Sunday, 14 June 2009

Today was the showcase event for Watford LIVE! The weather was beautiful –perhaps not ideal for an indoor event. Watford Borough Council made the Colosseum available to us. As its name suggests, this is a huge venue. Perhaps due to the weather, perhaps due to the short timetable, perhaps due to failings in our planning and preparations, the attendance was disappointing. At one point, I actually walked all around the venue counting everyone present. I counted 218 but they were entirely lost in the vast space of the Colosseum. This was a shame as many of the performances were breathtakingly good.

At one point, I ducked out of the Colosseum to attend the re-launch of the Watford Polish Association at the Holy Rood Parish Centre.

After returning to the Colosseum, I had a call from Jackie to say she had found a snake in our compost heap and had called the RSPCA. Later she called again to say that it was in fact a slow worm.

I estimate that throughout the day we had maybe 800 people attend the Colosseum event. But people came and went constantly and the average attendance at any given time was around 200.

I couldn’t stay to the end. On my way home, I visited my Vice Chair of trustees, Althea McLean OBE, to catch up on things.

Saturday, 13 June 2009

After the stresses of the past week, Jackie and I today looked after our grand-daughter Bethany. We walked through the woods together and collected elderflower, and then came home to make elderflower cordial (all of course under Jackie’s close instruction). With luck, we should have some nice cordial by next weekend.

Friday, 12 June 2009

This morning I hosted a visit from Robin and Heather of Community Action Hertsmere. I spent the rest of the day tying up various loose ends after a tiring and rather fraught week. I was grateful for once to get home at a sensible time. I love Jackie more than I can say and I feel I have barely seen her this past week.

Thursday, 11 June 2009

I started the day (05:04!) circulating for comment a draft bid to CEHR.

After a few hours sleep, I got to work about 11:00. Having already talked through options informally and reached agreement on details, I today issued formal redundancy notices to Helen adn Sha-Lee. Both will leave CVS within the next month and will be sorely missed for their professionalism, their skills and their knowledge; we will also lose their personalities around the office; and we will lose two close friends and colleagues.

Meanwhile, the Watford LIVE! community arts festival is in full swing. I should be out immersing myself in the great events and performances. But I am tired, I have a mountain of work and my mood tends toward the maudlin rather than the celebratory.

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Our relocation to the Holywell Community Centre is still far from certain. To move things further forward, I spent today at the Centre and spoke with representatives of the Bowls Club, Watford Asian Community Care, and the Watford African Caribbean Association. I heard some concerns about the future, but nothing that can’t be overcome by a little flexibility.

After 5:00, I met with Mir and Khalil at the Watford Muslim Community Project to discuss many matters of mutual interest including the Health Partnership, the Herts BME Partnership and the Watford Community Assembly. We also had a curious discussion about the title of their organisation. They do not cater only for Muslims, but provide a service for all of the population of West Watford. The point in question: does the word “Muslim” in their title deter some funders or deter non-Muslims from accessing their services? Possibly, yes. But the same could be said of the “C” in YMCA; I wonder if they have the same discussion?

Later, I spent another long night huddled over our bid to the CEHR on behalf of the Herts BME Partnership.

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

The One Watford LSP met today at the YMCA for a properly focused discussion on priorities for spending Watford’s “Performance Reward Grant”. This is money paid by central Government to reward good performance under the first Local Area Agreement. Interestingly, the money is paid to Local Strategic Partnerships rather than local authorities. Hertfordshire originally anticipated around £20m and this was to be divided equally between the County LSP and the ten District LSP. Watford’s allocation would therefore have been £1m (one tenth of half of £20m). We now anticipate that Hertfordshire will get perhaps closer to £15m, which will still leave about £750,000 to be allocated by One Watford.

Other LSPs in the county seem to have invited bids. One Watford unanimously agreed that this was not a good route. We have just reviewed our strategic priorities, and discussions today focused on how One Watford can add value to the work of its constituent bodies without duplicating funding. We are aiming for about three big projects with perhaps some smaller activities too. After a very good discussion, we agreed that the most likely priorities are around community safety, reducing congestion / carbon emissions, and strengthening community cohesion / engagement. It is early days yet, but I am very encouraged by the positive consensus that is emerging.

Monday, 8 June 2009

Today, I spoke with Helen and Sha-Lee about the outcome of last Friday’s meeting. You can tell a lot about someone's character by working alongside them for three years; you learn just about everything about someone's character when you have to tell them they are being made redundant. Neither Helen or Sha-Lee are lacking in character or professionalism. Perhaps rather patronisingly, I felt hugely proud of them both and renewed horror at facing the future without them.

I also met with the local Community Sports Network and with Nasar Iqbal, the Muslim Youth Worker recently appointed by Watford Borough Council. Nasar explained his role and his immediate plans.

I also learned that Pam Handley, my Chair of Trustees, is in hospital receiving treatment and may be there some time. Speaking professionally, I lean a lot on Pam’s knowledge and wisdom and calm; being deprived of these is quite a blow. Personally, I hold Pam in very high regard and hope that she recovers soon to return to her family and her friends.

Sunday, 7 June 2009

Throughout today (and through into the early hours - for the third time in a week!) I worked on a funding bid to the CEHR on behalf of the Herts BME Partnership. I also worked through some redundancy options to present to our two colleagues next week. I do not look forward to this.

The results from last Thursday’s election provide only a small distraction. We heard on Friday that in the local elections, the Labour Party has almost disappeared apart from in their urban heartlands. Today we learn that in the north of England the BNP has won two seats to the European parliament. This is distressing news and Gordon Brown is at least partly to blame for his stunningly stupid comment about “British jobs for British workers”. Thanks to Gordon and others, stupidity, bigotry and racism have increasingly become an accepted feature of public life; not to me they haven’t.

Saturday, 6 June 2009

Jackie and I had an early evening meal at the China Sky restaurant in Hatfield’s Market Square – it is hard to say whether the menu or the service is more remarkable. Then we visited the Watford Palace Theatre for the launch of the Watford LIVE! community arts festival - an Inspiral Arts production entitled Billy Blister's Circus. Arriving in Watford we found the CVS office in some chaos as it was hosting a “Danceathon” by local dance group Toyboxx who are hoping to raise enough money to compete in the Hip Hop World Championships. It was good to see so many people at the Watford Palace Theatre and the production was very well received: Watford LIVE! has got off to a good start.

Friday, 5 June 2009

Today I met with Watford CVS's Personnel and Remuneration committee. This group had been charged by the trustees with taking final decisions on redundancies, subject to appeal etc. Phil Willerton hosted the meeting at the YMCA and we were joined by Ian Stageman and John Casstles, our Treasurer. As you might imagine, the meeting was very sombre and business-like. The decision was really unavoidable: we have a large hole in our budget and only two posts that aren’t properly funded. With considerable anguish, but no undue theatricals, the decision was taken to issue redundancy notices to Helen Price (our Volunteer Centre co-ordinator) and to Sha-Lee Worrell-Miller (our Information Worker). Naturally, it is down to me to negotiate the final redundancy terms and in due course re-organise the office to minimise the impact on our services. I know the decision is unavoidable and necessary, but that doesn't make it pleasant. Helen and Sha-Lee are both positive, professional and popular colleagues. Quite apart from the personal costs of redundancy, Watford CVS will never replace their knowledge and experience. Watford and Watford CVS will be much poorer without them.

Thursday, 4 June 2009

Today, I attended the latest meeting of the Hertfordshire LSP Community Cohesion Strategy Group. I think we are laying some useful foundations that, over time, will produce some good outcomes. But I am uneasy about the lack of community involvement and consultation. I try to be positive but sometimes I fear we are perilously close to simply ticking boxes.

After the meeting I had discussions about a Hertfordshire bid to CEHR’s latest funding round with Andrew Burt (of HCC), the ever-positive Michal Siewniak (MENTER’s strategic development worker for Hertfordshire), and Christine Novelli of the Welwyn Hatfield Inter Faith Forum. Despite the County’s under-development on equalities, it seems that no bid is currently going in from Hertfordshire. I agreed to co-ordinate a bid from Watford CVS to try and get a development worker to focus on capacity building among BME and faith communities.

Later, I met with Matt Adcock, the new Communications Manager at the PCT. Conscious that I need to “clear the decks” to prepare a bid to the CEHR, I worked late again to prepare and circulate a copy of our regular newsletter.

With all the recent coverage of corrupt snouts-in-troughery at Westminster, it is easy to dismiss all politics and politicians. But I still like to think the best of (most) people and certainly at local level there are many honest politicians devoted to public service. So this evening I carried out my civic duty and voted in local and EU elections.

Wednesday, 3 June 2009

Although things are moving in a very good direction, there is still much work to do on the future of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium and today I visited the Hertfordshire Community Foundation for a meeting on options. Afterwards, I met with two of my trustees (thank you Althea and Leslie) to discuss the future of the Watford One World forum and the Herts BME Partnership. And then I visited Watford African Caribbean Association to discuss Grassroots funding, Watford LIVE! and the Watford Assembly.

I arrived at the office in the afternoon and found a package addressed to me from the “ICT Champions”. Opening the package, I found a set of around 70 postcards each bearing some ICT guidance. It was entitled “ICT answers in a box”. I know this is well-intentioned and I know that some groups will find it useful, but ... perhaps I am just tired after working for 30 out of the last 36 hours.

Tuesday, 2 June 2009

I knew today was going to be a long haul, so I arranged to arrive at work early and by 7:00 am I was already on my second cup of coffee. Most of the day, I devoted to preparations for the forthcoming Watford LIVE! community arts festival. Members of our Community Arts Network have planned lots of events, but the difficult work is co-ordinating, funding and promoting the festival. So much work! Only now (ten days before the opening events) have I received the final programme of activities. I’ve worked with a few volunteers to get the events posted on the watfordlive.org website but it is difficult to get everything posted and looking good.

In the afternoon, I met with Mayor Dorothy Thornhill to talk about the many areas where Watford CVS and WBC are currently working in partnership: the Watford LIVE! community arts festival, our planned relocation to the Holywell Community Centre, plans to create a Watford Community Assembly, and the Watford Compact.

I also raised the staff changes that both WBC and WCVS face in the coming month. OUr consultation period is drawing to a close and WCVS faces the very likely prospect of issuing two redundancy notices in the next week or so. As CEO I felt it was incumbent on me to alert our major strategic partners to this possibility and ask them to consider providing additional funding to allow us to retain staff and sustain services etc. But I was not sure this is the right and proper thing to do. After all, WBC is making redundancies among their own staff to trim costs. And a funding agreement is in place detailing what funding WCVS will receive from WBC and what we provide for this. And the redundancies are not in areas WBC has previously funded. So I knew with certainty what the answer must be. So in these circumstances, is it really helpful to ask the question? I asked anyway. And Mayor Dorothy responded as I knew she must. How many times has this scene been played out in Town Halls up and down the country? I feel that I’ve been through the motions of an arcane ritual the purpose of which is lost in some distant forgotten age.

Returning home, I was delighted to see that our neighbours are felling their horrid Eucalyptus tree. This 50-foot alien monster constantly sheds leathery leaves and strips of bark into our garden and blocks out the afternoon sun. After a brief celebratory drink, I worked late getting the watfordlive.org website into some presentable state.

Monday, 1 June 2009

Today I had a predictably frantic return to the Watford CVS office: several meetings, queries from CVS members on IT and governance, another local group urgently needs counselling rooms, and I had to create a new e-mail address because one of our mailings advertised an e-mail address that doesn’t exist. At least I could advise staff that the one month consultation period for redundancies was extended to the morning of 5 June. Small comfort there, though.

Sunday, 31 May 2009

It was simply too hot to work in the garden today, so Jackie and I just enjoyed the sun and read our books. I ordered tickets for forthcoming Watford LIVE! events at the Watford Palace Theatre. And I agreed with my trustees that Watford CVS’s Personnel and Remuneration Working Group will meet on Friday 5 June to review the consultation period for redundancies.

Saturday, 30 May 2009

This is my last weekend at home before returning to work proper. Jackie and I spent most of the day gardening. I also spent some time working on proposals from Anne Boyd (our Funding Advisor) for defining a “baseline” from which we can measure local fundraising activity.

Friday, 29 May 2009

My final day of taking “French leave” from my annual leave – a day spent huddled over a lap-top catching up on Watford CVS correspondence. Later, I will have a real holiday.

Thursday, 28 May 2009

Today was another day of leave I "stole back" to catch up with Watford CVS business. My two big concerns today were our possible relocation to the Holywell Community Centre and the growing likelihood of redundancies at Watford CVS: I do not feel in a holiday mood.