Just give us the f***king money...

Bob Geldofs immortal quote during Live Aid reminds me of the challange of getting money from those who have it into the hands of those who need it.

So it is off to Lewes for a preliminary meeting with officers of the Sussex Community Foundation - the Robin Hood charity we helped create which takes money from very wealthy companies and individuals and distributes it to very poor community groups. It's developing well and in addition to the £125,000 we have already given out we are on track to top a quarter of a million by the end of the financial year. At this stage we are taking money and giving it out but the long term aim is to establish a permanent endowment fund the interest of which gives grants forever. I have recently been turning my attention to how this approach could work in Hastings and be aligned with the uniqueness of its local economy. Clearly, our local business context is significantly different from many other parts of Sussex and has a lack of very large private sector employers like American Express in Brighton or very wealthy individual donors. Therefore, a different approach is needed. With this in mind I have been meeting with the Foundation and we have reached an “in principle” agreement to establish a specific Hastings Fund to increase local giving and providing a focal point for work in this part of the County. In time, the intention would be to develop an endowment large enough to enable a permanent source of grant-giving independent of Government programmes and supported by a local Hastings grants panel. The agreement enables me to go seriously after some founder donors and engage with local employers. Its a big challange but as they say - even the longest journey...

Take it away Bob http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l5tvQ_SrO8c

Soul Man

To Brighton for a much needed weekend where we catch up with friends we have not seen for virtually a year. We go to The Motown Story at the Theatre Royal (after the pub) which we booked for on the chance that it might be good. In fact it was great - a sensational 7 piece soul band and 4 really talented singers recreating thewhole sound of that era (Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, et al). We ended up moving from our seats to the light gantry for the second half of the show to have a boogie.

Anyway back to work with a bump on Monday with lots going on. Deadlines looming I am afraid so I am being a bit of a boring person by working at home. Who'd have thought that years of studying the most beautiful literature in the English language would find me filing out forms talking about projects, outcomes and outputs and matcherd funding. There you go.

On the upside I am asked to facilitate 4 workshops on young people and the law at a big Youth conference. This is something I have done over the last few years. When I was lawyering I was amazed how little training youth workers get in the law. This is despite young people often coming up against it and often go through the criminal justice system as either victims or suspects. Anyway I developed a training module which has proved surprisingly popular and I have taught it at universities and to different staff teams and at ocassionally at conferences and seminars. I am asked to deliver this on Saturday and- as it is outside the day job - I am asked what I would charge as a fee. This is tricky but I say the first thing that comes into my head "I'll do it for a 30gb Ipod Nano". They agree so I am being paid with a little box containing a brand new Ipod for my music. How appropriate.

Lyric reference to commemorate my little dance on the lighting gantry hit it Sam and Dave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j2mzeyGZ8Y

A Big Day

An big day as our lottery project gets the once over from their appraisal team and we are scrutinised fairly intensively to see how we shape up. We take a tour of the proposed new building (3rd this week) and go through every bit of the business plan. Our organisations too are underscrutiny but thankfully we are able to demonstrate that we aren't going to put the money on a horse running in the 3.15 at Haydock Park. Glyn (Hastings Borough Council), Mel (Hastings Trust) and I do quite a good job in responding to the questions and it seems positive. Only time will tell but it was nice to get it over as today has been a bit of a key date. Another piece of good news is that we have won the employment tribunal at which I represented one of our members. Or at least the other side have capitulated and withdrawn their claims. It was a rare outing into a court-room for yours truly bursing off my metaphirical wig and gown as it were but pleasing to get a positive result. Tomorrow I go to Brighton to teach a group of MA students about change management from a voluntary sector perspective. There is lots to get accross and the process forces me to review some theory in light of what we do as a charity and the day to day realities of the VCS.

The people have spoken and declared that Frddie Mercury is the best live act so over to you Mr Mercury. Here he is doing a brilliant live version of Under Pressure which, as I shall tell the students tommorow is exactly what it is like in the Voluntary Sector. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faUuwRDRrqA

Here Comes the Rain Again

A real Noah/arc-building kind of a weather day which never seemed to let up. Soaked on the way into work which sort of set the tone for the whole day as I am behind schedule and can't seem to find the groove as it were. I begin to sketch out our consultation repsonse to the Borough Council's restructuring proposals. I can't see the consultation making much of a difference and - despite the best of intentions - can't avoid being cynical about the direction they are taking. I write a bid trying to secure funding for one of our posts which may or not be funded through whatever succeeds Neighbourhood Renewal. The local authority have simply got this one badly wrong and are in a state of atrophy when there should be real leadership. There is talk of a stakeholder conference but it all seems a bit late, a bit stale and a bit, well half-hearted. The highlight of the day are some real gems in my CD Purchasing. I don't often bang on about the music which moves me - each to his or her own I say - but if you ever get a chance to listen to an album by Lucinda Williams called "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" (Oxfam £1) do so - you won't regret it believe me. I call in at the barbers to see Steve have a chat and a hair cut. We become philosophical and rather strangely discuss the music we might like played at our respective funerals. He (an ex lead singer in a band) went for The Who (Won't Get Fooled Again) I go for the only song which pops into my head (an obscure Noel Coward number from the 1930's called "the party's over now").

Anyway the rainy weather precluded any running activity but I was unable to settle to anything at home and as Sue was working decided to pick the only 40 rain-free minutes of the whole day and go for a brisk run along the seafront. Apart from almost being blown over it was actually rather an exhilirating experience the sea was really kicking up and it kind of matched my mood!! A favourite Primal Scream album on the ipod a desolate pier and deserted prom - I think I was the only soul abroad as Shakespeare would say.

After a day in which it has rained, according to the weather website, more in 24 hours than in the last month combined, there can only be one lyric reference to use...Annie, Over to you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PscogedAWTI

Bah...bah...bah...bah...Build

Work this week is dominated by buildings. How to transfer them how to refurbish them, how to plan a complex project. This is the Community Assets Fund programme and we are being assessed by the Lottery on Thursday. Having got the collective bit between our teeth I am beginning to believe that we have the makings of a strong project on our hands. The building we are looking at is in much better condition than I thought it would be in and this should make the money go much further. We are beginning to think in terms of a larger footprint encompassing a bsement and a massive garage area. This could create a new home for HVA after 2009 as well as incubator units for emerging groups. Apart from that I am in the middle of a funding bit to continue the Cohesion activity we undertake. Lyric reference today is the oft forgotton Housemartins who were a quality outfit during the 1990's and gave rise to the founder members of The Beautiful South and Fatboy Slim here they are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ7cXaGNdw8

Simple Pleasures

It is amazing how a simple act can cause such happiness. This was the case today as Jill (HVA's Deputy Director) had her head down over the AGM and conference. As she had a new ipod I offered to fill it up with music as she has not yet got into the mp3 swing of things. Minutes later it was like a different person - happy with hours of new music.

An update

Yesterday was a busy day with our first team meeting of the year followed by a train trip to Lewes where I have 3 meetings in quick succession. The first is with Jaan whose dissertation I am supervising and we spend a pleasant hour talking about tackling deprivation in deprived communities, labelling theory and the impact of Anti-Social Behaviour orders. I then make my way to the Sussex Community Foundation to talk about setting up a Hastings Charitable fund to which local businesses could donate and resource small community projects. I then deal with a couple of problems by phone and discuss the away-day for the Healthy living centre the board of which I share. Then back for a committee meeting with a local group. Whilst in Lewes I discover an absolute cornucopia of CDs for sale for a mere 25p each in a charity shop. At that price you simply cannot go wrong. My haul nets a range of albums including the massively influential debut album Marquee Moon by Television (widely hailed as the first ever punk/alternative album). Here they are doing a signature tune if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw80nob1MvQ In the meantime a few posts ago I mentioned the podcast guru Dr Bob from Utah whose podcasts I have been listening to of late. He sent a really nice e-mail back and had obviously taken the trouble to look at our website as he was very appreciative and intereested in the work we do. So what with Dr Bob, and the 1972 gold medal winner Dave Wottle the celebrity readers of the blog have increased by a massive 100%.

Join the Elite

In between the Christmas cards and credit card bills I received a piece of post which caused enormous merriment in our household and might be worth sharing. It is from the people who produce Who's Who. I am informed that they are producing (believe it or not) a Who's Who of the UK Business Elite and my name is to feature "in recognition of business achievement and a contribution to the business community". I think what they have done is done a trawl via Companies House of all the Directors of companies who have a turnover of over £25m. As I am a Director of SEASPACE (the regeneration vehicle for the major capital regeneration programme in Hastings) this must be how my name occurs. So yours truly now takes his place alongside Richard Branson and the key business leaders of our nation. You can imaguine that within the Manwaring household this was the cause of much amusement and general piss-taking. Lyric today is from the very hard-core (and loud) Deftones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUjoiXDl418

A Recommendation

I don't normally recommend things willy-nilly but this is a little cool product and has the benefit of being practically free. It is a unique podcast called jogtunes indie podcasting which fills your mp3 player with a playlist specifically designed for running consisting of a warm up - a bit more high intesnsity and a cool down. It is created by a Doctor - and runner - from Utah called Dr Bob who trawls all the free access sites to find good music, measures the BPM (Beats Per Minute) and creates a 45 minute show designed for runners. Here's the link http://jogtunes.com/jti/jtiabout.php

I have run to these shows for a few months now and they are really well put together. Like much else in the podcasting world it is free to the internet community - although you can support or donate if you want to. Thanks Dr Bob.

New Years Day

So 2008 creeps onto the stage in a little bout of cold weather. We are told to expect snow which will mean the East Sussex County Council gritting lorries will go out late, fail to grit the roads you need for your journey or claim it was simply "the wrong sort of snow". I lived for a while in Wisconsin and Canada which get seriously cold and when it really kicks in they take it all in their stride even to the point of digging little plateus in the parks and filling them with a few inches of water so that people can skate!! In the UK a little flurry of cold seems to close down the entire nation.

Running-wise, the Xmas and New Year period has seen me out most mornings. Having a dog does really improve your discipline as on the mornings when you don't really feel like it the hound insists. I have noticed an increase in the number of runners since the new year so there are a few resolutions being enacted I guess. My New Years Resolution is to spell better on the blog and edit posts before publishing - reading some of the spelling errors in previous entries gives the impression that I am randomly hitting the keys with my fists.

Anyway on the work front we are easing ourselves back into things. I went in between Xmas and the New Year to catch up on the e-mail traffic and generally sort out the things I need for a quarterly monitoring returns. These are usually done from home - where I write - as I can get twice as much done without the phone going off and it is relatively detailed work. Posted 2 new Wicki pages so that we can collectively respond to the Councils restructuring proposals. This has now developed into a major political row as Councillors appear aggrieved at how badly the process has been handled. It has been referred back to the Cabinet to have another go at getting it right. AGM season is almost hear and I open up an invitation to the HVA team to highlight issues they want me to cover in my Directors overview. As for the lyric reference if you hadn't already guessed it is the boys from the northside of Dublin in full flow enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQaFue_KvoQ