Friday, 22 February 2008

Transformations

This morning I had a 10:00 meeting at the Hertfordshire Community Foundation in Hatfield. With my barber due to open in WGC at 9:00, this was just sufficient time to finally have a haircut and still make the 10:00 meeting. The barbers finally opened up shop about 9:20 which meant a very swift haircut indeed and I just managed to arrive in Hatfield on time.

At HCF, David Fitzpatrick explained plans for the new Grassroots Grants scheme. Robin Charnley of Hertsmere CVS described the proposals as the most exciting news he had heard in many years and no-one disagreed: this really could transform the way CVSs work in Hertfordshire.

In short, the proposal is that each of Hertfordshire’s Districts and Boroughs get allocated an annual budget of (about) £25,000 to be used to support the initiatives of new and small community groups. This fund is to be managed locally by CVS using a “light touch” and working in partnership with local authorities and private sector groups through the Chamber of Commerce.

There is also the £1m match funding challenge in which the government will match every £1 of new private money raised for local endowments up to a maximum (across Hertfordshire) of £1m.

What a wonderful start to the day: a new haircut and a new grants programme for Watford.

Words

Back at the office, Anne and Vanessa were trying to make sense of a training programme they have agreed to deliver as part of the Engage programme for Children Schools and Families. I had a meeting with the steering group overseeing a project researching into how mental health services are accessed by women from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This is being ably led by Leslie Billy of The Guideposts Trust: volunteers have interviewed 100 women and results are being collated.

In a discussion about language barriers, Sash Seyan of the PCT said that one Indian language has only one word, Pagul, to describe a wide range of mental illnesses: anxiety, stress, depression, psychosis. It occured to me that just because there isn’t a special word to describe a particular condition, it does not mean that the condition is not understood. Conversely, where a special word does exist, it does not necessarily improve understanding: what's the difference between anxiety and stress? Not more than one in a hundred will know.

Aide Memoires

I often find notes I have written for myself that I have no memory of writing; often I also have no idea of their import. The notes contain only one piece of information: a date, a name or a telephone number. Today I found a note that read "22/5 - AGM!" Whose AGM? Where? 2008? After a short while, I found another note: "Ring Dave asap". Which Dave? Where? Why? I must exercise more discipline when writing to myself.

Late in the day, I called Paul Ruskin (our regional IT Champion) to follow up a discussion from early January on ICT needs in Hertfordshire. I was rather worried when Paul said that we had already followed up our earlier discussion and agreed a path forward. He briefly explained what we had agreed and it indeed sounded like the sort of thing I would have happily agreed to. But I have no recollection whatsoever of the discussion. I tried not to make this too obvious to Paul. I believe that Paul may have had the discussion with someone else; possibly Jacquie Hime of North Herts CVS who has also been engaged in this process, or possibly with that nice Bob chap who works at Watford CVS.

Party time

After work, I hurried home to Welwyn Garden City, collected Jackie, and we drove into London for a house-warming party. On arrival we were delighted to discover that it was also an engagement party.

Despite our delight at this news, I was exhausted after a long week and (although everyone made us very welcome) there was no escaping the fact that it was really a party for younger people and I sensed that guests were politely holding themselves back in my aged presence. So I persuaded Jackie that we should do the right thing and leave rather early. I think she was a bit disappointed.