. Jackie and I walked out into the woods and hedgerows foraging. We are too late for greengages and plums, which have already come and gone. But we gathered several pounds of blackberries, lots of elderberries and rosehips, and enough sloes for a bottle or two of sloe gin. Not a bad haul for a couple of hours walking.
The Building Communities Fund is £6m for the East of England region over two years and offers grants of £250,000 - £750,000 to groups wanting to buy premises for community purposes. Their focus is the sustainable economic impact of any project. One or two Watford groups might be interested.
The Community Assets Fund is £30m nationally and offers grants of up to £1m to refurbish properties that local authorities are in the process of transferring to community ownership. My guess is that Hertfordshire might end up with £500,000. The emphasis here seems to be very much on strategic change: transfers that will transform communities and the capacity of the local voluntary sector.
But the closing date for applications is only ten weeks away. This timescale hardly allows new transfer proposals to be developed. So most of the fund will probably be used to ease through transfers that were already in train. And long-standing transfer plans are hardly likely to reflect the latest policy directions of the Quirk Report and the Third Sector Strategy of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
On the return journey, Sarah and I had a long discussion about how best Watford should approach this opportunity. There are three options.
First, we could construct a bid around an existing planned transfer such as one of the five Community Centres already being transferred. Drawing up a bid will be a lot of work, and I don’t think it will really hit the right buttons as far as strategic change is concerned. But will any other local authority be better placed?
Secondly, we would identify an entirely new project or select one of those in the very earliest stages of incubation. There are a few of these sorts of projects, including the redevelopment of the Palace Theatre’s old scenery store and of the Hare Breaks Centre, but it is a vast amount of work to squash into ten weeks.
Thirdly, we can just do nothing and let the opportunity pass. After all, two key WBC officers are going to be on extended absence during the ten week development period.
What to do? My instinct is that if we are going to make a bid, we have to bite the bullet and go for option two. But is this feasible? Especially with the absence of two key WBC officers? Sarah and I agreed that there should probably be serious discussion of these three options and an early decision taken.
Foraging
In the garden, our tomatoes and peppers are struggling, but it is a bumper year for apples and (less welcome) for slugs. Jackie and I walked out into the woods and hedgerows foraging. We are too late for greengages and plums, which have already come and gone. But we gathered several pounds of blackberries, lots of elderberries and rosehips, and enough sloes for a bottle or two of sloe gin. Not a bad haul for a couple of hours walking.
Monday, 3 September 2007
After an absence of two weeks, I enjoyed an ideal return to the office this morning: no disasters, no major crises, no urgent messages to deal with. Just people getting on with their work. Maria particularly has been very impressive. Even my e-mails have been pruned and I only have 200 to deal with. I spend the day talking to staff, reading e-mails, reading post and making telephone calls. In short, exactly what I’d wanted to do on my first day back in the office. Wales seems a long way away.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Along with about 50,000 others, Jackie and I spent the day visiting Bhaktivedanta Manor where the Hare Krishna community were celebrating the Janmashtami festival. The weather was perfect for the event, and the combination of friendly atmosphere and unfamiliar images made it feel like we were attending the annual fete of the village next door.
According to our kind and attentive host Jasu Kalan, there were 1,500 volunteers at the Manor for the festival and altogether planning and delivering the event requires about 500,000 hours of volunteer time.
Latest reading
A fanatical fundamentalist sect trying to grasp political power and establish God's kingdom on earth, under laws derived directly from scripture? During my break I read Fifth Monarchy Men by BS Capp. The puritan Fifth Monarchists were Britain's most successful fundamentalist movement and made several attempts to grasp power during and immediately after the English Civil War. Although certainly more successful than the Ranters and Levellers, they were probably never that close to real power although for several years they did hold the ear of Oliver Cromwell. I also read The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas (a very good murder mystery translated from the French) and The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder (who wrote Sophie's World) translated from the original Norwegian.
According to our kind and attentive host Jasu Kalan, there were 1,500 volunteers at the Manor for the festival and altogether planning and delivering the event requires about 500,000 hours of volunteer time.
Latest reading
A fanatical fundamentalist sect trying to grasp political power and establish God's kingdom on earth, under laws derived directly from scripture? During my break I read Fifth Monarchy Men by BS Capp. The puritan Fifth Monarchists were Britain's most successful fundamentalist movement and made several attempts to grasp power during and immediately after the English Civil War. Although certainly more successful than the Ranters and Levellers, they were probably never that close to real power although for several years they did hold the ear of Oliver Cromwell. I also read The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas (a very good murder mystery translated from the French) and The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder (who wrote Sophie's World) translated from the original Norwegian.
Saturday, 1 September 2007
I got to baby-sit my grand-daughter Bethany for the afternoon. When I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, she replied that she wanted to “cut carrots with a sharp knife”. At three years old, this pleasure has so far been denied her.
Friday, 31 August 2007
We finished decorating the bedroom and I cleared out the study. I spoke with Maria at Watford CVS (where?) who assured me that everything was fine. Jackie and I spent the evening with a bottle of wine in the garden watching the bats.
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
After packing the boys off to Brighton, Jackie and I decided to take the opportunity to decorate our bedroom: why do we do this to ourselves?
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
I spent the day in the garden.
Once or twice a year I shave off my beard; generally after I have absent-mindedly used my beard trimmer without its guard. Today I thought I would try removing the longer greyer bits of my eyebrows using the beard trimmer. And I forgot the guard. I entered the living room and announced that I had accidentally shaved off my eye-brows. I thought I might get some sympathy. With the benefit of hindsight, I can see this was foolish. It was some minutes before my loving family stopped laughing. I do hope my eyebrows grow back before I have to return to work.
Once or twice a year I shave off my beard; generally after I have absent-mindedly used my beard trimmer without its guard. Today I thought I would try removing the longer greyer bits of my eyebrows using the beard trimmer. And I forgot the guard. I entered the living room and announced that I had accidentally shaved off my eye-brows. I thought I might get some sympathy. With the benefit of hindsight, I can see this was foolish. It was some minutes before my loving family stopped laughing. I do hope my eyebrows grow back before I have to return to work.
Sunday, 26 August 2007
Jackie and I spent the day walking around Chester’s City Walls, then met with all my cousins for an evening meal, and then drove home to Welwyn Garden City – arriving back about 1:00 am.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
My brother took us on a sailing trip from Holyhead with his partner Marni. On the way back, we stopped off at Northrop Park to see my cousin Janet and her family. Janet had recently organised a local scarecrow competition that produced 200 local entries and raised £2,000 for the village school. Very impressive.
Back in Broughton, we enjoyed Fish ’n’ Chips, wine and Midsomer Murders. Such decadence.
Back in Broughton, we enjoyed Fish ’n’ Chips, wine and Midsomer Murders. Such decadence.
Friday, 24 August 2007
We awoke in a cloud, but the sun soon appeared to dry off everything. We packed up and prepared to visit my Aunt in Broughton. We took our time and on the way visited the Cathedral at St Asaph. But nothing could have prepared us for the sheer luxury of a clean bathroom, a comfortable sofa, and homemade Shepherd’s Pie. Such joy.
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Thankfully, we finally enjoyed an entire day without the car - just walking along the River Llugwy from the campsite toward Capel Curig and Betws-y-Coed.
The best day yet. We saw a magnificent buzzard. I embarrassed Jackie by singing old hiking songs.
Feeling very pleased with ourselves, we returned anticipating an evening of high jinks over a bottle of wine. But as the magnificent sun faded, a terrible wind blew, and as the wind faded we were invaded by midges. Ho hum.
The best day yet. We saw a magnificent buzzard. I embarrassed Jackie by singing old hiking songs.
Feeling very pleased with ourselves, we returned anticipating an evening of high jinks over a bottle of wine. But as the magnificent sun faded, a terrible wind blew, and as the wind faded we were invaded by midges. Ho hum.
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
We drove from Capel Curig, down the Vale of Conway to Llandudno and Great Orme. It was a wonderful place: Jackie found a beautiful haberdashery in Llandudno and I enjoyed the eccentric second-hand bookshop in the Great Orme visitor centre. We walked the length of Llandudno Bay enthusing about wonderful Wales: beautiful scenery, magnificent history, and a great seaside town. What more could we want?
Then we got careless and drove ten miles further along the coast to Rhyl. The transformation was complete: from elegant quaint Victorian splendour to bleak soulless modern slum. How could anyone tolerate this?
Then we got careless and drove ten miles further along the coast to Rhyl. The transformation was complete: from elegant quaint Victorian splendour to bleak soulless modern slum. How could anyone tolerate this?
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Took the train up Snowdon. The “visitor’s centre” on the peak is being rebuilt (about time!) so we only got as far as Clogwyn, but this included spectacular views down Llanberis Pass. At Clogwyn, as the mists came down, many walkers wanted to join the train back down – including a very miserable pair of teenage Goths who had walked up wearing only black T-shirts.
Monday, 20 August 2007
We rose early, packed up, and drove to Llantilio Pertholey – source of the ancient and noble line of the Jones family. The church of Saint Telio dates from the fourteenth century, but it is claimed as a Christian site since the sixth century (I don’t know on what evidence). The church was pretty rather than beautiful, and the site boasted many large Yew trees. The churchyard is full of Joneses, but we could find no direct ancestors although we know that many are buried there.
From Llantilio Pertholey we drove through Abergavenny, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Llanidloes, the spectacular Llyn Clywedog, Machynleith, Dolgellau (the foot of Cader Idris), Blenau Ffestiniog and Betws-y-Coed to Capel Curig. Here we found a campsite right beneath the dramatic peak of Tryfen.
The local birds seems fearless: swifts, wren and robin all nested nearby and flew almost within arms reach.
From Llantilio Pertholey we drove through Abergavenny, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Llanidloes, the spectacular Llyn Clywedog, Machynleith, Dolgellau (the foot of Cader Idris), Blenau Ffestiniog and Betws-y-Coed to Capel Curig. Here we found a campsite right beneath the dramatic peak of Tryfen.
The local birds seems fearless: swifts, wren and robin all nested nearby and flew almost within arms reach.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
We eventually left the house about 6:00 am and on a whim decided to drive to the Brecon Beacons without the aid of motorways. This proved to be a good decision and we saw plenty of the country: Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Bicester, Oxford, Chipping Norton, Stow-on-the-Wold …
At Tewkesbury we paused briefly to visit the Old Baptist Chapel where I have ancestors buried. Tewkesbury is a beautiful town but the evidence of recent flooding was all too plain: water marks, removed skirting boards, boarded up windows, and occasional piles of domestic furniture and ruined white goods. During our visit, the water level was back to normal - a good 12 feet below the flood.
Rather subdued, we continued to our journey via Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye, Monmouth, Abergavenny, Crickhowell, and Bwlch to Pencelli. At Pencelli there were only two campsites: a multi-award winning site of pebbled pathways and numbered pitches, and a field on a working farm. We chose the field, where several families spent the evening playing a game of football-cum-rugby all conducted in the loudest Welsh. We drank wine and toasted them occasionally.
At Tewkesbury we paused briefly to visit the Old Baptist Chapel where I have ancestors buried. Tewkesbury is a beautiful town but the evidence of recent flooding was all too plain: water marks, removed skirting boards, boarded up windows, and occasional piles of domestic furniture and ruined white goods. During our visit, the water level was back to normal - a good 12 feet below the flood.
Rather subdued, we continued to our journey via Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye, Monmouth, Abergavenny, Crickhowell, and Bwlch to Pencelli. At Pencelli there were only two campsites: a multi-award winning site of pebbled pathways and numbered pitches, and a field on a working farm. We chose the field, where several families spent the evening playing a game of football-cum-rugby all conducted in the loudest Welsh. We drank wine and toasted them occasionally.
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Part way through packing I suddenly remembered about 25 things I had forgotten to tell Maria so I dispatched a lengthy e-mail. How does she put up with me?
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