Safeguarding?

I have just entered another world!
After a lifetime avoiding governor meetings in Calderdale I am sat in a meeting at the Heath training centre in Halifax waiting for what promises to be a serious talking to about our need to safeguard children. One would have thought it would be no brainer... however as one of the topics points out safeguarding involves locking external doors and fire officers assume they must be unlocked.
The depressing thing is that this is not really about safeguarding children but rather passing inspections.
So will children be safer after today?..I doubt it.

Arena of Dreams

I am at the manchester arena for joseph birthday treat... to see, in the distance Michael McIntyre a comedian. Iam not sure what the capacity is but it's full and I guess there are more than 10000 people here.
What must it be like says catherine to have so many people want to listen to you.
I wonder if this kind of entertainment rally was even possible before the stadia were built.
It really is a case of build it and they will come... Like building a market square when you don't have a market.

karaoke

I am at a karaoke night at Catherine's school... We sing Thank you for the music by Abba. People applaud... politely!
What is lovely is the mixture of cultures. Funny how music brings us together. Perhaps whenever there is a need for conflict resolution we should sing together before we talk.

Ninjas

Finaly I wake up two hours into an early morning comute to Melton Mowbray for the action for market towns conference. Early morning comutes are always interesting confirming that I am an owl not a lark.
It was a 6.20 train at Mytholmroyd and a group of passengers all wearing black with brief cases, and scarves around their faces for the cold... corporate ninjas on the way to some city killing.
Now I am nearing Peterborough and the wraps are off and the morning sun is blazing and I am beginning to wonder how I got here!

Trust

Great consultation gathering at Hebden Bridge Town Hall today with those key ingredients of creative group work, friendly and open facillitators and lovely buns. We all got very excited at the possibilities.
Tonight that was followed by a rather tetchy Hebden Bridge community association meeting... which was about lots of stuff but really about trust.
Trust is at the heart of so many projects... and lack of trust behind the failure of many others.
Trust can take years to build, and minutes to lose and if I think about it that might keep me awake at night...
So best not think about it.

Fiddling

My hard drive is full and because it’s full I can’t remove any of the files! I have spent a frustrating few hours trying to put this right with no success.
My capacity to lose hours fiddling about with computers appals me.
It would be nice to think that without computers we would have nothing to fiddle with ... but I can just about remember my dad standing on one leg holding up an arial trying to tune the TV in . No doubt before that it was the cats whisker on the radio.
Primitive peoples sit around the fire fiddling with that.
Did Jesus live a fiddle free life?
There is that story of Jesus drawing in the sand when the woman caught in aduitery’s fate was being decided...
There seem to be lots of times when he is with people but not teaching or healing or doing stuff...
Is our aim as Christians to have a life that is full of activity or is the occassional moment of distraction allowed?
Don't know...
Back to fiddling with my computer.

A bright beginning

Somewhat buoyant today after a very successful opening of the square and facilities. Tom Reorden the chief executive at Yorkshire Forward came along with over fifty people, mostly friends and supporters from our various partnerships. We had two mayors and sunshine which everybody say the usual thing about me fixing the weather.
There were lots of lovely things said but the one which made me think most was when Tom talked about how Yorkshire Forward worked best when they helped local groups to realise their vision, rather than bring one of their own.
If only others had grasped that vision.