A fete worse then death?
Jackie and I today drove to the Essendon Great Fete. Essendon is the first village east of Welwyn Garden City (perhaps 3 miles away) but it took us half an hour to get there as everyone else had also decided to attend the Fete. The organisers were overwhelmed and the tailback stretched past Welwyn and half way back to Hertford. The car-parking attendants were ill-prepared and tried to micro-manage every individual vehicle resulting in yet further unnecessary delays.
I have many fond memories of Hertfordshire’s village fetes, but this was frantic: there were queues everywhere and for everything and there are few spectacles less edifying than upper middle-class English families determined to ensure that their children will have a good time.
As society becomes less cohesive and more manic, there is a mania for "traditional" events - which of course lose their relevance and become merely over-managed opportunities to raise money at all costs. It wasn't a fete worse than death, I am just too weak-willed to resist an obvious pun. But it wasn't pleasant: I don’t feel that I took part in a traditional relaxed rural celebration of cohesion and togetherness. Rather, I feel like I have had a glimpse of society on the edge.
Sunday, 24 August 2008
I drove Bobby to Brighton, buying a bed en route. On the return journey I listened to a very good Radio 4 programme about Hate Crime directed against disabled people and then to an equally good (but less harrowing) programme on Noel Coward's poetry.
Saturday, 23 August 2008
Jackie and Bobby and I drove to Ampthill to visit my sister and had a thoroughly good time. On the return journey we dropped by for an uproarious meal with my Mum and nephew. All great fun.
Friday, 22 August 2008
I met in the morning with my Chair of trustees, and we discussed WCVS’s accommodation, our forthcoming AGM and our forthcoming NAVCA inspection.
As Pam left, Angelo arrived to install some new PCs, while I left for Hatfield to give a presentation to colleagues from the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium on the new mywatford.net system at the splendid new offices of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. Even allowing for my (let’s be charitable) idiosyncratic presentation style, I was struck by the range of very different reactions to the demonstration: some enthusiastic, some keenly interested, some cool, some wary or even slightly cynical. People do have these very private adn personal reactions to ICT: which is what makes ICT so endlessly difficult and endlessly fascinating.
As Pam left, Angelo arrived to install some new PCs, while I left for Hatfield to give a presentation to colleagues from the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium on the new mywatford.net system at the splendid new offices of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. Even allowing for my (let’s be charitable) idiosyncratic presentation style, I was struck by the range of very different reactions to the demonstration: some enthusiastic, some keenly interested, some cool, some wary or even slightly cynical. People do have these very private adn personal reactions to ICT: which is what makes ICT so endlessly difficult and endlessly fascinating.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
This morning I dispatched personal e-mails to each of our registered mywatford.net users. Numbers are building but we still need many more users before the site can become firmly established.
Farce
In the afternoon, I journeyed into London for a meeting at the Disability Law Service. It has become a tradition that I always arrive about 20 minutes late for these meetings, and to sustain this tradition I am having to contrive ever more elaborate difficulties. Today’s journey included missing a train because my car-parking ticket blew from my hand as I was trying to affix it to my windscreen. After unsuccessfully scrambling about on my hands and knees searching under parked vans and cars I finally had to find a cash point to get some more money and then get some change to buy another parking ticket. I kept expecting to bump into Laurel and Hardy or perhaps Brian Rix.
The DLS meeting included some very interesting discussions on the charity’s future accommodation, direction and purpose. On the journey back through Kings Cross I met with my son Bobby who is coming to stay for the weekend.
Conspiracy theory
But Jackie and I had plans for the evening. Undaunted by Sir Thomas Beecham's sneering words, we intended to join in the Folk Dancing at the Welwyn Free Church. But the church was all dark inside and there was no sign of the Welwyn Garden City Folk Dance Club. At first, I simply thought that we had mis-read the time, or that the club had closed down for the summer. But then darker thoughts jostled their way to my mind.
Jackie remembered that last autumn we had gone to attend a leeting of the local Archaeological Society, and this meeting also seemed not to exist. I recalled that earlier in the Spring I had gone to play at the local Chess Club and this journey was also fruitless.
The awful thought struck me: what if none of these clubs and societies actually exist? What if someone somewhere is simply inventing these activities and banking on the likelihood that everyone is too busy (or too seduced by television) to ever actually turn up for the events - or that if they do, they wont try a second time.
It is a disturbing thought. The mastermind might be a senior council bureaucrat who has worked out that people like to live in a town with a strong sense of community, but who also knows that actually everyone is too busy to actually do anything. Rather than having a town that is simply a social wasteland, what could be easier or more public spirited (reasoned our bureaucrat) than to invent a thriving social network? Everyone will be much happier living in a healthy community, and there will be no real victims - just a few sad old sods trying to play chess or go folk dancing, and who would listen to them?
Just a few key people could get away with this for years. How long has this conspiracy been going on? I think we should be told.
Farce
In the afternoon, I journeyed into London for a meeting at the Disability Law Service. It has become a tradition that I always arrive about 20 minutes late for these meetings, and to sustain this tradition I am having to contrive ever more elaborate difficulties. Today’s journey included missing a train because my car-parking ticket blew from my hand as I was trying to affix it to my windscreen. After unsuccessfully scrambling about on my hands and knees searching under parked vans and cars I finally had to find a cash point to get some more money and then get some change to buy another parking ticket. I kept expecting to bump into Laurel and Hardy or perhaps Brian Rix.
The DLS meeting included some very interesting discussions on the charity’s future accommodation, direction and purpose. On the journey back through Kings Cross I met with my son Bobby who is coming to stay for the weekend.
Conspiracy theory
But Jackie and I had plans for the evening. Undaunted by Sir Thomas Beecham's sneering words, we intended to join in the Folk Dancing at the Welwyn Free Church. But the church was all dark inside and there was no sign of the Welwyn Garden City Folk Dance Club. At first, I simply thought that we had mis-read the time, or that the club had closed down for the summer. But then darker thoughts jostled their way to my mind.
Jackie remembered that last autumn we had gone to attend a leeting of the local Archaeological Society, and this meeting also seemed not to exist. I recalled that earlier in the Spring I had gone to play at the local Chess Club and this journey was also fruitless.
The awful thought struck me: what if none of these clubs and societies actually exist? What if someone somewhere is simply inventing these activities and banking on the likelihood that everyone is too busy (or too seduced by television) to ever actually turn up for the events - or that if they do, they wont try a second time.
It is a disturbing thought. The mastermind might be a senior council bureaucrat who has worked out that people like to live in a town with a strong sense of community, but who also knows that actually everyone is too busy to actually do anything. Rather than having a town that is simply a social wasteland, what could be easier or more public spirited (reasoned our bureaucrat) than to invent a thriving social network? Everyone will be much happier living in a healthy community, and there will be no real victims - just a few sad old sods trying to play chess or go folk dancing, and who would listen to them?
Just a few key people could get away with this for years. How long has this conspiracy been going on? I think we should be told.
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Today I met with Robin and Heather from Hertsmere CVS who came to see what progress we had made with CRM and mywatford.net. I also met with local Crime Reduction Officer Mike Sibley to discuss setting up a “Good Neighbours” scheme, and with Helen Price (Volunteer Centre co-ordinator) on much the same theme.
Wet blanket
Immediately the British medal-rush started at Beijing, it occurred to me that it was four years too early. Britain’s athletes will certainly be expected to improve on this performance when the Olympics are held in London in 2012. Otherwise, at least in the world of domestic politics, London 2012 will be seen as an anti-climax. To use an athletic metaphor, the team of 2008 have set the bar very high.
Politicians and sports administrators will ponder upon this difficulty. They will notice that the country’s top sportsmen and women have turned investment into Olympic success. They will notice that the media loved it. They will notice that politicians can grab some of this glory for themselves. The more cynical will notice that charity and cultural investments rarely offer such media bonanzas.
For the next four years at least, politicians will find it very hard to resist the demands of the various sporting bodies - and correspondingly hard to find money for charitable adn community initiatives. While I have been thrilled by British performances in Beijing, I see a tough four years ahead for charity and community groups.
Wet blanket
Immediately the British medal-rush started at Beijing, it occurred to me that it was four years too early. Britain’s athletes will certainly be expected to improve on this performance when the Olympics are held in London in 2012. Otherwise, at least in the world of domestic politics, London 2012 will be seen as an anti-climax. To use an athletic metaphor, the team of 2008 have set the bar very high.
Politicians and sports administrators will ponder upon this difficulty. They will notice that the country’s top sportsmen and women have turned investment into Olympic success. They will notice that the media loved it. They will notice that politicians can grab some of this glory for themselves. The more cynical will notice that charity and cultural investments rarely offer such media bonanzas.
For the next four years at least, politicians will find it very hard to resist the demands of the various sporting bodies - and correspondingly hard to find money for charitable adn community initiatives. While I have been thrilled by British performances in Beijing, I see a tough four years ahead for charity and community groups.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
I arrived in Watford early and spent some time tidying up various parts of mywatford.net. At last, I now have a clear idea of how the template site should look and I need to spend some time with Angelo working this through. At 10:00 I had another mywatford.net workshop. Again the internet connection was tortuously and painfully slow so we abandoned the “hands on” part of the workshop. But for what it’s worth I am at least now convinced that there is nothing fundamentally wrong at our end of the connection.
After a short visit to the CVS office, I walked over to the Town Hall to meet with our Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill. We covered a lot of ground in our hour-long chat about the needs of the local voluntary sector.
I left Watford at 3:30, still with no news on the award of the HCC LINks contract. On my way home, I had to drop off a Fundraising Toolkit for Kate Belinis at Herts CDA in Hatfield. Herts CDA had also put in a bid for the HCC LINks contract.
When I arrived at Herts CDA, Kate asked: “Have you had an e-mail from HCC about LINks?” She asked in such a way as to indicate that she had received such an e-mail.
“Is it good news?” I asked, with an unspoken “… for either of us?” But by the time I had stumbled out the question, I had already seen the answer on Kate’s face and heard it in her voice. HCC wanted to appoint someone with strong connections in Hertfordshire’s communities; so they have appointed the Shaw Trust in preference to bids from Herts CDA and Herts CVS. Go figure (as I believe the Americans say).
The task now is to get clear feedback from HCC on where we went wrong (and / or where and why our bid was marked down) so we can at least learn some lessons from this exercise.
After a short visit to the CVS office, I walked over to the Town Hall to meet with our Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill. We covered a lot of ground in our hour-long chat about the needs of the local voluntary sector.
I left Watford at 3:30, still with no news on the award of the HCC LINks contract. On my way home, I had to drop off a Fundraising Toolkit for Kate Belinis at Herts CDA in Hatfield. Herts CDA had also put in a bid for the HCC LINks contract.
When I arrived at Herts CDA, Kate asked: “Have you had an e-mail from HCC about LINks?” She asked in such a way as to indicate that she had received such an e-mail.
“Is it good news?” I asked, with an unspoken “… for either of us?” But by the time I had stumbled out the question, I had already seen the answer on Kate’s face and heard it in her voice. HCC wanted to appoint someone with strong connections in Hertfordshire’s communities; so they have appointed the Shaw Trust in preference to bids from Herts CDA and Herts CVS. Go figure (as I believe the Americans say).
The task now is to get clear feedback from HCC on where we went wrong (and / or where and why our bid was marked down) so we can at least learn some lessons from this exercise.
Monday, 18 August 2008
I took a rare day's holiday, but my attempts at relaxing were rather spoiled by the continued wait for HCC to award their LINks contract. I called HCC shortly after 9:00 am and was assured that the decision would be communicated today. At 4:59 pm I called again and was told that no final decision had been taken after all and there would be a delay of “24 to 48 hours”.
Interesting. But not encouraging: the most likely scenario I could imagine is that HCC are completing some form of negotiations with (or checks on) the selected provider. The Shaw Trust have been in the news rather a lot lately ...
Interesting. But not encouraging: the most likely scenario I could imagine is that HCC are completing some form of negotiations with (or checks on) the selected provider. The Shaw Trust have been in the news rather a lot lately ...
Sunday, 17 August 2008
A day spent gardening and relaxing is never wasted. I am worried about Aged Ken (our decrepit white cat) who now seems completely oblivious to anything that happens more than three feet away.
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Jackie and I enjoyed a typical Saturday of domestic bliss and an evening of good food, good wine and good company.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Today I went to the second meeting of the local Health Inequalities Fund.
Peter Wright of the PCT has been very brave in setting up these meetings, each to agree on expenditure against £5,000. He has been ably supported by Emma Gadsby of WBC. Over the two meetings I was a bit disappointed by the turnout from voluntary organisations. I think this was partly due to voluntary groups not understanding the opportunity (ie: we didn’t explain it very well) adn partly to the narrow focus of the meetings (“physical exercise for the over-45s in minority ethnic communities” and “smoking cessation in West Watford”).
But decisions have been taken - and the exercise has produced invaluable lessons for future similar initiatives. One lesson concerns the ignorance between the voluntary and statutory sectors: some voluntary organisations believe statutory agencies have money to burn and some statutory agencies believe the way to involve the voluntary sector is to let them attend public events. Peter, Emma and I must get together soon to exchange notes!
Peter Wright of the PCT has been very brave in setting up these meetings, each to agree on expenditure against £5,000. He has been ably supported by Emma Gadsby of WBC. Over the two meetings I was a bit disappointed by the turnout from voluntary organisations. I think this was partly due to voluntary groups not understanding the opportunity (ie: we didn’t explain it very well) adn partly to the narrow focus of the meetings (“physical exercise for the over-45s in minority ethnic communities” and “smoking cessation in West Watford”).
But decisions have been taken - and the exercise has produced invaluable lessons for future similar initiatives. One lesson concerns the ignorance between the voluntary and statutory sectors: some voluntary organisations believe statutory agencies have money to burn and some statutory agencies believe the way to involve the voluntary sector is to let them attend public events. Peter, Emma and I must get together soon to exchange notes!
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Today’s workshop on mywatford.net was a minor disaster. Our venue for all the workshops has been the Newton Price Centre. The internet connections to the sites have always been very slow but tolerable. Today, we could barely get connections at all and we had to abandon the sessions after a frustrating hour: particularly frustrating as at this workshop were Kim Bloomfield (of WBC who paid for the system), Kim Price (keen to use the system for the Disability Forum) and Phil Willerton (one of my trustees). Technology is always likely to turn on you when you most want it to just keep quiet and do its job.
After this debacle, I had a cuppa with Phil Willerton at YMCA talking about the future of Watford’s community centres.
Back at CVS, Angelo and I tried to work out why the speed of the mywatford.net site had been so slow. but the site was functioning perfectly well and we could find nothing wrong. Sometimes I hate technology.
After this debacle, I had a cuppa with Phil Willerton at YMCA talking about the future of Watford’s community centres.
Back at CVS, Angelo and I tried to work out why the speed of the mywatford.net site had been so slow. but the site was functioning perfectly well and we could find nothing wrong. Sometimes I hate technology.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
I was to have met with Everton Blake of Voluntary Action Luton, but he cancelled due to a savage sounding sports injury. I instead had a day free to update our plans on CRM and mywatford. We are getting many calls asking to update this and that and today I tidied up websites at http://mywatford.net/sites/oneworldforum and http://mywatford.net/sites/disabilityforum.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Disability Forum dropped by to ask for my agreement to a letter they planned to send about poor facilities for disabled people at the new Central Watford Leisure Centre. They felt that their advice had been disregarded and that facilities were inadequate. On the first weekend of operation, a disabled adult was trapped in the pool when a winch malfunctioned.
The Watford Disability Forum operates under the auspices of the CVS and their letterhead includes our charity number etc. The Forum’s officers were “very happy” with their letter and didn’t want advice on the wording - but they said the letter was “heavy stuff” and wanted to know if it was alright to send it on behalf of the Disability Forum.
After due reflection, I concluded that the CVS’s role is to support the Disability Forum to provide a voice for disabled people and to represent the interests of disabled people. It is clearly not our role to censor their activities or their correspondence. I therefore declined to read the letter but said I looked forward to receiving a copy when it was sent and would then respond appropriately.
Perhaps I could have said something about Act in haste, repent at leisure but this would have been insufferably pompous even by my standards.
I’m sure I’ve done the right thing. I hope.
I also worked out that not until Monday will we learn the outcome of our bid for the LINks contract. I can be patient.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Disability Forum dropped by to ask for my agreement to a letter they planned to send about poor facilities for disabled people at the new Central Watford Leisure Centre. They felt that their advice had been disregarded and that facilities were inadequate. On the first weekend of operation, a disabled adult was trapped in the pool when a winch malfunctioned.
The Watford Disability Forum operates under the auspices of the CVS and their letterhead includes our charity number etc. The Forum’s officers were “very happy” with their letter and didn’t want advice on the wording - but they said the letter was “heavy stuff” and wanted to know if it was alright to send it on behalf of the Disability Forum.
After due reflection, I concluded that the CVS’s role is to support the Disability Forum to provide a voice for disabled people and to represent the interests of disabled people. It is clearly not our role to censor their activities or their correspondence. I therefore declined to read the letter but said I looked forward to receiving a copy when it was sent and would then respond appropriately.
Perhaps I could have said something about Act in haste, repent at leisure but this would have been insufferably pompous even by my standards.
I’m sure I’ve done the right thing. I hope.
I also worked out that not until Monday will we learn the outcome of our bid for the LINks contract. I can be patient.
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
This morning I took part in another workshop for mywatford.net. These workshops are very small and informal but they do seem to be going rather well - apart from very slow internet connections which are a worry.
In the afternoon, I was at the Town Hall for a meeting of the One Watford LSP. Emma Gadsby of WBC gave a very good summary of the statistical base available to inform the review we are undertaking of the Community Plan. There were some very good discussions about how exactly to pitch the review: are we simply updating? Updating with an eye on LAA2? Reporting on LAA1 outcomes? Completely rewriting to reflect LAA2?
In the afternoon, I was at the Town Hall for a meeting of the One Watford LSP. Emma Gadsby of WBC gave a very good summary of the statistical base available to inform the review we are undertaking of the Community Plan. There were some very good discussions about how exactly to pitch the review: are we simply updating? Updating with an eye on LAA2? Reporting on LAA1 outcomes? Completely rewriting to reflect LAA2?
Monday, 11 August 2008
Tender presentation
Herts CVS’s presentation team gathered at 9:00 at the home of Ann Jansz (CEO of Stevenage CVS and the voluntary sector’s representative on Hertfordshire Forward, the county LAA). Ann and I were joined by Laura Cronshaw (CEO of St Albans CVS and chair of Herts CVS) and Jacquie Hime (CEO of North Herts CVS and “Responsible Body” for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium). We put the finishing touches to our presentation, rehearsed handovers and talked tactics: I thought we made a formidable team.
We arrived for our 11:15 presentation at 11:00 and had to wait around in the foyer until after 11:30 when we were taken to deliver our presentation. After introductions, it was explained to us that we had wrongly been asked to give a 45 minute presentation and allow 15 minutes for questions. We should have been asked to give a 15 minute presentation and allow 45 minutes for questions. Could we please keep our presentation as short as possible? Obligingly, we ran through our carefully prepared 45 minute presentation in just 25 minutes.
After the presentation I expected a thorough grilling on our proposals. After all, this is serious business. But we faced only a few questions that were desultory rather than searching. This apparent disinterest concerned me greatly but I kept quiet. After emerging, we four CVS Musketeers congratulated each other on a splendid performance and we all went our separate ways.
I headed off to Watford for a meeting of the Watford and Three Rivers Health Inequalities Fund at the Multi-Cultural Community Centre.
After this, I had intended to stay on for an evening meeting on volunteer mentoring for Hertfordshire Youth Connexions. Around 5:00 it dawned on me that I was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to escape home. Des Reid, one of our Youth Connexions Personal Advisors, agreed to “host” the meeting in my place and I gratefully headed off home.
Herts CVS’s presentation team gathered at 9:00 at the home of Ann Jansz (CEO of Stevenage CVS and the voluntary sector’s representative on Hertfordshire Forward, the county LAA). Ann and I were joined by Laura Cronshaw (CEO of St Albans CVS and chair of Herts CVS) and Jacquie Hime (CEO of North Herts CVS and “Responsible Body” for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium). We put the finishing touches to our presentation, rehearsed handovers and talked tactics: I thought we made a formidable team.
We arrived for our 11:15 presentation at 11:00 and had to wait around in the foyer until after 11:30 when we were taken to deliver our presentation. After introductions, it was explained to us that we had wrongly been asked to give a 45 minute presentation and allow 15 minutes for questions. We should have been asked to give a 15 minute presentation and allow 45 minutes for questions. Could we please keep our presentation as short as possible? Obligingly, we ran through our carefully prepared 45 minute presentation in just 25 minutes.
After the presentation I expected a thorough grilling on our proposals. After all, this is serious business. But we faced only a few questions that were desultory rather than searching. This apparent disinterest concerned me greatly but I kept quiet. After emerging, we four CVS Musketeers congratulated each other on a splendid performance and we all went our separate ways.
I headed off to Watford for a meeting of the Watford and Three Rivers Health Inequalities Fund at the Multi-Cultural Community Centre.
After this, I had intended to stay on for an evening meeting on volunteer mentoring for Hertfordshire Youth Connexions. Around 5:00 it dawned on me that I was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to escape home. Des Reid, one of our Youth Connexions Personal Advisors, agreed to “host” the meeting in my place and I gratefully headed off home.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
I spent a final day devoted to preparations for tomorrow’s presentation to support Herts CVS’s tender for the Herts LINks contract. The actual slides of course are the easy part. The more difficult issues are how to co-ordinate four speakers over 45 minutes when three haven’t been involved in developing the slides. How can we make the presentation look seamless and professional? What handouts should we provide? How will we handle questions?
At some point during the day I drove over to Watford to collect some more papers. At 8:00 pm I settled down with Jackie and Midsomer Murders knowing that I had done all I could.
At some point during the day I drove over to Watford to collect some more papers. At 8:00 pm I settled down with Jackie and Midsomer Murders knowing that I had done all I could.
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Chickens are not naturally bright creatures and when it rains they do not think to take cover indoors. Nor are they waterproof. Our two chickens look very unhappy and bedraggled when it rains. Lately of course it has done little else but rain, so today Jackie and I bought a rain cover for our chicken run. I don’t think the chickens even noticed but we are happier.
While we were out, we dropped in at a boot sale. These sales have largely supplanted the old-fashioned jumble sales but they retain many of the same features: practical, communal, recycling, egalitarian. Long may they last. Especially when I can buy bright orange Pelican books for 10p each.
Recent reading
Exmoor Wanderings (by Eric Delderfield) captures the magic of Exmoor in the 1950s and '60s just before it was overrun by tourists.
Holding Their Own by Capt FAM Webster is a boy’s adventure story about Britain’s imperial rivalry with Germany in Africa at the start of the 20th Century. It was written to bolster patriotism with a strong sense of racial superiority and destiny: Britain’s white master race discovering its very own Lebensraum in Africa. I have read very widely but rarely encountered anything quite so nasty and offensive: this was truly appalling with no redeeming features.
It is the great misfortune of Margery Allingham to be always in the shade of Agatha Christie. But she was a great author and as a detective I prefer Albert Campion to Poirot or Miss Marple. Allingham’s Traitor’s Purse fairly rattles along for a great story.
While we were out, we dropped in at a boot sale. These sales have largely supplanted the old-fashioned jumble sales but they retain many of the same features: practical, communal, recycling, egalitarian. Long may they last. Especially when I can buy bright orange Pelican books for 10p each.
Recent reading
Exmoor Wanderings (by Eric Delderfield) captures the magic of Exmoor in the 1950s and '60s just before it was overrun by tourists.
Holding Their Own by Capt FAM Webster is a boy’s adventure story about Britain’s imperial rivalry with Germany in Africa at the start of the 20th Century. It was written to bolster patriotism with a strong sense of racial superiority and destiny: Britain’s white master race discovering its very own Lebensraum in Africa. I have read very widely but rarely encountered anything quite so nasty and offensive: this was truly appalling with no redeeming features.
It is the great misfortune of Margery Allingham to be always in the shade of Agatha Christie. But she was a great author and as a detective I prefer Albert Campion to Poirot or Miss Marple. Allingham’s Traitor’s Purse fairly rattles along for a great story.
Friday, 8 August 2008
Occasionally it is possible to work from home and today I stayed home preparing for Monday’s presentation on our tender for the Hertfordshire LINks contract.
I found rather depressing the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics with its relentless focus on spectacle through technology and drilling. Wondering what opening ceremony London should offer in 2012 and decided that we should provide the Queen with a pair of scissors and a red ribbon. Sometimes Less is More. And then Russia launched its tanks into Georgia and the glamour and gaudiness of the Olympic Games did little to disguise the stark realities of the world.
I found rather depressing the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics with its relentless focus on spectacle through technology and drilling. Wondering what opening ceremony London should offer in 2012 and decided that we should provide the Queen with a pair of scissors and a red ribbon. Sometimes Less is More. And then Russia launched its tanks into Georgia and the glamour and gaudiness of the Olympic Games did little to disguise the stark realities of the world.
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Mike Harding once said that Mancunians could tell when summer arrived because the rain got warmer. This now applies to the whole of Britain. We no longer have a summer, but just a rainy season. There were more torrential downpours today.
I had meetings today on employment matters and (again) on quality assurance. At lunchtime I met with Michael Lassman of equalityedge and enjoyed a very good discussion taking in all aspects of diversity and community development – and a few other things beside. Michael will speak at the 27 August AGM for Watford One World forum.
In the evening, I visited my Mum and an old friend Sheila Jones (no relation) for a pleasant evening of reminiscence.
I had meetings today on employment matters and (again) on quality assurance. At lunchtime I met with Michael Lassman of equalityedge and enjoyed a very good discussion taking in all aspects of diversity and community development – and a few other things beside. Michael will speak at the 27 August AGM for Watford One World forum.
In the evening, I visited my Mum and an old friend Sheila Jones (no relation) for a pleasant evening of reminiscence.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
I arrived early to meet with Sneha of Blue Tulip Training who offered some good advice on the future of the Watford One World forum. She offered some good advice. The forum holds its AGM at the end of this month and I hope the incoming officers can help inject a new sense of purpose and direction.
I also had a meeting about our developmetn of the Sunflower Herts website.
In the afternoon I travelled to Hertford for a meeting about the 29 October conference on partnership, public law, Compact, etc.
I also had a meeting about our developmetn of the Sunflower Herts website.
In the afternoon I travelled to Hertford for a meeting about the 29 October conference on partnership, public law, Compact, etc.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
I had a busy day in the office starting with interviews for the new part-time post of Community Accountant - hopefully someone will be starting after the summer. I also looked again at our QA arrangements ahead of our NAVCA assessment at the end of August. In the afternoon I delivered another workshop on our new mywatford.net services.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Watford CVS held one of their popular Networking Lunches around the theme “Protecting and improving our Environment”.
There were seven speakers at this event, each talking for 5-10 minutes on their local activities. Maeve Tomlinson of Sustrans Travelsmart spoke about their work in Watford to promote more sustainable transport. In the wake of the collapsed world trade talks, Leslie Beckett of Watford Fairtrade spoke about the often difficult judgements that are needed around trade and sustainability. Margaret Collier described the campaigning work of Friends of the Earth and provoked some lively debate. April Cowen of Groundwork Hertfordshire and Judy Adams of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust both explained the work they do with volunteers to protect and care for local environments. Emma Gadsby of Watford Borough Council explained the LSP’s work to encourage local businesses to make the Green Business Pledge. Finally, Pam Handley explained that Nine Lives Furniture had so far saved more than 30,000 items from landfill sites.
These lunches provide a great a opportunity for people to hear and contribute to the debates that are shaping their community and their future.
I had intended to spend the remainder of the day on preparations for our NAVCA QA “audit” at the end of August. But I received an e-mailed invitation to give a presentation on our Herts CVS consortium bid for the LINks contract so preparations for this took priority.
There were seven speakers at this event, each talking for 5-10 minutes on their local activities. Maeve Tomlinson of Sustrans Travelsmart spoke about their work in Watford to promote more sustainable transport. In the wake of the collapsed world trade talks, Leslie Beckett of Watford Fairtrade spoke about the often difficult judgements that are needed around trade and sustainability. Margaret Collier described the campaigning work of Friends of the Earth and provoked some lively debate. April Cowen of Groundwork Hertfordshire and Judy Adams of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust both explained the work they do with volunteers to protect and care for local environments. Emma Gadsby of Watford Borough Council explained the LSP’s work to encourage local businesses to make the Green Business Pledge. Finally, Pam Handley explained that Nine Lives Furniture had so far saved more than 30,000 items from landfill sites.
These lunches provide a great a opportunity for people to hear and contribute to the debates that are shaping their community and their future.
I had intended to spend the remainder of the day on preparations for our NAVCA QA “audit” at the end of August. But I received an e-mailed invitation to give a presentation on our Herts CVS consortium bid for the LINks contract so preparations for this took priority.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Today was another day spoilt by heavy rain. I know rain is good for the garden but at present the garden looks very bedraggled and sorry for itself. Jackie and I made a start on some domestic projects.
I finished reading The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter. Benjamin Woolley writes very well and has a masterful grasp of his subject: Ada Byron’s life as a metaphor for Britain’s transition from the enlightenment and romance through to the crushing hopelessness of industrial Victorian Christianity. Or at least that’s what I think he meant.
Big Babies - or why can't we just grow up was another very interesting book. Michael Bywater's theme is that modern society consists of the Nanny State treating us all like imbecilic children which is naturally what we all become. He hits some big nails roundly on the head. But somewhere along the way he misfires – or perhaps introduces too much of himself - and ends up writing too much like "grumpy old man".
I finished reading The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter. Benjamin Woolley writes very well and has a masterful grasp of his subject: Ada Byron’s life as a metaphor for Britain’s transition from the enlightenment and romance through to the crushing hopelessness of industrial Victorian Christianity. Or at least that’s what I think he meant.
Big Babies - or why can't we just grow up was another very interesting book. Michael Bywater's theme is that modern society consists of the Nanny State treating us all like imbecilic children which is naturally what we all become. He hits some big nails roundly on the head. But somewhere along the way he misfires – or perhaps introduces too much of himself - and ends up writing too much like "grumpy old man".
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Jackie and I had planned a garden party of sorts but it was rained off. Instead Jackie and I spent a very productive day in the garden on our own - tending to chickens and plants and compost heaps and during the heaviest downpours taking occasional refuge in our shed. One sad task I had was to remove another clematis that has fallen victim to "clematis wilt". The pride of our garden is currently a beautiful red Campion donated by our funding advisor Anne: thanks Anne!
Friday, 1 August 2008
I dropped off our LINks tender in Welwyn Garden City and came into the office. During the drive to Watford I thought of 2-3 crucial statements I had completely omitted from our proposals. But it is too late now. Unless we battle through to the last 2-3 and get an opportunity to give a presentation. We shall see.
I spent most of today with Kerry our very pleasant new receptionist, talking about systems and trying to get my office filing back on track. Kerry has been a great addition to the team here and I was very pleased to share the task with someone.
I spent most of today with Kerry our very pleasant new receptionist, talking about systems and trying to get my office filing back on track. Kerry has been a great addition to the team here and I was very pleased to share the task with someone.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
I returned to the office and distributed LINks business plans to our sister CVSs for comment. With only 24 hours to go to the submission deadline, I am not sure what I am expecting, but these things need to be done.
This afternoon I took the second of the workshops on our new IT systems. The venue was still uncomfortably close and the IT equipment and software are still ancient; and there were additional problems today with the slowness of the internet connection. But everyone was very patient and I think they understood the value of the new facilities.
I stayed late at the office completing the LINks tender submission: there were lots of last minute changes and the chore of printing and collating but it all looks good and I’m pretty pleased with it. I will deliver the tender first thing tomorrow morning.
This afternoon I took the second of the workshops on our new IT systems. The venue was still uncomfortably close and the IT equipment and software are still ancient; and there were additional problems today with the slowness of the internet connection. But everyone was very patient and I think they understood the value of the new facilities.
I stayed late at the office completing the LINks tender submission: there were lots of last minute changes and the chore of printing and collating but it all looks good and I’m pretty pleased with it. I will deliver the tender first thing tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
I worked at home all day completing business plans to support the Herts CVS tender to host the Herts LINks contract.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Dr Maqsood Siddiqi runs an successful Educational Support Group for local Muslim schoolboys to offer additional teaching in Maths and Science. He has run the scheme without external funding for fourteen years and produced some impressive results. This morning I met with Dr Siddiqi and with Fatima Ikram who operates a similar scheme (Muskaan) in Dacorum. We were brought together by Bina Radia-Bond to discuss opportunities for collaboration. We soon identified that whereas Fatima’s group was properly constituted, Dr Siddiqi’s group has operated successfully for fourteen years without a constitution of any kind; this is something we should help rectify.
At lunchtime, Angelo (our IT chap) arrived to lead the first workshop on our new IT systems. For this first workshop, we only had CVS staff involved as guinea pigs. The training itself went pretty smoothly and the new web environment performed well. Our only problems were the extreme humidity and the ancient IT systems – both of which were out of our control.
At lunchtime, Angelo (our IT chap) arrived to lead the first workshop on our new IT systems. For this first workshop, we only had CVS staff involved as guinea pigs. The training itself went pretty smoothly and the new web environment performed well. Our only problems were the extreme humidity and the ancient IT systems – both of which were out of our control.
Monday, 28 July 2008
The Sunflower Centres in West Herts provide a comprehensive service for victims of domestic violence and hate crime with providers from the statutory and voluntary sectors coming together to offer a seamless service in which people receive expert advice to access the support streams that are right for them. Statutory partners include the Police, Herts County Council, Watford Borough Council, the PCT, and the Probation Service, while voluntary partners include Watford Women’s Centre, the Women’s Refuges, Relate, Victim Support, the CVSs, the Domestic Violence forums and so on. As a model it is impeccable. The reality has been fraught with difficulties and everyone involved has had to work ceaselessly to keep the project on the rails.
I became involved on the Strategic Board when there was no other voluntary sector representation. Having now helped secure three other seats on this Board for the voluntary sector, I think that perhaps my work here is done. Today’s Board meeting continued to make progress and there were pretty clear signs that we now need one (non-statutory) organisation to be responsible for delivery and co-ordination of the Sunflower Project. There are several good candidates for this role and I hope that we can make progress on this in future meetings.
At lunchtime, I wanted to attend the lunch for Mary Green who is leaving as Director of Three Rivers CVS to study in Aberystwyth. But instead I had to devote my time to preparations for our first workshop tomorrow on our new IT systems and to Friday’s deadline for submitting our Herts CVS bid to host the Hertfordshire LINks contract. Good luck Mary!
I became involved on the Strategic Board when there was no other voluntary sector representation. Having now helped secure three other seats on this Board for the voluntary sector, I think that perhaps my work here is done. Today’s Board meeting continued to make progress and there were pretty clear signs that we now need one (non-statutory) organisation to be responsible for delivery and co-ordination of the Sunflower Project. There are several good candidates for this role and I hope that we can make progress on this in future meetings.
At lunchtime, I wanted to attend the lunch for Mary Green who is leaving as Director of Three Rivers CVS to study in Aberystwyth. But instead I had to devote my time to preparations for our first workshop tomorrow on our new IT systems and to Friday’s deadline for submitting our Herts CVS bid to host the Hertfordshire LINks contract. Good luck Mary!
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