HVA Director's Blog

Downturn and Crunch

2009-01-29T12:30:00.001-08:00

Oh what a week it has been! The recession is really starting to bite; judging by the number of casework issues coming my way. They include how to manage a redundancy how to manage a reduction in hours and a rather complex employment matter which will take some thinking about. We have done a piece in the Newsletter asking groups to record for us how the downturn is affecting them and what support they need and I review the responses so far. Not good.

I get a couple of phone calls from colleagues saying that they read about some comments I had made in Third Sector magazine. Then I went in search of said magazine to see what I had actually been quoted as saying. It is on the issue of small grants and their importance - an issue I have been working on with Kevin (Chief Exec of NAVCA). Onwards to a liaison meeting with the District Council - who I had just criticised in Third Sector magazine. It is a good exchange of views which I hope sets the tone for the future. There is a bit of a gap between us on one issue which I hope we can narrow soon.

Well, in these economically depressed (and depressing) times and to those Local Government colleagues with whom we work and liaise I dedicate the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU

The Point of No Return (I wish)

2009-01-13T03:38:00.000-08:00

In the Chinese calender there is a a sumbol signifying particular points in the calender (the year of the rat, year of the monkey etc). In our world too certain week assume the same symbolic importance and this week had been designated as the week of the Monitoring return. The more funders you have the more reports you have to submit describing the work you do. These have lots of internal uses and help us to review progress but sometimes you never know if anyone reads them. So this week seems heavy on the admin. We are also in AGM mode (16th February @ Horntye Sports Centre) and the need to issue papers and produce an annual report has occupied our collective minds. Oh and a little milestone was achieved last week the planning application for Jackson Hall - HVA's new home after 2010 was approved at last weeks Planning Committee. There were a couple of routine conditions, to do with construction timings, disabled access & parking, and prior approval of external materials to be used. This is obviously a key milestone, and it looks like, after years of effort, a long term home for HVA and the sector is going to be created. That's all I have to report really apart from to say that "Slumdog Millionaire" is a fine, fine film and probably deserving of everything it is tipped for. Go see - nice soundtrack too sort of a fusion between Bollywood, Bhangra and late 90's dance music.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cwdnwsg-Ow0

Grants and Funding

2009-01-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Maddy the dog and I did an excellent impression of Torville and Dean as we braved the freeze on our morning run accross Hastings Country Park. I go into work later today as last night I was attending a meeting of the Hastings Borough Council Cabinet which was considering a report on the support to the voluntary sector including a recommendation to cut the small grants element which has been a resource (some would say a 'lifeline') to a range of small community groups for years. There is talk of efficiency savings in the air but the only reason advanced by the Council for cutting the scheme was the cost of administering it being disproportionate to the amount of money involved. We put in a last minute offer to administer the scheme for free for the next 2 years thus reducing the Councils costs to nil. Strangely this was not taken up. Other puzzling features of the report include a bewildering approach to Full Cost Recovery which was advanced by the Council as its new funding approach. In reality, this has meant that the Council have failed to include even an inflationary increase for groups in the second year of funding. Makes you wonder sometimes. All in all it has been a weird old process the transition towards the commissioning process which has arrived at virtually the same results as the old grant aid regime. As one of Chrisopher Colombus's crew might have asked at the end of their journey in 1492 "Did we really have to go all the way round just to end up where we started?"

Step It Up

2009-01-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

It’s been a good old while since the last blog entry so I will attempt a catch up – although I can’t guarantee this is in any kind of chronological order. About a year and a half ago when I started on this health and fitness malarkey I said to a number of family members and friends that I would run a marathon before my 50th birthday. Friends and family proceeded to virtually wet themselves with laughter but on the 15th December I did it! 26 miles 385 yards and raised almost £1,000 for charity into the bargain.

In my original game plan I had visions of maybe running the London marathon in 2010 or 2011 when I would reach the half century. But then out of nowhere came an event which changed all my plans. In 1908 a marathon was run in Hastings as part of the interest created by the Olympic Games. Eric Hardwick tireless organiser of the Hastings half marathon had a dream to recreate the event. So I had the prospect of competing in a race, in my home town, that would only be run once in every 100 years. That seemed to good to miss so I accelerated my training, ate loads of pasta and took part. It was a really interesting experience which is kind of difficult to describe in words as I write this. Tough certainly, but a real sense of solidarity with other participants and an enormous sense of relief/achievement when it was all over. What struck me was the fact that marathon running is as much a mental as a physical challenge. When it was all done I had a long bath and then it was off to the Jenny Lind pub to take part in a charity quiz night Lorna had organised as part of the fundraising effort. Unfortunately I had peaked early and our team came nearly last but there you go.

What else, the bid writing tailed off just before Xmas I missed the team Christmas meal which was a shame. Coldplay at the O2 arena were excellent and I managed to avoid the viruses and flu bugs which everyone seemed to be coming down with.

Oh and a happy new year to all our readers and as for the video link – this song is the one I associate with running more than any other – it is the first song of the marathon play-list I run to on my ipod and will forever be associated in my mind with pounding the streets of Hastings, Battle Ninfield, Catsfield, Tenterden, Bexhill St Leonards and back to Hastings…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9R4FsV1qLCE

I don't need no pressure on

2008-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

Today 12 December conspired to be a real day of deadlines with us bashing out expressions of interest for the new Area Based Grants initiative. There has been much work for Jill and I which occurred at the same time as the preparation stage for the Annual Review which also needs to be submitted and loads of other things. As if that wasn't enough through my home letter box on Tuesday came an almighty crash as a large package almost knocked the dog out. 'Twas the long lost dissertation from my university student who I tutored at an early stage. Good to see it finally submitted but it is, well long and will require a detailed read. The university are keen for a quick marking turn around as they seem to break for Christmas just after bonfire night - so it looks like Saturday will be spent working. And Sunday the 100th Anniversary Marathon is finally here - not before time really as it is really starting to get cold and I am a bit sick of pasta and those Carbo-Gel things.

Last week Hastings Voluntary Action won - FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW - the inter-agency quiz championshipwhich is run each Xmas to raise funds for a local youth drop in centre. Only by a single point though. I can't claim to have added much to the effort - although I was on the team - and bow to the general knowledge of others who really proved their worth more than I did. I think the only meaningful things I contributed was knowing the name of the goal-keeper who broke his neck during an FA cup final and naming the first Elvis Costello album. Strange thing General Knowledge isn't it? facts which stick in your mind but which serve no apparent purpose. For example, I know that the B-52s come from Athens Georgia which is the same town which REM come from. Quite how this fact will ever be useful I know not but there it is lodged in my brain forever. In contrast, remembering the 4 digits for the cash-point and not confusing them with the burglar alarm code (as I did 2 days ago) is beyond me.

What else, employment issues loom large again as I advise a group who are about to become an employer for the first time having achieved their first substantial funding award. I try and go through the things they will need to have in place without making it seem too daunting. This morning was a meeting of the regeneration company wherre I was reappointed to the board as one of their independant directors. There's me representing the Voluntary Sector and two business people representing the views of local commerce. Actually its been really interesting and I've learnt a lot about how these huge capital building programmes actually work from the inside. All in all its just like running a voluntary organisation but with far far more noughts!!

Anyway enough rambling - off for the weekend and as for the lyric reference what else http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM

All Over the Place

2008-12-05T08:41:00.001-08:00

The title hear refers to the amount of cross county travel I have been doing rather than the state of my mind (I hope). A few things have been developing and the commissions are finally published from Hastings Borough Council so we can submit Working Neighbourhoods proposals soon. Actually commissioning has been at the forefront of our minds and we have recently submitted to the Borough Council for what used to be our "core grant" which is now a commission crossing 2 specific service areas. The PCT were in monitoring mode too which meant a lot of paperwork to be submitted.

Apart from that we had a well attended seminar at which the Community Network launched its new constitution and electoral arrangements for the future. Well received too, with many who had previously been on the edge of the representational process keen to regiater their intention. At a county level Speak Up (the County wide Voluntary Sector forum) is gathering pace and bringing some shape to the whole issue of VCS representation. One of the key bodies we relate to is the East Sussex STrategic Partnership which met this week in the rather grand Council Chamber in Bexhill. I was told that Bexhill was the model on which the Dad's Army town of Walmington on Sea was based. It did have that kind of feel to it too. The ESSP reviews the Local Area Agreement and comes up with a model for the distribution of the reward money if any is received as partof this process. The Compact Review results are presented concisely by my colleague (another Steve) from Age Concern. There is much praise for the fact that East Sussex won a commendation at the recent Compact awards - I use this opportunity to request that partners consider engraining the compact within the culture of their organisation by including a reference to it in their standing orders or governance documents. I give a pledge that HVA will change its mem and arts at our next AGM to reflect our continuing commitment to partnership and the compact. I then dash back to the office to ask Pauline (our financial administrator and expert on our constitution) how I actually do this! It is more complex than you think - so much for me and my big mouth. What else. I must pass on some sad news which is that we learnt of the sudden death of John Appleyard the chair of the Hastings Seniors Forum and involved with much else besides. John was a fan of HVA and gave a lot of his time to voluntary activity at a Borough and County level. He will be much missed and I pen a tribute to appear in the next newsletter.

What else any spare moment seems to be spent pounding the streets of our fair Town in preparation for the 100th anniversary Hastings Marathon. I am running this for the unit where my grandson Jacob had his operation. There is a small charity which supports parents whilst their children are having major heart surgery. I ran 15 miles last weekend and this Sunday we go for 20. People have been kind pledging money and if you want to join them feel free to leave a comment here or email me at steve@hvauk.org

Education Education Education

2008-11-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

Well whats been going on?

No less a figure than Kevin Curley - the Chief Executive of NAVCA has joined the HVA Facebook group and thinks it may be the first of its type in the entire Country. To think when I first knew Kevin he was unaware of what an ipod was (and used words like Gramophone and "Home Service") and here he is now a pioneer of New Media with Facebook and podcasts to his name.

Yesterday I was asked to attend a joint meeting with a funder and a group with a very good project but one which is facing some compliance issues. We offer support and may be asked to become more formally involved but we shall see. If I am honest the week has gone with a bit of a blur with lots going on - I have been a stranger to my desk so this Friday is a bit of an admin catch up. The Board papers have to go out and there are lots of them this time as there are some decisions about the CVS Partnership structure the new premises and the agreement of HVA Environmental and Public Interest Disclosure (whistleblowing) policies to be agreed.

This morning it is a meeting of the LSP Learning and Skills Theme Group where we talk education reform and learning. We are keen to get training for community activists seriously addressed so I attend these quarterly meetings to sniff out some opportunities. We take an update on the serious issues affecting education in Hastings. Much change is afoot with a federation structure for local secondary schools and an Academy in the offing. Things need to change as 4 local schools have 30% or less GCSE attainment (5 A-C grades including English and Maths). The Government have recently issued an edict that any school not achieving 30% by 2011 will be listed for closure - so the stakes are fairly high. At the meeting I meet a manager of Job Centre Plus who tells me he enjoyed reading the blog so only appropriate that he should now feature in it!

So another week ends and seeing as I have spent part of the day talking about education here is a classic video to start the weekend

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=d0y3jCbDv08&feature=related

Art for Arts Sake...Money for God's sake

2008-11-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Today I wake feeling a bit sore from yesterdays efforts. I ran the first ever Bexhill Half Marathon which would have been lovely on a summers day but given the rain and appalling wind felt like running the wrong way in a wind tunnel. It is all good preparation for the big one on December 14th the 26 miles of which I have ludicrously agreed to run to raise funding for the St Thomas's childrens surgical unit where Jacob had his heart operation. I creep into work to catch up with a Fran who has just returned from travels in China. Thereafter it is a whole succession of meetings and then some preparation for a big members meeting of the Arts Forum in the evening at which I have agreed to act as their independant chair. They face some financial challenges and the Committee needed to bring their membership up to date with their plans. We have been adivsing together with a business coach who is helping them cut coat according to cloth as it were. As ever artistic people find creative ways of raising money and an auction and fundraising event are planned. The committee, on realising the extent of the problem have worked tirelessly to get on top of it and I wish them success with this little video.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5ICh235gj0o&feature=related

On again on again...

2008-11-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

Looking back over the past weeks make me realise what a varied time it has been. We are in the middle of seeking to secure some train to gain funding to resource our staff development programme so we have been revisting our business plan with the help of a local adviser from the Enteprise Centre. It is all fairly general stuff. My casework is throwing up some interesting but complex issues from an organisation with significant financial issues to another in which we are trying to implement some proper systems to record activity so that the group can account to its funders in an effective way. In the meantime I am advising on a few employment law issues. I evaluate with the coordinator of the PULSE project a recent drama production around the issue of youth homelessness which they funded. Actually a good piece of theatyre a cut above a lot of the agit-prop stuff of this type you usually see. I caught the performance at the White Rock and it had a well researched script and was performed by professional actors. Apart from that there is some cover for a colleague on long term sick live so my working life is a little hectic at the moment. Some really good news from the volunteering passport side as another of our students is moving into permanent paid work and is the first person in the entire country to achieve the new Level 3 Certificate in Community Volunteering. That whole area of work was an idea conceived when I was running the Hastings Marathon which is translating into a really classy intervention. I indicated that there is lots to my job including advising Jill (HVAs deputy director) about a new hairstyle. She is preparing for a visit to 11 Downing Street as part of the East Sussex Compact delegation who have been nominated for an award.

Nothing if not varied

2008-10-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

A pretty random day full of appointments. Firstly a discussion and review of our porposed commissioning response to the Borough Council which will need to be in shortly. Thereafter it is an induction visit with the Councils new Community Cohesion Officer where we discuss this important and sensitive area of work and ways of apporaching it in light of recent and tragic events in the Town. Then it is onto a health workshop where we discuss the best way of interfacing the services of the new walk in medical centre planned for the Town and related VCS support services like alcohol drugs and debt counselling. This is a difficult one as GPs have so little time and referall pathways need to be spot on. We make some progress and the convenor of the workshop makies a special trip to HVA to thank us for our involvement later in the day so we must have given good value. I also review a few cases with members of the team who are supporting groups at various critical phases of development. I then call in at a couple of placements where a couple of our volunteering passport students are based. I enjoy a conversation with a group of volunters who run a charity shop about how and why they got involved. I am considering writing up some of these stories for the UN International. Volunteering Day. Tonight I am supposed to be doing a 7 mile run as part of my marathon training but I seem to have picked up some kind of virus on the place back from Greece so how far I actually get may be open to question.

Keep the faith

2008-10-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

It has been what you may call a challanging week all round. The economy is in freefall and the bankers and city people all look like the preverbial is about to hit the fan big time. Workwise I am covering the bases and speak at the launch of a local inter-faith forum. I am genuinely touched by the ffort everyone makes to bring this off and meet moslems, christians, buddhists students from the international village with everyone learning and really enjoying the experience. I was a little nervous, being something of a heathen but I talk about the values that underpin all the major faiths - a kind of doctrinal DNA if you will. It seems to be well received. On the work front I am in the middle of a squabble with the local authority and its Director of Regeneration and Planning. We met for a drink and are now squaring up to each other in writing about some transitional funding arrangements which were - or were not - agreed some months ago. I hate this kind of exchange but hope we can focus on the future in a way that is constructive. Actually, the Director in question is someone I rather like and it seems a bit odd to be "at odds" with each other on this one. Anyway despite our frequent allegations of compact breaches and exchange of e-mails I dedicate this rather lovely number from a jazz festival to the spirit of comon sense. I give you...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89nKf1zCSfc

And Off It Goes

2008-09-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today is stage 2 of the looming lottery deadline. I awake to 8 urgent messages on my mobile phone from our property lawyer. He has deeds of transfer leases and partnership agreements for me to review and is worried because his server went down and caused a significant delay. So I spend the day reviewing, raising questions and writing confirmation letters to get everything moving. In the meantime, Glyn our contact at the Borough Council (who incidentally has been brilliant throughout) coordinates planning permissions, architects drawings and suchlike.

Apart from that I provide an induction briefing to the Brighton Housing Trust who are envisaging some work in the Hastings area and are launching a training project. I then sit down with one of the mental health bridgebuilder team who is about to embark on a community development degree - then it is a planning meeting about a fund we are seeking to establish to encourage corporate giving. A brief catch up with messages and the most urgent faxes and e-mails and on the practical side a visit to the bank to get petty cash to keep it all ticking over. In recognition of the enormous work undertaken by Glyn I drop off a bottle of wine as a small token of our thanks. On my way the first Death in Vegas album screams out at me to be bought for a mere 85p from the Shelter Charity shop. I listen to its dynamic and diverse beats as I write this.

In the meantime it is now 5pm and our lottery plans are now on their way to Newcastle - all should be well as I signed it with my lucky pen!!!

Talking of lottery check this out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJReSZKKGNw

Today's the day

2008-09-24T12:41:00.001-07:00

My working life has been revolving round keeping the general plate spining going and also working to submit a detailed business plan for the Community Asset Transfer project. Well today was the day and I dutifully hand over the plan to Glyn from the council who is our partner on the project. By the end I was pretty sick of the sight of the thing and anyone who menitons service charges rental footage or business rates to me over the next week gets smacked in the mouth. Apart from that I chair a team meeting and advise one of the companies who are bidding for the new medical centre about how to build relationships with voluntary organisations in a coherent fashion. Then onto a discussion about the community bridgebuilder project and then back to the e-mails that could not wait.

I decide to celebrate by buying myself a big piece of steak to cook only to find that the butchers/greengrocers ion the Old Town is now closed down. Here in Hastings Old Town we can buy lots of arts and crafts but not, apparently a pork chop! There is now no local butcher which is a shame as my hopes of a steak disappear and the only thing to eat is some vegetarian bolognnaise. I put on some running gear and stride out to the Marina Pavilian and back to the sounds of a new Dubstep podcast I have subscribed to be. Dubstep beiong, of course, the best music to run to as I am discovering. Maybe something about the beat replicating the heart-beat I guess.

Hastings Comes to Terms With Itself

2008-08-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

Much of the tone of this blog has been fairly light hearted commenting on happenings in the community sector in Hastings. None of that today, as the whole town is coming to terms with a truly awful incident in which a visiting language student from Qatar was killed over the weekend.

There is huge media interest and some of the early reporting was wildly inaccurate. A racist incident in or outside a kebab house led to a chase and then, depending on which report you read, a serious assault or a fatal fall. There is much debate about whether there is a problem with racism in the Town. In terms of the majority of people I would say absolutely not but there is an under-belly of the most awful racism and xenophobia in the Town which shows its ugly face from time to time. When we used to publish BME News I used to get personal racist hate-mail and there is clearly a number of hard-core racists out there. The BNP target Hastings during election periods and at the last election they gained a higher proportion of the vote than during previous times. There is also a lot of grief faced by ethnic workers in fast food outlets and late night garages. A little while ago I called for the kebab houses and fast food outlets to be embraced by the Council's Bar Watch ("banned from one banned from all") to show solidarity with those who run and work in them. This was being 'looked into'.

As far as the future is concerned I sometimes think that it is a time for honesty an realism and for the Town to come to terms with what this all means. There is much political denial defending the Town against the media claims made about it which, I guess, is appropriate. But in this there is also a need to face the facts and I am reminded of a comment made about bullying in schools - simply put, it asserted that a school which took a view that bullying "doesn't happen here" simply became a delay to the problem being addressed.

Thanks for reading - now watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mB3pDYTne0

Van the Man

2008-08-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

A quick update to say that I have been neglectful of my blog because I am that busy I make the winner of the 100m meters in the Olympics look slow, wasn't he incredible. WOnderful to watch and it just seemed so effortless. ANyway today has been business planning for the new building arranging cover for a colleague who won't be with us for a while, signing off the BASIS bid and attending a meeting nof the Executive Delivery Vehicle the monthly meeting of all the Chief Executives from the main agencies. I find myself in the unusual position of agreeing with Roy Mawford the Borough Councils CHief Executive on a couple of issues. This must mean I am either getting soft or he is. Answerson a postcard please. We also receive our business consultant to help with the planning for the new building. Apart from that I complete a monitoring form for an evbaluation meeting I have next week for one of our projects and generally catch up with people. I also show willing by folding the newletter with colleagues and generally catch up. Adam - who used to work from HVA on the ICT side joins us and is pursuaded to fold for a while.

I run the country park this morning to the sounds of a fantastic live album from Van Morrison - I am not generally a huge fan of Van and Man as it were but Nothing can stop us if a wonderful album which you should hear. Here is an extract from the same tour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SP60n9v2YM

So Easy (not)

2008-08-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I posted some music for you all to listen to so hear is a track "So Easy" by Royksopp - a Norwegian electronic band (I say band but there are only 2 of them) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu684V2lB3Q&feature=related. It has no meaning apart from the fact that this was the music that accompanied my morning run over Hastings Country Park and has been in my head all day. Today we press on with the business plan for the Community Asset Transfer and I make contact with Carl from Barking and Dagenham CVS who is in a similar position to us. ALso going through the Community Strategy refresh process at the LSP Officers group. I also brief the manager of the Towns services for Migrants about the Councils commissioning process and how the advice agencies can strengthen their role. It is a useful discussion.

Worth the effort

2008-08-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

I am a little out of sequence in my chronology but I must tell you about my recent day out with members of the Saxon Mount Youth project. Regular readers of this blog will be aware that for the last 2 years I have run the Hastings marathon to support this initiative providing a youth club for young people with special needs. This time we raised over £500 for young people to choose something they wanted to do. Thjey decided that a day out to Chessington World of Adventures and this was duly planned. Unfortunately it was the only day in a 2 week period during which it chose to absolutely tip dsown with rain. From dawn til dusk without a break. Even the staff were dressed in wet weather gear and looked miserable as they staffed the rides. The young people themselves decided that a little bit of (torrential) rain was not going to spoil their fun and proceeded to act as if it were a summers day. They had a great time and many young people achieved "firsts" - these are little tasks which increase confidence or improve skills in dealing with situations young people find difficult. All in all a really good day and well worth the marathon effort.

Getting the message out...

2008-08-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

There is usually a paralell between how busy I am and how often I get a chance to update the blog. My service to you, dear reader, has been shoddy of late because of the sheer volume of work I am tryiong to wade through at the moment. Highlights recently have included the HVA Board meeting, 2 audits, cover for the Health and Social Care Forum, the reprovisioning of a local day centre (where we have been trying to support VCS tendering) our own relocation proposals. And, of course the day to day round of e-mails faxes and conversations which try and keep the place ticking along in a coherent fashion. We were also trying to fit in a crazy gold challange with the Hastings Trust and an Old Town History Walk but they were victims of our general business and will have to be rescheduled.

I also volunteered to assess a Duke of Edinburgh expedition around the countryside near Jevington which took up much of Saturday and Sunday.

I have written an article about this blog which now features as part of NAVCA's (our national association) review of good practice. I have always thought about writing up the impact of this blog and some of the effect it could have. So if you are a visitor to this site as a result of reader CIRCULATION then a hearty welcome to you. We have also been meeting with the new providers of a Hate Crime Support Service (supporting victims rather than perpetrators of course). When they visitors one of them mentioned how much he enjoyed reading the blog. You will understand why they were promised our full cooperation and support. Apart from that Jill (HVAs depuity director) is in the midst of producing a BASIS bid to strengthen activity around financial advice and funding support. This build on some of our existing work but rolls out the model accross the whole of East Sussex. Consortium or partnership bids are often the most problematic as they require much discussion and the building of real consensus. For myself I am beginning to complete the business plan for our new building which is going to take some time. We have only recently received the drawings from our architects which will then allow us to see the kind of spaces we are looking at and the kinds of rent they might go for. We are trying to achieve a balance between viability and affordability so the margins will always be tight. This is one call we have to get right so worth putting some time into it.

I must close by mentioning an engagement I attended over the weekend which was the official opening of the History House in the Old Town. This new history centre has been developed almost entirely by voluntary effort under the umberella of the Old Town Preservation Society good to see a packed venue for its opening.

An Update

2008-07-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Quite a lot to report on as much is going on at the moment. Another audit takes place and we pass with a good report as our systems and progress seem to be robust. The project has been commended as a "best practice" model and has exceeded its outputs so we were operating from a position of strength. But the word audit is still enough to make one feel uneasy and check the files to make sure everything is in order. It appears that it was and we have a pleasant visit to verify our systems. Apart from that it is to and from to Lewes to keep up to date with the Community Foundation. It is the Annual General Meeting with some good progress to report. From a standin start two and a bit years ago the Foundation have distributed over £300,000 to groups accross Sussex. It is also pleasing that the Foundation has been awarded the major contract to administer the Governments Grassroots Grants and Endowment Challange. Our association with the Sussex Community Foundation has been a good use of my time as I feel we add value to an organisation which ios strategically important for the County.

What else...of course - the new building. I chair a Team meeting to discuss in detail our requirements and how we might seek to organise ourselves. It is good to have people like Pauline who has long standing experience of managing our own buildings but also James who developed and managed a multi-functional community space. Then it is back to Lewes to spend all of Friday interviewing prospective grants managers. It is a good panel and there were some quality candidates so we have a good discussion about this appointment. It is challenging role and picking new staff members for small organisations where flexibility and versatility are needed is always a challenge.

Our Compact meeting takes place with the Council - their formal response will go through the usual process but it was a useful exchange of views. Given that we met for almost 2 hours made it feel like progress could be made but the playing field will still need to be levelled. I thought Jill and I did an OK job of presenting our case but time will tell. This morning I spend some considerable time with one of our member organisations who have some medium to severe compliance issues with part of their funding. They are doing the work, of course, but the systems needed to prove it and comply with a detailed funding agreement need some serious attention. I then have a break and walk the dog before returning to work for an evening session. We are working with Terence Higgins Trust to support them in creating and offering a local 1 hour HIV testing service and it is the first monthly session tonight. It is a pilot which will run for 3 months (3 sessions) and a quick evaluation to see if there is the uptake and/or need for a regular service.

Remember My Name

2008-06-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

The lyric reference is from Eminem and is probably unrepeatable. It records the fact that a few posts ago I described a meeting and - fingers moving faster than brain - got someones name wrong. As I enter the Area Management Board this evening I am approached by Jan - who I blogged about for some strange reason as 'Karen' - to correct my abject error. It is one thing to forget someones name but the height of rudeness to call them something entirely different! The only thing I can say in my defence is that I have searched high and low for any lyric references to Jan - not too many available I am afraid. There was a surf duo from the 60's called Jan and Dean but this was the pre video era. The best I can do is Jan Hammer and the theme from Miami Vice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47XaK4XJxFQ) it is just so 80's - and not a little camp - but you might enjoy it. Apologies Jan.

What else? On Saturday I am in Fairlight to attend the 10th anniversary of the Fairlight Youth Club. Years ago my wife Sue was a youthworker in the area and together we wrote the Lottery bid which provided the funds to open a club and provide a portacabin on the village green for young people of the village. Thinking back, it must have been one of the very first lottery grants after the launch of the National Lottery. Keith HVA's grants officer - and big fish in the world of Fairlight Amauteaur Dramatics - is also there so we all sit on hay bales watching the music.

A nice event to attend as there is live music. Two local bands both if which by chance we know provide the soundtrack. The first - four young women who are sisters Sue (my wife) took on an exchange trip to Germany. The second features Terry who plays with his son and provides a good and diverse set. He, along with the mis-named Jan is one of the Area Coordinators for Hastings. I asked them to play "the day we caught the Train" by Ocean Colour Scene - a favourite band of mine but they have to cut the set short to attend a stag do. Can't remember Elvis ever doing that but there you go. Shame, because people were dancing. Anyway just to remind Terry to play this song more often here are the boys themselves doing their trademark number http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf5gGwGVaTk enjoy.

An Update

2008-06-16T07:58:00.001-07:00

The sheer scale of our task in delivering the Community Assets Transfer project becomes clear on Friday. We have the preliminary "scoping" meeting with the Development Trusts Association to begin to develop the fully costed proposal, design brief and planning permission. It is more about establishing a timetable to fit all the pieces of the jigsaw in place - and in time. We had originally conceived of a timetable which meant that we would be submitting towards the end of October (this was thought of as tight but achievable). However, clarification with the Big Lottery reveals that the effective date for submission is now at the end of September which really piles the pressure on. Lots to be done but I have a lot of confidence in project partners so we begin to look at the "whose working on what" elements of the process and feed in our work plans of what we will be doing. As ever, it is the formalities which are time consuming such as a written partnership agreement to describe our respective roles and responsibilities. It will rely on some legal work to be completed at speed which is not always the Borough Council's 'gear of choice' but we shall see.

On the recreational side it was a sheer delight to see Jools Holland in concert and jamming with an exceptional group of musicians. It was also a fine evening which permitted a picnic which was great.

On the good news/bad news front we will shortly be saying goodbye to Jan who has looked after our health work by supporting the Health and Social Care Forum. Sad that we lose a really effective worker - and member of the winning HVA quiz team. But nice to have played a role in the next stage of someones professional development.

Apart from that I co-design an Employment Law training course with Pat our group support worker and generally catch up on issues affecting a couple of the groups we are jointly supporting. We also welcomed Sue to work this morning wearing a medal and a rather proud grin on her face. She did the Race for Life yesterday (5miles in 50 minutes) raising over £300 in the process.

What else? I guess I should record the fact that another birthday has passed and I am now a whopping 47 years of age!! Nice card from the team though which was much appreciated. A sobering thought to remember that by the time he was my age Mozart had been dead 20 years!During his short life he composed over 600 hundred pieces of music spanning opera, chamber music, symphonies, diverdimenti, sonatos, concertos and a requiem. Here is my favourite Mozart moment from the impeccable Shawshank Redemption. A wonderful aria from the Marriage of Figaro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAJ2skOJvdY proving - if proof was needed - that beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places.

When all the Clowns that you have commissioned

2008-06-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

The lyric is from a pretty obscure Bob Dylan track. It took a bit of finding (from the Highway 61 Revisited Album) and is the only one I know of which refers to commissioning or being commissioned. It commemorates the visit to HVA by Jocelyn and Jan from the Borough Council where we talk about their forthcoming commisioning process. It is a good discussion and I sense there is a real wish to make the process as VCS friendly as it can be. Moving from ghrant funding to a more commissioned approach sounds simple but raises quite a few complex issues. Peter (HVA's Funding expert) and I raise a range of issues from VAT to TUPE and some of the unforeseen implications of moving in this direction. It is really useful that the Council are using us to test out their plans before they are decided as we can often - hopefully - offer some useful insights. The other good thing about the meeting is that Jan - without prompting - says how much she enjoys reading the blog. I reply by saying that she will now feature in it. So thanks Jan nice to know that there are real people reading this.

Here is Bob Dylan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8CXskzlr2E&feature=related

The Graduate(s)

2008-06-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Officially I am supposed to be on holiday but I come back for a single commitment. This is the “graduation” ceremony for the first cohort of students to achieve their qualifications as a result of participating in an HVA project called the Volunteering Passport. It was a simple idea I had when I was running the marathon actually which was to try and use what is good about the Town – its volunteering and community spirit – to tackle one of its problems (the number of adults with no formal qualifications). From this simple notion we have almost 100 people achieving or working towards a qualification. Anyway, I compare the event, the Mayor gives out the certificate. The vent goes really well and is rather moving as the learners themselves took to the stage to speak about their participation in the project. One person talks about over-coming a serious brain injury, another how volunteering helped to overcome the death of a family member. At the end of the event there is a big photo-call and I am standing next to one of the youthworkers who literally has tears in his eyes. I arrange through Mary at HVA for some "surprise" flowers for Sandra and Jan who have worked hard to support the candidates through this process which they are delighted with.

Sometimes in the work I do I sometimes wonder about whether it has an impact. This was a day in which – hand on heart – you could say that you had made a real difference. In the words of Colonel Hannibal SMith from the 1970's TV show The A Team "I love it when a plan comes together".

Lyric, what else - as if you couldn't guess but The Graduate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL6HK1YP9pQ

Audit Time

2008-06-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

An audit of one of our projects takes place. Being funded by numerous funding sources means that we are constantly being monitored and the subject of various compliance visits. This one is extensive but we are given a very clean bill of health. Actually it is a useful opportunity to talk about the fundraising project itself which has – thanks to Peter – been really successful. An investment of £40,000 has realised an inward investment to the Town of over a £1.3 pounds.

On the Road Again

2008-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am blogging “out of sequence” as it were as quite a lot has been happening since my last update. My travels take me to Southend to be briefed by the Southend Community Foundation about a fund they have established to encourage local giving. This is helpful because I am seeking to develop something similar for Hastings. I drive over with Alan our volunteer who has an impressive CV as a senior communications expert with the post office as well as a history of editing local and regional newspapers. He brings both a good range of skills and a healthy objective which we will find useful. He also quotes REM songs which puts him a few notches up on the credibility scale as well. We are shown into a hugely impressive building which is the headquarters of one of the Foundations major Donors – part of the Olympus Group which make specialist medical equipment. A building custom designed for the needs of the people who work in it with lots of intelligent little features to make their lives easier and create little designed corners and areas for meetings or conversations to take place. A useful briefing takes place at which we hear about the do’s and don’ts of how they went about developing a local fund. I return to Hastings in time to dash to an AGM of one of our members which I had agreed to chair.

2008-05-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

My job as Director of HVA takes me to some strange places - perhaps no stranger than the place I find myself today. Court 4 at Hove Crown Court. Fear not, dear reader, I have not erred or committed some act of outrage. I am here to witness a sentencing. Over a year ago HVA - or rather its first class group support worker Pat - uncovered a strange set of transactions in the accounts of one of our members (for whom we were conducting an Independant Examination). Well one thing led to another and we had uncovered a fraud. We have supported the group through the entire process. Many voluntary groups run exclusively by volunteers would have "thrown in the towel" but they have soldiered on much to their credit. The Police were only the verge of dropping the case due to lack of evidence but we complained and persevered to bring the matter to its conclusion. Hence my visit to the crown court. Its a long running saga finally over. Although the evidence is overwhelming a guilty plea on the part of the person concerned takes the matter beyond doubt. Hit it...http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzV_0l5ILI

"In the morning and the evening 'til the end of the line"

2008-05-14T02:34:00.001-07:00

Monday brings a discussion with the chair of the Community Network and Fran - HVA's Network Development Officer about the community empowerment white paper and the feedback both HVA and the CEN would like to give the Govt. There is lots of good stuff in the White Paper which uses the right rhetoric but details of how this will be arranged and, crucially, how it will be resourced are sketchy. Our experience was that the old community empowerment fund - coming directly to the VCS with lots of flaxibility was probably the closest the Govt have ever got to an empowering funding regime which put resources precisely where they could best be used.

From there I see Sandra, the coordinator of our volunteering passport project which accredits volunteering activity and enables participants to secure a qualification. We have a success story on our hands as the first cohort of students have graduated and the verifying body see us as national "best practice". Indeed they have decided to use us as a case study example of how to do it. We plan a small ceremony to award certificates during National Volunteering Week.

From there it is a quick dash to the station to catch the train to the Board meeting of the Sussex Community Foundation. I buy - for the first time in maybe 20 years - a copy of the NME. Now I was used to the old style version where the print came off on your hands. Now in 2008 it has been revamped and has all gone glossy/upmarket and the writing isn't as good. Free copy of the new Coldplay single though - although as this is on vinyl I will have to give it away as I do not own a record player. Also on the music front I pick up for 50p a copy of the first - and I think possibly only - album by Cornershop. You may remember this band as they were more widely noticed after the success of a Fatboy Slim remix of their song "Brimful of Asha", a song writtten as a tribute to the prolific Indian playback singerAsha Bhosle and the entire Indian music industry in general. Norman Cook mixed the track without charging a fee because he liked it so much.

Anyway I digress the Board meeting discusses Endowment funding grassroots grants and progress towards levering money from the wealthy in the County. Apart from meetings it is a day trying to catch up with e-mails cheque signing and letters.

The evening is spent over a drink where I am briefed about the Youth Service Review as I have to prepare for a special meeting of all the area boards at which this will be discussed. This is partly my responsibility as I raised some quesations about how the funding formulae works and whether this unwittingly loads money away from the most deprived parts of the County. The meeting will review how these services are being delivered and funded.

In the spirit of opening choice and the empowerment white paper. Here on the HVA Directors blog you can feel empowered to make choices of your own by picking from either:-

the original Cornershop version of the song here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QBbKMoKiIg

or

the Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) remix here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XniTypXFje4

The Choice is yours - feel empowered!!

And all I really want is some justice

2008-05-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

Lyric today is from Alanis Morrisette and the justice in question is an Employment Tribunal case involving one of HVAs members. It brings home just how vulnerable small organisations are when they are legally challanged. It costs over £2,500 to instruct a solicitor to prepare a case and represent at one of these hearings. Let alone the costs of an award made against a group which could threaten its very future. It is for this reason that very ocassionally I brush off some professional skills as an Employment Law practitioner and step into the advocacy role.

This one is a little hurried as I don't actually hear that we are going until I receive a panicked phone call the day before. As a consequence I don't see the full trial bundle until I get into the car to be driven over to the hearing itself. These days are always full and not without their unique stresses as there is a lot at stake. Seven witnesses later plus closing arguments and we a wait for a decision. This eventually comes and the case is decided in our favour which is a huge relief for the Trustees concerned who have been involved with this matter for a long time. The lunchtime also presents me with a copy of a PJ Harvey album for £2 as well. HVA derive no funding for this aspect of our service but it is one of those days when you feel you can make a difference. Certainly the implications and risks for the group were significant and it was the right thing to do in offering to represent them.

Apart from that I resolve that as my desk and I have been strangers for a good few days now I feel that I need to look through everything on my desk rather than just snatching up the most important items. Perhaps monday.

Here is Alanis with our lyric reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXCCv5ngyI0

I want to be elected...

2008-05-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

A classic Alice Cooper song introduces the aftermath of the local elections. For ages, the Council seemed paralysed by being in "purduh" (or whatever it is called) with no real decisions being taken and no strategic issues being addressed. No change there you may think, but I would rebuke you for your abject cynicism. I have always believed that within each tired and flaccid Local Authority there is an active and radical one waiting to come out.

More than usual the local elections were awaited with some excitement. Ironically, the Sunday before the elections I ran a 5 mile road race in support of the local hospice. It started at the Town Hall and I spent some timechatting to Kevin the Councils marketing manager who I know well. We discuss what is likely to happen and both agree that this election will be a difficult one to call. As a former local politician who did not have a bad track record in calling elections I really did not know which way this was going to go.

Anyway, there is a huge political change in Hastings from a "hung council" to a, well, slightly different "hung council". Interesting individual results though, as one seat - and ultimately the whole Council is literally decided on a lottery. The Old Town ward is tied after 6 recounts and in situations like this the Returning Officer literally pulls a name from a hat. There are some who argue that the performance of Local Government in Hastings might actually be strengthened by picking all 32 councillors this way but that again would be a cynics viewpoint and I urge you not to adopt it.

John, our information worker does stirling work to ensure that all new Councillors receive a welcome letter from us as probably the first piece of official mail they get after their election which portrays us as an organisation which respnds to political change quickly. We will do new member briefings no doubt to the new Councillors in due course.

While I am talking information I should record a small piece of CVS history as we have become the first CVS in the country - we think - to record its own podcast. Actually I had a Sunday afternoon at home and download the software from a free Linux source called Audacity. I thought I would give it a quick go just to see if the programme worked. Before I knew where I was I had recorded a 25 minute unscripted podcast about local VCS issues. You feel a bit self-concious at first but you soon get "into the groove" as it were.

I bring a copy into work and give John an opportunity to listen. We are now working on how to get its memory size down to manageable proportions. Check the website soon and you may be able to download me to hear in the comfort of your own home or via your ipod. It is entirely experimental of course but it does open up other possibilities to offer some briefings on line and maybe find new ways of reaching our members. We shall see.

Alice over to you my friend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jggm7VWqhLs

We're in the Money

2008-05-06T09:29:00.001-07:00

I know, I know it has been an absolute age since the last blog update. No excuses really except that things have been a bit busy on the work and personal front. The non work headlines are that both Kate and Lorna my step-daughters now have small babies who contrived to arrive within 48 hours of each other. On the work front I completed some teaching at the University of Brighton which I do every year. Not very many sessions but the always fall in the same week. There is a 2 day commmunity work theory into practice course followed by a young people and the law workshop at the end of the week. A tiring period with all the travel to and fro but it forces me to keep in touch with the theory and read around an community development issues. Often I find that the most interesting work is going on outside the UK. Anyway during the second day I am in the middle of teaching when I receive numerous texts and missed calls on my mobile phone. I can feel them but it is only at the coffee break that I can find out whay I am in such demand. Fearing for some family emergency I was suprised and delighted to learn that it was the news that our commuinity assets transfer proposal was approved and a building plus £750,000 to convert it into the resource which both the Town and the VOluntary Sector deserve is ours. A real achievement down entirely to partnership work - credit entirely due to Glyn from the Council and Mel from the Trust for helping us to turn a last minute decision into a robust proposal. I give a press quote which is embargoed until the official announcement.

There really can only be one lyric reference to support this news and here it is complete with classic Busby Berkley routine hit it girls...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqbuS7U1SWQ

It's the end of the world as we know it

2008-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Perhaps not the end of the world but at least the end of the financial year as we know it. A strange administrative phenomonen which results in a range of service providers realising that they have unspent cash in their coffers and then deciding that the vol sector is the place to utilise. No problem there but it does result in a lot of of running around and frantic e-mails about service level agreements and what-not. Apart from this it is also the busiest time of the eyar for the training I undertake for the University of Brighton. I only work there about 5 days per year but 3 of the days are in a single week which means I am on a train from Hastings to Falmer. 2 days community development and half a day teaching a module on young people and the law.

Wednesday saw me to the first meeting of the advisory group which is advising the Council on how to spent the money it has been given from the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The background to this is that, in a masterstroke of strategic planning, the Borough Council planned on the basis that Hastings would no longer feature in the indices of deprivation (wrong) and would no longer receive additinal funding as a result (also wrong). It restructured its own activities creating massive disruption on the basis of its earlier analysis (completeley wrong). As a consequnce when it is announced that Hastings is still a poor place and will receive money we need to embark on a process to allocate it. There is much scraching of heads over this (profoundly wrong).

The Council are at pains to point out that it is the body who will decide on the allocation of Working Neighbourhoods. This is a good job as they have raided the till, as it were, to support its own restructuring. They have also convened an advisory group or partners to help in this process. This is either a genuine attempt at partnership or a cynical attempt to justify a series of decisions which have already been taken - depending on how you view it.

I attend the meeting in the conference room at Priory Meadow shopping centre. It is an eclectic discussion - a few ideas but no real progress on the complex issues we have to address. I leave somewhat frustrated that the key issues remain unaddressed. In Hastings we are rich in data and the measurement of poverty but poor on analysis (a point I make at the meeting). We know the impact of what is happening but not the reasons for it or, most crucially, what to do about it. The employment and economic problems of Hastings are not sudden (they have arisen over more than 3 decades) but there is a struggle to diagnose them or attempt to articulate what can be done - even with a cash injection of over £3m. For what seems like the 50th time I talk about the importance of the third sector and the need to understand the informal economy in order to plan a way forward for the Town. I leave the meeting unable to feel that a single decision has been taken or that a clear way forward is within our grasp. On a slightly more positive side some transitional arrangements are planed to take forward some of our funding. It has been neccessary to highlight to the local authority the inconsistency of their approach taking lonog term decisions over their own structure but offering a mere 12 weeks funding to the sector. More of this is accessible via our website if you really want to know the details.

I am somewhat cynical over the Council's ability to respond to reported breaches of the compact. We have one already filed which has so far taken 9 months and still awaits a response. I have briefed Alfie my 11 year old grandson about this issue - in case I am no longer around when a reply is received. He in turn has given me an undertaking to pass the information to his as yet unborn children should the issue not be resolved. So the compact breach of 2007 will be passed down father to son through the generations until a reply is received from Hastings Borough Council.

Here is a UCLA high school students personal interpretation of the REM song from which we derive our lyric reference. Not bad in my humble opinion so enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0c6VnT-TLw

Back to the Grind

2008-03-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

After the marathon I have to say that I didn't feel too bad and the legs held up well. After a couple of days break I gently started running again midweek. Apart from that its been work all the way with an awayday to cement progress on the CVS partnership. This is a project to build stronger and better joint activity between the 4 CVS in East Sussex. We had a review period with all the trustees and Chief Officers which gave a mandate to move ahead with the creation of a new legal structure. What else, much to report on the health front with the Health and Social Care Forum having a successful conference and the appointment of a new host to support the embryonic LINKS process. It is early days yet but HVA have been supporting the transition through Jan our Health Development Worker. Lots of preparation for the Review of Area Boards and an evening meeting to look at proposals for maximising community input. Basically there are 4 area boards in HAstings which examine service delivery and try and align it to the needs and issues of each neighbourhood area. HVA have a staff member shadowing each board so that vol sector issues remain on the agenda. My view is that the process will only be operating to its maximum effectiveness if the Boards have some resources they can deploy but I appear to be a lone voice in this. Saturday also saw us visit a pub in Hollington to see a colleague Terry play in his band. Apart from enjoying their set there is an ulterior motive as we are searching for a good band to play at Sues birthday celebration much later in the year.

I've got a little list...

2008-03-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

OK here by popular demand (well one person asked me about it) is the play-list which I ran the marathon to. For some reason it was just a great soundtrack to the run. Here it is:-:-

Step It Up - Stereo MCs
Thru Ya City - De La Soul
All Together Now - The Farm
Rubberneckin - Elvis Presley
Smile On - Dee-Lite
Missing - Everything But the Girl
Visions of You - Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart
The Man Who Told Everything - The Doves
Dance this Mess Around - The B-52s
Where is the Love - Black Eyed Peas
Heroes and Villians - Brian Wilson
LoveFool - The Cardigans
Mulder and Scully - Catatonia
God Shuffled His Feet - Crash Test Dummies
All Nighter - Elastica
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
I Can't get with that - Fun Lovin Criminals
Knockin on Heavens Door - Guns 'n' Roses
Main Offender - The Hives
Step On - Happy Mondays
Eton Rifles - The Jam
Run On - Moby

Step On

2008-03-17T13:22:00.001-07:00

The big day arrived with lots of rain and drizzle. Fortunately it was not too windy and I took the dog out to test the temparature. Forced myself to eat porridge (yuk never liked the stuff) and then almost an entire packet of jelly babies - apparently they are high on the type of carbohydrate you need for an endurance work-out combined with the suger rush for energy. Sue then takes me to the start where I pop into a local pub to use the loo and have a cup of coffee. I meet two other runners from Lewisham. The run itself went well. I was aiming for about 2 hours and I stopped my watch on the finish line at 1hr 59m 52s which is as near as you can get I guess. It all went as well as anything that long can go. No really bad patches and lots of support along the way. Peter HVA's fundraiser was spotted early on the course and I saw lots of other people throughout the course. Finally the entire family had gathered in the Old Town so it was nice to have their collective support. I stuck around at the finish to see other people go through thefinish line. Nice to see Erica finish in good spirits with Felix and Robin - one of HVAs trustees. My little Ipod machine through which I monitor my training told me that I had consumed 1,672 calories during the run. So it was onto the Jenny Lind for a meal to put some of them back. Overall the body stood up well and many many thanks for those who supported me. Talking of support I also had the most fabulous playlist in the ipod which I have painstakingly compiled from my running activities over the last couple of months. This made the whole task a lot easier than just listening to the sound of your own breathing I will publish it on here tomorrow. Our lyric reference is from the Happy Mondays one of the songs that helped me on the run.

Tapering Down

2008-03-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

To work where another full day beckons. I meet with 4 new health workers we are employing to facilitate a project with the local Healthy Living Centre (PULSE) to design and promote key health messages to young people. There is overwhelming research to suggest that young people respond to other young people on issues relating to their health pareticularly on issues like sex and drugs and rock and roll. Therefore, 4 new health trainers are being trained as we speak to take on this role. It is an exciting project.

On the marathon front we are in "tapering" mode which basically means that the week before the marathon itself you do little except stretch, eat and save your strength. No training you can do in the last week can imporove preparation or performance but it can certainly damage it if you pull or twist something.

Taking something out of your routine which has been a big part of it leads to something which marathon runners call "taper madness". The fact that you have nothing do to except to count the days down to a big (and gruelling) event leads to some odd behaviour. I learnt this from someone I met running who told me the story of his entry in the New York Marathon. It was a big deal as I believe from what he said that he had a family association with someone who died in the Twin Towers disaster in 9/11. Anyway running the New York marathon was a key date in his calender and he described his experience leading up to the big day. Firstly, he said that he had convinced himself that any twinge or the most minor ache - which most people in their middle years get every day - was, in fact, the onset of a major injury which would prevent him from running. Secondly, he also managed to convince himself that any loved one friend or colleague was in fact the bearer of a cold or virus which he would certainly contract and prevent him from running. He told me that he treated everyone as if they were "typhoid Mary". This reached such manic proportions that he spent virtually the entire flight from Gatwick to NYC with a napkin over his mouth. Strange behaviour indeed. I don't think that I am suffering from any of the extreme symptoms of "taper madness" but if I do exhibit any behaviour this week just ignore me and remember it is all for a good cause. On which note we are up to about £500 sponsorship so far so it is all looking OK for the big day.

A Windy Day

2008-03-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

It is blowing a gale here and, I gather, most of the country. The walk with Maddy (the family dog) involves hopping over fallen trees and branches together with the recycling bins which are all over the place distributing litter and cans evertywhere. The Council haven't quite got to grips with what happens to their nice recycling bins in very windy weather. Anyway, today involves a lot of catching up as last week I was a stranger to my desk - my work taking me to virtually every part of East Sussex. There are hundreds of e-mails waiting mosty of which want to sell me viagra! I draft a letter to the Borough Council about a breach of the Compact arising from the enmtirely inconsistent way they have treated the voluntary sector in their recent decisions. My last compact breach report still awaits an answer after almost 7 months. We will wait and see as this may be a real test of the local Compact arrangements. There is lots of concern within the networks and forums and among our membership and probably only right that we should use the Compact to address these concerns.

What else? I spent a good part of the weekend working on transitional funding arrangements for posts within the organisation which require a detailed work programme for the next 3 months. And I do my last long run before the marathon. All the books tell you to taper your running in the last week which I guess is wise advice. Anyway the prospect of getting blown over - as the wind really is that strong - doesn't appeal. Erica who does some of HVA's design work and who is also doing the marathon wrote a really nice article in the Hastings Handbook. My running is cited as an inspiration to her entry. Not ever been a role model before. The article suggests that I have gone from Labrador to greyhound which I guess is true except that my reduction in size has not been accompanied by an increase in speed. In running terms I still remain, and will always be, a "plodder". Anyway there are few lyric references to greyhounds but here is Parklife by Blur - the cover to this album did feature a greyhound I recall which is as close as I can get - enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQw6AKC-AR0

A Catchup

2008-03-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

For a minute there I thought the HVA blog was going to become one of the dormant blogs you never see updated. Lots has been happening in the CVS world so let us see where to begin. Firstly we have our AGM which is well attended and provides useful intelligence to help us review the kind of services we want to provide in future. It is a good morning and finishes on time. I hope I was able to do justice to the work of the team who have done much this year in very uncertain times. As I speak the council are still in the process of restructuring and after threats of massive cuts which caused much concern they have now done a Duke of York and marched their troops down the hill again with more modest reductions. The are unaware that much trust and credibility has been sacrificed on the alter of political posturing but there you go. We take part in the Day Services Review which was pleasing in that members of the Health and Social Care Forum do themselves proud and maybe the Active Age Centre which Age Concern Hastings have been advocating for no longer seems such a pipe dream. On which note I spend most of Tuesday interviewing for its new Director. It is a full day but a good appointment is made. It needs a good person as Ian's boots are big to fill. As well as steering the organisatiohn back from the funding brink he has also chaired the multi agency service providers group for older people as well as being a community activist in his won right in the Ore Valley.

Today it was the East Sussex Strategic Partnership and the agreement of the Integrated Community Strategy, LAA targets and then onto Lewes for a meeting with the Chief Executive and Fund Development Manager for the Sussex Community Foundation. We discuss the grassroots grants bid and ways of getting endowment money. On the way back I run into Peter HVAs funding adviser and we travel back to Hastings talking about VAT and Charities, Small Grants, Running Marathons, Old Town Politics, Fishing Communities and Museums.

My journey to both Eastbourne and Lewes nets me 4 Albums by artists as diverse as The Strokes, Kanye West, Jools Holland and Simply Red. The Kanye West album (College Drop Out) is my companion on a 5 mile run along the seafront - the marathon is just over a week away and Sunday will be my last really serious run. All the books tell you to "taper" in the final week which basically means cutting back on the mileage and putting your feet up. Am ending the day listening to a classic Portishead album (Dummy) which has to be one of the best albums of the last 20 years in my humble opinion. This is as good as it gets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1jyL3cr60&feature=related

Gimme Shelter

2008-02-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

The morning is spent visiting the new community bridgebuilder premises in central st leonards and discussing the induction of the 3 new workers we have appointed. It is an exciting period to see the small project we started all those years ago expand into a team with its own manager and 3 year funding. Onwards to a less positive meeting with a group who are in financial difficulty to say the least the next three months cashflow is going to be absolutely crucial and I try and help where I can. We identify some possible ways forward. Then it is an employment issue with a group followed by a quick visit to the office to submit comments to the Borough Councils draft ec0nomic inclusion strategy. Home for a brief break and then to a meeting of local churches where I have been invited to discussing homelessness, poverty and the moral agenda. It is actually rather a well attended meeting with lots of people involved in work with rough sleepers and asylum seekers. I give an analysis of the homelessness picture since Cathy come home and the current deficiencies of our housing and support system. It is followed by a highly intelligent debate which is wide-ranging. I would find the Rolling Stones video for our song lyric but as I am a bit knackered you will have to take my word for it it is a great song.

One Hit Wonder

2008-02-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

I am reminded by Jan - a loyal reader of the Blog - that I have been lax in keeping it up to date. It really has been a bit busy in the world of the CVS with much to report so here goes.

The saga of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund rolls on at todays Executive Delivery Group with some general recognition that the logistics are going to be difficult. Introducing a new funding regime with sufficient time to make it robust but in a way which can also make best use of the NRF projects which contribute significantly to the local agenda. It is a circle that simply cannot be squared in the time the Council have left and they are very much seeing it as "their show" reminding everyone that they are the controller of the cash rather than the partnership of previous. It is also all mired in a HUGE political row which is becoming more acrimonious with each passing week. The politicians have taken to copying the whole world into their e-mails as the accuse and counter accuse accross the internet. I advocate for transitional money to apply so that we can make some real sense of this out of the heat of the current situation and after the election issue - for we have local elections looming - is settled.

I have also been bid writing like crazy as Monday was a key deadline for 2 proposals one to support an enhanced county wide Hate crime reporting service and the other to continue our community cohesion work. It is an all day Saturday job with some early work being done to the budget in Eastbourne on Monday morning. This is then whisked up to London by hand to meet their 5pm deadline. We cross fingers and wait and see.

I have also been asking for money in two key respects. Firstly it is marathon time again and I am running for the Saxon Mt Youth project and secondly I am tapping all the rich people in Hastings to start a fund for small grants. Can't say too much yet but it is generating the kind of interest I had hoped and I am optomistic about this project. Anyway the title of todays blog entry is based on my playlist for this evenings run. I put together a list of one hit wonders - bands who had one hit only. My personal favourtite of all time (I know not why) is the 1978 "Uptown Top Ranking" reached number one in February, 1978, after much early championing by John Peel. Ironically I am just finishing his autobiography - which is more than he did as he died without completing nthe manuscript. It is finished by his wife who writes well and affectionately of him, the music and his radio work.

A piece of trivia Althea & Donna became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK chart. There you didn't know that but if it comes up in next years inter-agency quiz we are prepared. Peter - we can't bank on it being prefrab sprout every year. Over to you girls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcz_YjR3LKQ

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

2008-01-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

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

2008-01-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T03:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T02:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-03T01:47:00.000-08:00

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

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

2007-12-21T03:36:00.000-08:00

In the words of Robert Falcon Scott - "it's getting really cold now so this may be my last message" as I am away for Christmas. A cool yule and a restive festive to everyone who reads this blog. I accepted a speaking engagement for january and the confirming letter contained the following:-

"It is good to speak to you yesterday and from your blog you are clearly a rennaisanse man"

Proves that someone reads it anyway...as far as our sign of lyric reference is concerned check this out (bet Bing Corosby would be shitting himself if he were still alive) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv_-jO4o5Xo

See you in 2008

The Goose is getting fat

2007-12-19T11:01:00.001-08:00

Today I take off on the morning run with the dog as soon as it gets light. It is very verycold and one of those days where you have to 'hit the road' before your brain kicks into gear (if you thought about it too much you wouldn't do it).

I arrive at work and brief members of our Board on how the next financial year looks and some of the real uncertainties created by thre delayed Comprehensive Spending Review and the change from Neighbourhood Renewal to whatever funding stream will kick in after April 08. It is all very uncertain and the most frustrating thing is that there is not a lot we can do to reduce that uncertainty. A go upstairs to find a new computer waiting for me ready and waiting. This is good news as the old one simply died and was going so slowly I have had to work from home to send e-mails.

Onwards to the Christmas team meal at the Bridge Community Centre. It is a fairly rare occassion all being in the same place at the same time and makes me realise what a really nice group of people I work with. It is such a diverse group of personalities, backgrounds and outlooks but all the better for it. We have a pleasant meal and drift away in stages as some have meetings, others have work and a couple have elected to go Xmas shopping (don't know which is worse as the Town is packed at the moment). I decide that the blog will fall into disuse and not be read unless I get back to regular updates and am sitting here for a good catch up.

HVA's volunteer organiser made a request for a Led Zeppelin track so here is a classic track taken from their reunion comeback concert a few days ago - happy christmas Rose http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G_JTMuHOQk

I fought the law and the law won

2007-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

A reminder of a previous life as I agree to respresent one of our members at an Employment Tribunal. They are up against a barrister and quite a large law firm so the odds seemed unfair. It is a fascinating if stressful day as I cross examine a witness in detail for over 4 hours. I was a little rusty to begin with but old skills do return and after 3 hours the tribunal make a preliminary determination in our favour.

I'm back...as a matter of fact I'm back

2007-12-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

It seems an absolute age since I caught up with myself – blogging wise – and much to report on. Firstly a few days off sees a quick trip to the Czech Republic where I visit the truly beautiful city of Prague with Sue which is simply lovely. I learn much about the history of its Jewish Quarter and about the tragedy of the years of communism from 2 superb guides. I began the days with a run in a local park – weather is not bad (a bit like we left in England). On my return it is a trip to the Brighton Centre to see the Kings of Leon who play a really great set although at just over 1hour and 10 minutes it could have been longer for my £25 quid but there you go.

Workwise things are as busy as ever as I attend the Local Strategic Partnership to try and convince partners that some of the community engagement stuff is among the most important things they do and must be preserved in the new (post NRF) regime. Basically, the Borough Council had planned on the basis that Hastings would no longer feature among the most deprived parts of the Country and, as a consequence, would not be in receipt of the funding this status brings. Both HVA and the Community Network had argued otherwise and were proved right when the indices of deprivation were published. It is a strange state of affairs as, now there is actually money to spend, the Council and LSP seem not to have anticipated how they will actually manage the process. There is much scratching of heads and the forming of a small sub-group to take things forward but 2 months has effectively been wasted since I presented the paper to the Executive Delivery Group time which could have been put to good use given that jobs are at risk. One would have thought that approaching this problem someone would have evaluated all the possible options, looked at the most likely and built some contingencies to be enacted which come into play when a situation arises. However the plan which went to Cabinet assumed only one eventuality which is strange rather like p[laying a game of chess assuming that your opponent will only make 1 move. (memo to self: offer to play Roy Mawford at Chess for money!!).

Onwards to a telephone interview where with the Borough Council and Hastings Trust we describe the community assets transfer bid in detail. This has been assembled in short order but the result looks like it could get through. There is detailed questioning which we make our way through. Our performance hits the right note and we are given the clearest possible indication that the bid will make it through to the next stage.

a grand year for babies and quiz panel games

2007-12-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Onto the Pig in Paradise for the interagency quiz. The HVA 'A' Team is depleted as Peter has to be out of Town for a few days. We come fourth but the HVA 'B' team ('B' in this instance is standing for Better of course) storm to an emphatic victory. So well done Fran, John and James.

I need no sympathy

2007-11-23T05:39:00.000-08:00

An interesting fact:-

Messages of support arising from Blog entry about Steve's running injury 0
Messages of support arising from Blog entry about Louis the cats injury 15

Makes you think doesn't it?

Hit it Freddie... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nTheG--2NE0

communicate to the masses

2007-11-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

The lyric reference is, of course REM's Radio Song and marks the fact that each week at HVA starts with a communications meeting when John, our Information Worker, and I brief each other on issues coming up, requests to communicate (or be communicated with) and how to manage this complex process. At the moment we are in membership-drive mode as the entire HVA membership are providing us with their annual returns. I then move on to the 543 e-mails waiting in my in-box most of which are attempting to sell me viagra which appear to be getting under our SPAM detection radar at the moment.

Saturday's meeting of the Church and Community seminar was a lively discussion and representatives from local churches discuss ways in which they could make a difference in their local community. I think it was useful for HVA to be there encouraging their effort but also identifying some potential pitfalls. There is talk of a large garden project with one of the community centres together with some other initiatives.

As for today, the e-mails take up a bit of time but I pick up an interesting case from one of our members threatened with legal action over business rate payments. This group recently won multiple awards at the Towns Achievments centre and is much support for their work within the Local Authority. Unfortunately they are having difficulty getting added to the Local Authorities list of discretionary rate relief charities. We intervene by writing to the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council urging flexibility and support to overcome what appears to be a minor technical issue. As I hand deliver a copy of my letter to the group I see the mayor arrive proving that they know how to gather political support for their cause.

Signing off now to the strains of Michael Stipe singing our lyric reference http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nNPv7jJmibs.

Your Fruits in Season

2007-11-16T04:37:00.000-08:00

A catch-up day today with back to back meetings with Peter, our funding adviser, Rose, our Volunteer Centre organiser and the Chair and Manager of the Community Fruit and Veg project which gives me the link to our Lyric reference today. This comes from an obscure Stone Roses 'b' side but here are the boys singing one of their more familier tunes http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k4bHMVAKDao

We talk AGMs and accounts and the kind of stuff which organisatins need to have in place to be effective. They are ideal candidates fora PQASSO Quality Assurance framework as this will guide them through the basics and enable them to see the work they have ahead of them. I like this project which is a social enterprise delivering low cost fruit and veg and the uptake of the 5-a-day mentality in some of the most deprived communities in the UK. But whatever the ethos there also needs to be some firm business planning sense here as well as, quite apart from all the good intentions they are also flogging a commodity which goes off in 2-3 days. So their stock control, pricing and distribution has to be spot on. Anyway Neil the new cooprinator is offered support and has Louise as his Chair who ran the PULSE project and is one of the best project planners in the local area. HVA are also chipping in by employing the staff andn handling the money until they are robust enough to float off into a CIC (Community Interest Company).

Am working tomorrow at a Church and Community seminar tomorow some am taking the rest of the day off to compensate, get pummled into shape by Sean and then walk the dog. What with cats, community asset transfers, casework and all it has seemed a bit of a long week.

By the way yesterday's episode with the cat set us back £260 - I don't mind you kind of buy into such costs when you own pets - but if you see someone chasing a badger along the road wielding a baseball bat and swearing - it'll be me. (must remember to ban the badger protection society from the membership of HVA!!)

We need each others business

2007-11-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Lyric reference is from the oft forgotton Ohio New Wave band from the 70's DEVO - ah whatever happened to them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxH39QlRuhg. Anyway, today we drum up cross sector cooperation and corporate social responsibility by attending the Borough's Let's Do Business Exhibition which is the collection of about 130 businesses packed into the Hastings Centre. It is hot and humid but I do good business both for the Sussex Community Foundation whose stand I staff with Janet their corporate liaison person and also drum up support for our volunteering project. Basically, if we can pursuade employers to look at a persons skills rather than just the paid work they have done in the past more people can move from volunteering into employment. And so it proves during the day as business leaders seem to grasp the common sense of what we are saying and start to sign up. So we have the beginnings of a diverse network of private sector businesses to join the happy band of public sector employers who are already on board.

I also catch up with a range of people I have not seen in ages including some of the young people from Saxon Mount School who I ran the marathon for last year.

What else. Of course, big drama last night with a late night mercy dash to the vet where our cat Louis has an emergency operation. Attacked by a psychopathic badger last night he is destined to lose part of his foot. Why are badgers portrayed in childrens books as soft and cuddly gentle creatures when in fact they are horrible flea ridden psychotics like Norman Bates ready to pounce on a defenceless little cat, barely out of kittenhood, - poor thing.

Today Louis looks very sorry for himself but is back home with us after his stay in animal hospital. He is snoozing on Holly's bed with a bandage bigger than his entire body and one of those strange collers to stop him licking the affected area compromising both his movement - and I suspect - his dignity.

My own injury - which pales into insignificance compared to the cats has a name. I am suffering from Piriformis Syndrome which is a pain in the arse - both metaphorically and literally. Tomorrow I am being pummled and manipulated by Sean the ex pro rugby playing irishman who does stirling work as my sports physiotherapist/oesteopath and no doubt will test how much pain I can tolerate for my £25 quid.

your body will be injured

2007-11-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

The lyric reference is the Black Eyed Peas and describes my present physical state. The running seems to have taken its toll and I am suffering from a nagging injury which seems to have had no apparent cause. This, combined with the cold weather has kept me off the road, as it were, for the past couple of days. To compensate I go to the gym and do a 30 minute session on the rowing maching yesterday which basically means I ache in both my arms and my legs!

What else? stage 2 of the decorating is now complete and the living room is almost finished. I always believe that every long and boring job should be accompanied by something to listen to so I have downloaded the entire Presidential Commission Report on 9/11 - all 20 hours of it which I have been listening to botgh at home and via the ipod. Fascinating stuff it is too. At work I am full steam ahead on the Community Assets Transfer stuff and spend some time drafting a partnership agreement to define the respective roles of HVA, the Council and Seaspace in bringing this to fruition. If all goes to plan a freehold building could be transferred to HVA with up to £1m to fully redesign and refurbish it. If all doesn't go to plan? well no one could say we didn't try!!

Walking the dog feels a bit easier on the injured back so maybe things are returning back to normal - must see Sean my sports therapist and oesteopath to see what he thinks. Here is our lyric band playing one of the greatest hits - enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0EoyTdtFac

We can kick like a mule it's a real mean team

2007-11-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

Rose, our volunteer organiser, will apreciate our lyric reference today which is from the thin white duke (Mr Bowie). Rose is a real fan and not without justification. Here he is playing a live version of a song more associated with Mott the Hoople and also, as it happens, the first single I ever bought when I was 11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7uwbjYSaYY.

Anyway, the team in question is the HVA team and we had an awayday which looked at performance and measuring impact. Jill and Fran have done a good job to facilitate the day which starts with a warm up quiz about HVA and its staff. My score is both worrying for me (and perhaps even more so for the team!). At this rate I may lose my place on the HVA inter-agency quiz squad. According to performance on the quiz Jan should be director of HVA and I should be making the tea!!

The day is a bit weird in that, as ever, I was chasing my tail and had to go, dash away, and then dash back for the end. It was also the day I presented my alternative view of the community engagement world to the meeting of the public service chiefs execs at which I argue for concerted partner activity to save the best of what we have in Hastings. The comprehensive spending review is occupying a lot of thought but I achieve a primary objective which is to stimulate partners into thinking about this issue and ask the right questions which they start to do. It is then back to the Awayday and a pleasant lunch with James and Fran where we talk running, giving up smoking and I feed back on my meeting. On the way back into Town I brief the vice chair of the LSP about moving this onto the agenda. Then it is a quick trip back home to walk the dog before dashing again back to the office.

Today is also a deadline day for a funding bid I am making to secure some funding to support BME activity and the better coordination of hate crime reporting and to secure money to support a key role on the team. Despite promises and assurances, the application is not in the shape I want it to be so there are a series of phone calls to get further information from our County colleagues before I am happy to sign off by 5pm.

Onwards to a Community Assets Transfer meeting. As I arrive, I am greeted by a member of the Council's staff who also is involved with a local arts group. She was really grateful for a small thing I did to help expedite some funding which seemed blocked at one stage. To be honest, I had forgotten the work I did on this - which only amounted to an e-mail putting words in the right ear - but it was really nice to get some feedback that this was appreciated.

At the Community Assets transfer meeting a genuine breakthrough is made. After what seems like years of talk the Council seems fully signed up to the principle of transferring a building into the ownership of HVA together with mounting a bid to refurbish it. Lots of hoops to jump through, of course, but there is some real purpose to our discussion and we begin to shape up what will become the business plan. Of course, there is a down side insofar as the Local Authority have taken so long to get this far that we are only days away from a substantial deadline. A fully costed business plan and project profile is required but there is partner support for this to happen. I have a feeling that despite the odds we could just pull this one off which is a good thing as a wrecking ball comes through the wall of my office in 2009!

I also meet briefly with Alan from SEASPACE who is coordinating the legal work being done to create an educational trust within a very tight deadline (see previous postings). This is critical to secure £100,000 funding and we have been supporting the group who have more grey hairs now than when the process began. Fingers are still very much crossed but it looks like we are on track to have the trust in place by 19th November and secure the prize!!

It is now 7.00pm and I am taking a short break from reviewing a dissertation outline for my student Jaan who is seeking to apply "labelling theory" to an analysis of Anti Social Behaviour and the criminal justice system. Strange and perverse as this may seem this I am actually enjoying my role as his supervisor which I am taking on for the first time this year at the University. It forces me to re-read and rethink some academic material and keep up to date which is no bad thing.

Anyway that was Wednesday and on it goes.

I'm too busy to see you You're too busy to wait

2007-11-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today was busy by any standards with e-mails flying around at 7.30am and leaving work about 7.20pm it feels like that kind of period. Our health partners who yesterday were emphatically asking if we could advertise for some posts on their behalf - this week now reverse their decision. SO the adverts we rushed around placing are now pulled awaiting their clarification of the budget. Onwards to 3 casework meetings in quick succession. Today was also the drop in session for our volunteering project where it akways pleases me to see actual volunteers coming in from their projects and engaging with moderators to achieve a recognised qualification. The reputation of this project recently went international as our potential French partners have expressed an interest in this aspect of our work. We discuss next years Service Level Agreement and I write 3 contracts which have been hanging over my head for some time. It is amazing how 3 hours without the phone going off really do enable a great deal of work to be dojne. I then review a complex employment law issue with 2 folders of material to sift through.

Our busy lyric is, of course, Radiohead. I understand that a question in tomorrows quiz during our staff "away-day" will relate to the latest lyric on my blog so those who have an RSS feed or visit the sight tonight will get an advantage. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ4lMdFYOtU

Cake or Death...

2007-11-05T19:28:00.001-08:00

Another busy day starting with some of the challanges of building a partnership, keeping a range of different partners, content up to date and facing in the same direction. This is a key aspect of our work but not without its challenges. It is then onto casework and catching up with issues financial as it is our financial administrators first day back from leave. An afternoon of administration sees my desk a little clearer than it was at the start of the day. The days highlight was finding for a mere £1 one of the most beautiful records ever made. In 1965, at age 20, Jaqueline du Pré recorded the Elgar concerto for EMI with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir John Barbirolli, which brought her international recognition. This recording has since become the benchmark reference for the work, and one which has never been out of print since its release over forty years ago.

Our lyric today is actually a piece of stand up comedy 'set to Lego'...it will resonate with those members of HVA staff who shared part of my partnership day...enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVjKlBCvhg

I am folded, and unfolded

2007-11-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

A funny old day today starting with a run and a listen to the brilliant Beth Orton whose album Central Reservation had completely passed me by when it was released in the mid 90's. This was the purchase of the week £1 from the Mind shop in Eastbourne on my way to a hate crime meeting.

I attend a meeting of the group which supports the Local Strategic Partnership where we kick around the Local Area Agreement, the review of the Community Strategy. I spend some time with the LSP COorindator going through why I have convened a meeting of all the Chief Executives of the public service agencies and what I am trying to achieve by doing it. Back to the office to two bits of casework where I am trying to help a group set up an educational trust in record time so that they can receive a sizeable award. Time is running short and the money is at risk if the trust is not formed in time.

Unfortunately I miss folding friday which is a monthly HVA ritual where we fold and stuff the newsletter. This is a shame as the conversation with the team as we fold is usually entertaining (if not a little surreal at times). I make up for my being unable to help by sitting in the meeting room drinking a cup-a-soup talking away whilst watching other people fold the newsletter.

Our conversation covers a wide range of topics which ranged from a discussion of whether the low sex drive of pandas is contributing to their near extinction to Robert Falcon Scotts ill-fated 1912 Antartic expedition and (what really happened to Capt Oates!). For those HVA staff members who do not regularly attend folding friday you can only wonder of what conversational gems you are missing out on.

Our lyric today is from Colourblind by Counting Crows and see the original video by clocking on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6EbOgvH2nI

maybe we should do an article in that there magazine

2007-11-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Not sure if Samuel Pepys ever found this but sometimes you are too busy doing things to write about them. Hence my blogging has been a little intermittent of late. A little flurry of activity as I request a discussion of the Executive Delivery Group to consider the recent Comprehensive Spending Review announcement and what it means for Hastings. I sense that some of the good stuff around community engagement will be left to wither on the fine as there is a general wringing of hands and blaming the Govt. This is to be expected but serves no useful purpose in the long run. So I spend some time thinking how best to marshall the arguments into a coherent paper and am well advised by James - who sits on the Community Network and Fran who coorindates the representation function within the CVS. A useful meeting and I touch base with James afterwards on a couple of Countywide Developments. I sense that at the meeting I may be in a minority of one - which is not an unknown experience for me - but we shall see. I also pen an article for the Borough's magazine as the work we have done with accrediting volunteering activity is beginning to receive attention. We now have over 70 volunteers on all aspects of the programme and we look set to exceed our outputs. Now onto the employer engagement at a forthcoming Let's Do Business exhibition. I am confident that withjin the next few weeks we will have our first volunteer making the transition into paid employment as a result of this project - so fingers crossed. A couple of the participants have interviews lined up.

Anyway it is now about 8.30 and time to finish for the day. Our lyric today comes from Lou Reed and here he is doing it with John Cale http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSxRN0pNciA

public service announcement

2007-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today to London for a conference on tranforming public service delivery. I have seen during my career (local government officer, councillor and VCS Chief Officer) much talk about tranformation and little evidence. 20 years of this type of rhetoric still leads me to the belief that UK infrastructure is just appalling and wherever I go in the world to poor and rich places alike it always seems easier to get around. Train is 20 minutes late and Parliament Square is grid-locked bacause of the state visit of the King of Saudi Arabia every police officer I see is seriously tooled up and security is tight. Human rights in are generally considered to be minimal or non-existent in that regime so why we are rolling out red carpets is sliightly beyond my understanding 'oil' and 'arms-sales' do spring to mind I guess. Anyway Phil Hope tries top convince us that more Govt money is on the way and there is renewed determination to see 3rd sector delivery of services. The audience are baffled that they hear the rhetoric but never get to see the resources!

Anyway the public service announcement lyric is from The Clash and is in the words of Joe Strummer "a public service announcement - with guitars" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeWSpB_7w4

Stripped

2007-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a dull day not just weather wise but because of a necessary but very boring task. A large room to be stripped of its wallpaper, lining and "made good" as the painters and decorators would say. Not much to say about this except it is well boring. I did get a chance to listen to a few albums though. Jaan rings me with details of his dissertation which I ak supervising. We have been exchanging comments and have a very useful discussion about the shape it is going to take. It is exploring the impact of ASBO's on young people's behaviour and it was a nice break to kick around a few tips on labelling theory before heading back to the decorating. A nice run completed the day at about 5.30 over the Hastings Country Park. The weather is really starting to change now and it can only be a matter of time when the Countryside becomes too muddy to run on. Then it will be back to the roads. An obvious lyric reference would have been christine aguilera but I have gone for Basildons most famous musical export in the form of Depeche Mode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrQuiEkOVU

On the Case

2007-10-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday and friday were largely filled with casework and a series of meetings with groups and charities of all sizes. One an hour every hour for most of the day but it is an aspect of my job which reminds me of the legal work I used to do. My case management should be a bit easier as we have invested in a dictation system so the HVA admin staff can be irritated by the sound of my voice when I am absent as well as when I am there. Anyway the issues we deal with are numerous - a tupe transfer, a tendering exercise, a financial review and some staffing issues. I catch up with Andy from the Xtrax young people's project as he has asked me to facilitate an away day for his staff and trustees. It is an organisation I have a lot of time for particularly as I went on the initial visit to look at other similar projects with Dave its founder during the late 1980's when I was running a youth homelessness charity in the Town. Seems like another age. Anyway the lyric reference is from the era when Xtrax was founded and is from the neglected 2unlimited click and enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-YXHSz1sME

The Youth of Today

2007-10-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Today we begin with a short team meeting which covers all manner of topics from the staff away day, planning for the AGM and general catching up. I give a brief update on my work in France and the fact that we may be hosting a study visit in ’08. I sense from the team that a liaison visit to France conjours up visions of quaffing red wine and eating great food. If only they knew how far from the truth that was and refer the sceptics to my blog for the grusome details of the visit!!

Crucially, we are in the process of selecting the HVA quiz team for the inter-agency quiz which is held annually to bring together workers and agencies from across the Town. HVA are defending the title having won the event last year.

The Xmas dinner is also on the agenda reminding me how quickly this year has flown.

Onwards to facilitate a session with various partners to discuss the development of youth provision and a Youth Hub for the Town. This comes on the back of a number of meetings and discussions which were kicked off by the Youth Council who want to see some “state of the art” provision for young people as part of thee Towns regeneration. And why not. Unfortunately parts of the Local Authority have adopted an approach which at best does not treat the Youth Council’s ideas seriously and at worst is deeply patronising towards them. For myself, I have found them to be clear and articulate and maybe if a few more Youth Council members were actually Councillors then the Town would propably be better for it.

I usually use my early run with the dog to think through the day ahead. As I made my way over the Country park this morningI have to confess to not looking forward to my role as facilitator as previous discussions have been a bit mired in talk rather than action. But as the morning progresses I am pleasantly surprised as there is energy and a clear action plan which partners commit to. There is a model and some commitment to aligning work with young people and a sense of purpose which is good news. I take all the flip charts and 'post its' home to write up whilst it is fresh in my mind. Then onto the gym early evening and back to work to meet Matt a student whose dissertation I am supervising. Matt tells me - with his deadline for outline submission looming - that he works best under pressure. Tonight we shall see how right he is!

Anyway our lyric today is not, as you might have thought the Straight Edge Hardcore punk band from Cincinnatti (which would at least have some elements of street cred) but the rather cheesy and forgotton 80’s song from Musical Youth. For those don’t remember how awful they – and this video - were, get ready to cringe as you press the link and don’t say I didn’t warn you http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VsPiKkxucyQ

Non, je ne regret rien

2007-10-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday saw me on a ferry to France to go for an interreg EU funded project with two colleagues from Brighton’s Working Together project. I am always a bit hesitant about going on conferences or study visits with colleagues I don’t know well as you have to spend a lot of time together. But Louise and Paul come up trumps and throughout are very good company with whom I have lots in common which is a big relief. Louise shares my interests in running and diving and Paul my interest in obscure music so we rub along well. They are also both good at what they do and have a sense of humour which means a lot in the somehwat worthy world of the VCS. It is a good job too as our trip is not without its adversities as we get a little lost and arrive at the hotel just in time for everything to have closed. A little negotiation using Louise’s impeccable French gets us some trays of salad to eat in our rooms.

The following day is intensive when we find the institute – which is nearest to what we used to call a Polytechnic - and meet our prospective French partners. With the best of intentions it is an exhausting day. There is something about a 6 hour meeting, poorly chairted, translated into 2 languages to be seen to be believed. There are differences of approaches to be managed as well as the fact that some concepts do not have an equivalent in the French language. The UK contingent bang on about 'mentoring' only to find that this word has no direct equivalent in French and so we struggle to find some common ground or a model on which we can conceive a project. Lunch was an indifferent affair consistent of meatballs and chips – clearly Jamie Oliver has not made across the channel. People often wax lyrical about French food, bread and coffee but the reality is not always as good as it is cracked up to be. After lunch and a quick introduction to the Director General of the Institute it is back to thrash out aims, objectives and activities. Somehow whatever ever the culture and language, flipcharts and arguing the toss over priorities are the same wherever you go. I have found that whoever holds the big felt tip pen at the end usually wins the day!!

We are joined by Delphine the programme manager of the EU regional funds who, thankfully has both languages. Finally we arrive at a consensus for a micro-project which is a pilot which, potentially could unlock the doors for much larger EU funding but we shall see. We make the 9.00 ferry to arrive back home at 11.30pm. Sue has waited up which is lovely as she is under the work cosh too at present but falls asleep on the couch shortly after but the thought was there!!

Was it worth it?, well overall it was a really tiring 2 days but interesting to see a different perspective on some of the issues we face and if we can do some joint work together – fine. So in the words of our song lyric No, I regret nothing… http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJjbHAlMVI

I got me some bad news for you, Sunshine.

2007-10-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Board meeting days are always really busy and this one is no exception . I start at home on the computer finalising a board report I should have finished last night but was too tired and seriously descending into gibberish. The day at work begins with a quick meeting with one of our trustees who seeks advice on an issue relating to one of the charities he has an involvement with. It is about the distinction between a lease and a license (a subject which has fascinated land lawyers and academics for as long as I can remember). A quick word with Pauline our financial administrator and Jill our Deputy Director about some information I am giving to the board and the best way of managing the process. The board meeting itself lasts most of the morning and reviews the whole operation, accounts, the operational plan, future activity, audit, quality assurance and some of the key issues which will affect us in the future.

After it finishes I catch up phone and e-mail messages and meet Owen a former colleague and now Chair of the Hastings Intercultural Organisation - an embryonic network for BME groups for lunch. After this I return to the office for a brieifing on Intereg funding from Peter (HVAs funding advisor) prior to my meetings on Sunday and the seminar we have with potential French partners on Monday. Never having fully engaged with Interreg funding before I am in unchartered territory (and I am a tad sceptical) but Peter sends some helpful links for me to download and review and we explore possibilities.

I join the Community Network for a quick discussion about how to approach our meeting withthe chair of the LSP and the Chief Executive of the Borough Council later in the afternoon. This is ostensibly regarding the Councils restructuring and some of the concerns of local networks and forums about process and outcome. However, the meeting soon turns into a briefing for the Community Network about the latest on the Comprehensive Spending Review and what this portends for Hastings. The Chief Exec paints a potentially bleak picture which will create some significant problems for the Town in terms of its NRF funding and the kind of structures - such as the Area Management Boards It is an honest and open debate conducted at a good level and members of the Community Network, I think, impress with their grasp of the issues and their willingness to talk at a strategic level - it is a reminder of the journey which members of the network have made in terms of understanding and the confidence to really engage with senior officials. There is an interesting difference of perspective between the Statutory and Voluntary Sector when faced with financial challanges. The HBC line is downsize and collapse strcutures immediately in light of funding problems. Whereas the voluntary sector view is to be more reluctant to take such a emphatic step and seek to extend and adapt. It was also a defining moment in terms of the local authorities understanding of the voluntary sector as it was conceded that the difficult issues they face (loss of funding, uncertainty and managing transition in uncertain times) are issues which we have faced every year for a long time. There is some prospect of succesor programmes which might mitigate the impact but the delay in the CSR announcement pushes everything into very difficult territory.

Hastings Voluntary Action and its predecessor bodies have been in existence since 1855 and have never had funding for a period longer than 12 months so this is a feeling which we have come to know only too well. As ever, it creates more uncertainty which is really difficult to deal with. The meeting breaks up with as many questions as answers but I think members of the network were pleased with the honesty of the briefing if not with its contents. Again it is a wait and see job but I advocate that wait and see does not mean wait and do nothing. There is some serious work to be done to create a contingency to preserve some of the involvement structures which have taken a long time to build up and could wither all to easily. I urge the Council to look at developing an alternative approach by investing in these structures given that every major institution has funding - and a legal requirement to engage with communities. If things are not handled well the very structures which make this possible could be an early casualty. Early evening finds me restless so I go for a run to the sound of The Smiths (it had been that kind of a day). But, as they say at the end of Gone with The Wind..."Tomorrow is another day."

Anyway I almost forgot to identify our lyric reference which is from a Pink Floyd song and here it is from the film The Wall which I often feel that I am beating my head against!!http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GjU4M4G38lA

Been away so long I hardly knew the place

2007-10-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Not really sure if that is true as I was only away for a day and the weekend which made it seem longer than it actually was. A Friday in France as Sue is working virtually every weekend until Christmas. Anyway a smooth ferry crossing and some shopping ws what we had. As I am standing outside the CitiEurope shopping centre who do I meet but Chris the Chair of HVA's Management Committee who is also on a day trip. This coincidence is proof that it would be virtually impossible to do a Lord Lucan-esque disappearance from HVA you would always run into someone you knew. Anyway a big task at home over the weekend (clearing out the basement which has not been done since jimmy Carter was in the Whitehouse!).

By the time we got to the end we decided that a treat had been earned and we go to a real musical gem seeing Ladysmith Black Mamboza at the White Rock Theatre. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal style of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland. They were formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 (Shabalala still leads the group today) and has now become a mobile academy, teaching people about South Africa and its culture. Many years ago I was very involved with the Anti Apartheid movement and first saw LBM in about 1986 or 87 when Apartheid was still engrained with very little prospect of change. How wonderful to see them in concert again celebrating a free South Africa and equality under the law! Anyway it was a wonderful performance and I caught up with Enda and Leslie LSP Coordinators past and present who were there. If you don't know just how good these guys are click here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=J85QrbR5oUE the guys in question are LBM rather than the LSP Coordinators - although they are not bad either).

Our lyric is the fab four and here is local lad Mr McCartney doing it http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GhRu9yzlTRI

We’re on the Road to Nowhere

2007-10-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

This morning enjoyed cream cakes and tea with the team organised by Habibah, our Community Cohesion Officer, to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr – End of Ramadan. For Muslims, this is an occasion that marks the end of a month of fasting and the achievement of enhanced spirituality. It is also a day of peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. How fitting that the whole HVA team should share in this celebration!

Caught up with Jill, our deputy director as she emerged from a monitoring love-in with members of the team, laden with various publications on measuring effectiveness. Jill reliably informed me that there was a great deal of excitement around gearing up for the NAVCA performance standards and that as far as she was concerned it was the best thing since aunty Mable caught her left tit in the mangle. Had a chat with Jill about the ongoing success of our volunteer accreditation programme and reported back on my wild night out at the Hastings Achievers Awards. For those of you that want to get a flavour of the good works going on in Hastings there is a very good video of the Achievers award on the Observer website http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/ . Three awards for Best Community Group, Making a Difference to Hastings and Overall Achiever went to one of our member organisations Gizmo, in recognition of their community arts work with children and young people. It was great to hear Pat Fisher from Gizmo crediting HVA for supporting their work. HVA have been involved with Gizmo through thick and thin - and in the early days there was plenty of thin! - so it was great to see them take their rightful place up on the podium for once.

Talking to Jill reminded me that on the last night of the NAVCA conference at Keele Uni she had a dream that she was on a bus on some kind of magical mystery tour with other CVS worthies and Kevin Curley at the wheel. At some point on the road there was a general consensus that they were lost. Jill popped out to retrieve a map from a run down community building and popped back on again. Unfortunately the map wasn’t much good as no one knew where they were let alone where they were going! What was that all about?? It must have been something in the strange tomato blancmange they served as as the starter at the end of conference dinner!

Todays lyric is the excellent Talking Heads led by David Byrne. A real groundbreaking video too which you can see here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LLiX8sgfgQU

On the Road Again

2007-10-10T13:20:00.001-07:00

This morning it was Eastbourne and a hurridly arranged meeting about hate crime. There is some Government funding available which might extend the reporting racial incidents (rri) service beyond its currently poor state into something which might have some community ownership. We kick this around for a little while and agree to reform again once we have a draft of an approach clearer in our heads. This will mean lots of e-mail exchanges back and forth over the next couple of weeks but we shall see. A little bonus on my way back to the station when I visit the Marie Curie charity shop and get for a mere 50p a late Miles Davis album (Tutu) which I used to have on vinyl but haven't heard for some time. I saw Miles Davis at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon which must have been the tour associated with the release of this album. Actually, it is the first performance I have ever seen which started with a slow handclap and ended with a standing ovation. Mr Davis was about half an hour late on stage and the audience were getting miffed. But his playing was both faultless and effortless and resulted in him being cheered to the rafters with, I think 3 encores including Kind of Blue which is a personal favourite of mine.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the office and catching up with a funding return, paperwork and the inevitable e-mails. Today we have an unexpected power cut caused, I think by the work taking place next door to our building. I leave the building in darkness with no one being able to do much, meet with the site manager who is waiting for Seaboard and then move to the White Rock Theatre. Here, I attend a meeting of Hastings Age Concern - a local organisation I have worked with a lot and I have a lot of time for. Basically they are experiencing something of a funding crisis and have reduced the core service to as small as you can get it. The next 12 months is likely to be their "make or break" year and I want to show my support by going to the AGM. Ironically in the midst of all this uncertainty they have seen more clients, gained more benefit on their behalf and opened new areas of service which is a real tribute to their determination. The work they do ranges from the campaigning to the basic (a first class toe-nail cutting service I am told). From there it is home to complete my board report and look at a lease (seeing if I can recall the basics of the landlord and tenant legislation from law school - it has been a while).

When I get in Holly is on the sofa and unwell and Sue comes in at about 8.30 saying she thinks she has the flu. I make Heinz tomato soup for them both which has to be the best comfort food ever made when you are ill. I play the part of Florence Nightingale - or given that it is actually Black History Month Mary Seacole - that's how right-on I am!!! And they are now both in bed.

The day is now winding down at about 10.30pm which seems an awfully long time since I boarded the 8.15am train this morning. I am finishing a rather well written biography of Nick Drake who, although he only recorded 32 songs, has had such an influence on a whole range of musicians and writers. Todays lyric is, of course, the great Willie Nelson a truly iconic American singer songwriter and here is a little montage of his career to his signature tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuUH3YmnG8

Big Spender

2007-10-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

A bit of a frenetic day which opens with the early train to County Hall in Lewes for the quarterly Voluntary Sector County Council liaison group in wich we cover issues like the Health and Social Care Agenda, Consultation, Supporting People Inspection, It is a mixture of Councils for Voluntary Service and the larger County Wide Voluntary Organisations. There is a real will to forge better working arrangements but hell it is really complex with so much uncertainty over the framwework within which it will all take place (LAA, funding, future of local government reform).

I make my way back to the station via 2 charity shops which net me a Divine Comedy album and an obscure mid-90’s work by Monday Michiru who is big on the “trip-hop” scene in Japan and parts of Europe. Although what a japanese import of her 1995 album Jazz Brat is doing in the hospice shop in Lewes High Street I know not.

Back to the office and dealing with the urgent and generally catching up. I learn that I am wanted/needed at a Hate Crime meeting tomorrow morning so that might mean another trek. I then pick up a lease from a local firm of solicitors which I have agreed to review for a local group to avoid being a victim of the postal strike. Arrive home to catch the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement - exciting life we lead isn't it. It will take a while to work out what it will mean for the sector and for places like Hastings

I catch up with Fran our community network development worker who craves more updates to the blog which I haven’t got round to since last Thursday. I am told that it is the best way for HVA staff members to know what I have been doing but - oh the problems of meeting the needs of an insatiable fan base! I am reminded of my favourite story about Charles Dickens. Many of Dickens novels were serialised in a journal called Household Words which was published each week Dickens literally wrote each instalment week by week. Anyway he was in a stationers shop waiting to buy pens ink and some paper to write the next instalment. Anyway the women in front of him in the stationers asks to buy the latest copy of Household Words to catch up with the latest instalment of the Old Curiosity Shop. She is given the latest edition which she says she already has. At this point Dickens realises that she is trying to buy the next instalment which is not even written yet and, indeed, he has gone to the stationers to buy the pen to write it with!!

Anyway tonight we have the Hastings Achievers awards which is a celebration of the unsung heroes of Hastings. Hastings Voluntary Action have been on the panel of judges for the past two years – although, as I was on holiday Chris the Chair of our trustee board stood in for me this year. It is usually a good evening and an opportunity to catch up with some folk I haven’t seen for a while.

Anyway what else can I say. I am listening to Incunabula an album by a band called Autechre. Not sure what musical genre to place it in – and some would strongly argue whether the Autechre sound is music at all. An album which I now really rate but took some work (this might give you a flavour of why http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPEcjQXIHX0 ). It took me a few tries of listening to it on the ipod whilst running over the country park to get into it - but then again that is the good thing about an acquired taste - you don't have to acquire it!!

Lyric today? - in the hope that the the Chancellors Comprehensive Spending Review brings good news and much needed resources for the sector. Over to you Dame Shirley... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0MZXWKEkIE

Keep on Running

2007-10-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

A little bit of an odd week with little to blog about today as I attend a family funeral out of town. However on my return I find that my blogging activities and general making a nuisance of myself on the internet have attracted the attentions of a famous athlete. Basically, a few days ago I was looking for a video of the 1972 800m Final from the Munich Olympics as I want to show a friend the greatest piece of middle distance running I have ever seen. Here it is if you are interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LHid-nC45k . The Gold medal winner was an American guy called Dave Wottle who always ran from the back and invariably wore a baseball cap when he raced. I am not much of a person for sporting heroes but he was mine when I was a kid and probably explains why I still run wearing a baseball cap! He was the first long haired athlete who looked like a college drop out which also appealed to me.

In the Olympic 800m Final, Wottle was written off when he immediately dropped to the rear of the field, and stayed there for the first 500 m, at which point he started to pass runner after runner up the final straight, finally grabbing the lead in the final metres to win by just 0.03 seconds. This gained him the nickname of "The Head Waiter". At the victory ceremony, Wottle unconsciously forgot to remove his baseball cap. This was interpreted by some as a form of protest, but Wottle later apologised. His signature cap was used for practical purposes. He sported long hair at the peak of his career, so the hat kept his hair out of his face. After realizing the cap was part of his identity, he wore it for the remainder of his career.

Anyway, when we do the google search to see the video I discover that Dave Wottle is now an admissions tutor for an American University and lists his personal e-mail address. My friend who I am doing this with says that Mr Wottle would be really pleased to know that his 1972 exploits were still being remembered today and before we know where we are I am composing an e-mail. I talk about the race and my running for charity and the blog. To my surprise I get a lovely encouraging reply from the man himself which was really nice. Here is an extract:-

"I really appreciate your kind note. It’s always great to hear that the Munich 800 meter race has value beyond the race itself. I’m also glad to hear that you are still running…with or without a cap."

So good on you Dave for what you did in '72 and for being polite enough to respond. Perhaps he will be reading this too. Anyway our lyric today comes, of course, from the Spencer Davis Group and sings us out for the weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLPUmkJoarY&mode=related&search=

The Graduate

2007-10-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Another busy day which started with a brief introduction to the invigilator who is down for the day to audit and verify the work we have commissioned to deliver the certificate in community volunteering. Things seem to be moving ahead well and the partnership with Tomorrows People and the Youth Development Services is beginning to offer accreditations to exisiting volunteers. Indeed our first graduate from the programme has completed the certificate. I then have a series of meetings with colleagues. I have a meeting with the Coordinator for the Youth Council as I have agreed to facilitate a seminar looking at the provision of a Youth Hub for the Town and try to interest service providers and key strategic partners in the concept. It has felt a little like knocking one's head against a brick wall so far but trying to keep positive and optomistic is very much part of our role!! I then support a group in an investigatory meeting which is in the form of a learning enquiry into its health and safety procedures. Thanksfully the incident did not result in an injury but the group want a robust process to learn and refine its approach which is good. I am deliberatly blogging in general terms here to respect confidentiality but give a flavour of the work I am doing. I then catch up with Fran oour Community Network Development Officer and we discuss a change of position from the County Council in folloiwng up from a big Every Child Matters Conference we ran a few months back. I don't suspect anything machiavellian here its just that the Head of Integrated Children Services who was the strategic lead for our partnership work in this field left to take another job. This left a few loose ends and new colleagues with whom we need to start from scratch. As ever a few steps backwards - or at the very least marking time - before stepping forward. Anyway a delightful evening spent completing PCT Questionnaires on the 4 projects we get a funding for. Anyway to celebrate the fact that we have a volunteer who has now got a proper qualification as a result of our LEGI project our lyric reference is from the graduate!!. And here are the Lemonheads singing it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6KLpIDbfTw

Come to match my skill to yours

2007-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I spend some time catching up with myself as this is really the first day I have in the office for some time. A communications meting where we spend some time talking about how a voluntary organisation with limited capacity can distribute information and keep a check on what goes out and how we can offer a service which meets everyones needs. I then move onto to an induction meting with the new head of Community Partnerships - we touch base on some common issues but time intrudes on our broader strategic discussion. A quick catch up with the results of the audit meeting (they seem happy with us). A quick briefing on the issues I have to cover to launchy the skillsmatch website, various e-mails to ensure I am up tol speed. I then go to the White Rock Theatre. There is an old showbusiness joke that you play the White Rock Theatre twice in your career - once on the way up and once on the way down - I can only say it was good to be back!

I catch up with Rose HVA's volunteer organiser who invariably provides me with good advice about which novels to read and movies to see. We exchange notes on Atonement (which I have seen and Rose hasn't) V for Vendetta (which Rose has seen and I haven't) and The Book of Dave which is the latest will self novel which we have both started but not really engaged with yet. I speak at the launch and hope I got the main points accross. The organiser seemed pleaseed anyway which is nice. Our lyric today is a Genesis song too obscurte to be listed for a video link but here is a better known tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTdU9m3nhu8

All Together Now..

2007-09-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday night and I am updating the blog. My RSS feed reminds that on October 15th is BLOG ACTION DAY in which all those reading or writing blogs will be doping something TOGETHER. Here's the link if you want to get involved. http://blogactionday.org/ Anyway the lyric reference gives me a chance to here The Farm again. I saw them live at the Crypt when their career was on the way down rather than up but their signature tune sounds as fresh as it did the day it was penned here it is in a rare live version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEUv-rR-TD8&mode=related&search=

Praise You

2007-09-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday beckoned with an early morning run with the dog over the Country Park and then on to a seminar to give a presentation. It's a funny thing this ipod business and it creates some very surreal moments when there is a difference between what you hear and what you see. Actually I have just finished a book (The Hip-Hop Years) which is a history of the rap and hip hop movement. This means I have been relistening to a lot of 80's and 90's rap. Including the seminal 10th Anniversary edition of the 1988 album Straight Outta Compton from N.W.A. They, were the rap collective that brought together Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Easy E who later dominated the West Coast rap scene. It is the hard core emergence of a completely new musical form which caused much controversy when it was released all those years ago. Anyway, in my ears is the kick drum dominated vibes of South Central Los Angelas gangland as I enter a room with a number of vicars drinking tea - a totally unreal juxtoposition! For today I speak at an event which launches Church and Community Week and a local initiative (Hope '08) which aims to link local churches with community activities. Hopefully what I say is informative and gets accross the contribution churches and other faith groups have made to the VSC both past and present. It is a nice group of people - lots of energy - although time defeats us as the workshops could have done with a little longer to make real progress. Anyway our lyric today is from Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) the video to this just always makes me smile!! Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE

You can be my partner

2007-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Another partnership day with collegues cross county.

An early morning visit to the office responding to the urgent and the essential. To Wealden and a Dynamics of place workshop which I was not looking forward to and had agreed to having been pestered. Actually, this proves to be an extremely fruitful day and a new way of looking at the issues we face economic, housing, community in a new(ish) way. Very well facilitated and bringing together representatives from LSPs throughout the County. Despite my usual cynicism about such events we all work rather hard and produce some discussion which is actually rather creative about some key problems for the County. I still bang on abouty my key issues at the moment which are:-

1. The importance of understanding the informal economy
2. The value and improtance of community activism and how vest to support it
3. That those at the bottom of the pile (not suprisingly) have a different value base and, not suprisingly, do not believe the stories they have been spun (value of education, the harder you work the more successful you will be et al) and find their own ways of getting by.

Finally, I remind some people that one of the reasons people do not acccept low paid work is that they do not find the prospect of doing an unsatisfying job for 40 hours a week attractive when it will only net them about £12 more than the benefit level and frankly nor would I. Must find a way of making these points without sounding like some naive young socialist in the student union batr. Gravitas perhaps but, hell, why bother!

Anyway the journey back with two colleagues from the Local Authority. They are both good at their jobs and, thankfully, also good company so we put the world to rights on the way back. Tommorrow (saturday) and a conference with Church leaders looking at the role of the Church and Community. So long as I don't get struck by lightning or exposed like the child in Damien II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNZrTgskUrI) I will report on the blog again tommorow.

Anyway our lyric today is The Stones and Tumbling Dice an absolutely brilliant song from the Exile on Main Street Album. If you have never heard this you are seriously missing out. Here is a video of The Stones doing it live in one of the larget concert venues in the world in Brazil. CYA!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3hCbFqRHKk

My Partners in Crime Hit me for my nickels and dimes

2007-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

To the East Sussex Strategic Partnership and a curious dispute which has all the potential to significantly affect part of our work which might need to be scaled down as a result of a serious mistake on the part of either the Government Office, the County Council or both depending on whose version of events you accept – the e-mail battle between them is still raging as I write.

It is all a bit complicated to explain but think of it like this…

Imagine that the County Council, Borough Council and Government Office go out for a meal together. For the sake of argument in this analogy HVA is the bistro manager. A four-course dinner is ordered and the first course arrives and is enjoyed. Compliments are sent to the chef and all seems rosy. When the second course comes to the table a dispute arises about who is actually going to pay for the meal. Not us, say the Government Office, but you said you would say the County Council (waving it's LAA Agreement), oh no we didn’t and on it goes. The Borough Council say that we might have paid for the meal but we didn’t know that we would have to and the money we would have used is being spent on other things. HVA, by this time are playing the part of the waiter, trying to be patient but growing increasingly irritated by this unseemly dispute between the various layers of local and regional government. Eventually someone turns to the waiter “could you give us some really small portions for the remaining courses and maybe between us we might pay for it…if we can find the money”

You get the idea and for the remainder of the financial year it looks like salad rather than steak!! Part of me appreciates the problem and I want to work towards a constructive solution. Part of me also feels like placing the whole thing in the hands of the Local Government Ombudsman and letting them pick over the entrails of this little piece of maladministration. Anyway pleasing that the partnership saw it as very much a shared problem which should, hopefully break the log-jam.

Anyway by chance I join other members of the HVA team on the train as they are returning from another meeting before I duck out at Warrior Square and attend a meeting with Housing Services. This is a complicated discussions about how to preserve a service after a voluntary organisation closes. As it is to do with Bonds, rent guarantees and cash deposits it is all very complicated. Finally catching up with a member of the Neighbourhood Renewal team as we compare notes on the future of community engagement and preserving the best elements of all we have learnt through the njeighbourhood renewal process. Much change afoot and not a lot of it particularly positive. Tommorow another journey beckons but thankfully the Hastings LSP Cooridinator and her colleague come to the rescue with an offer of a lift. The County wide perspective - difficult though it may be appears to be is becoming increasingly important which accounts for my prescence in all parts of East Sussex this week.

Anyway two positive things happen in what is otherwise frankly a rather piss-poor day. Firstly outside a charity shop in a box for 50p is the Black Grape debut - and only - album proving that there was life after the Happy Mondays for Shaun Ryder and secondly I receive a box of chocolates as a thank you from the ESSP for facilitating a workshop at last weeks assembly.
Anyway thanks to the fans who responded with their own suggestion as to the lyric that best describes the East Sussex Strategic Partnership. I've gone again for Bob Dylan and here he is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-xIulyVsG8

We?...All Links in the Chain

2007-09-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Another fairly hectic day with a team meeting followed by a quick briefing on the Links meeting I am due to attend this afternnoon followed by a management meeting and then hitting (again) the coast train to Lewes for the LInks steering group. This is an initiative to get the public involved with the NHS and is a replacement for the Public Patient Involvement Forums which, in turn were a replacement for the old Community Health Council. Anyway the Government's bright and new public involvement approach is coming - so long as it receives Royal Assent in the next parliamentary session. This is expected but I hear talk of a General Election coming from the Labour Party Conference which would delay any parliamentary programme for a while - and possibly forever if there is a change of government . There is a steering group looking at the structure and process for East Sussex and the best and most transparent way of tendering for this service. Despite the best efforts of all involved it is desperately boring as we discuss the pre tendering qualification process and the contract specification. A redeeming factor is that I discover a really old pressing of a live Eva Cassidy album in a charity shop in Lewes which I listen to as I write this. Anyway our lyric comes from the late Tupac Shakur (2Pac) who was one of the grittiest hip-hop artists, a significant talent cut short by being the victim of a drive by shooting for his pains. His unique take on the urban world is to be found found here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xIMfbjhw6k

Tommorow a meeting of the East Sussex Strategic Partnership beckons so goodness knows what I am going to use as a lyric reference!! Answers on a postcard please.

And I've been working like a dog

2007-09-25T11:31:00.001-07:00

By anyone's standards today was a very busy day. You know one of those days when you start running about 10-15 minutes late and never quite catch up with yourself. Anyway much of today exemplifies how difficult it is for a local voluntary organisation to become an employer and have all the things in place to be legal and "good practice". Today I dealt with three employment related issues on behalf of HVA members in quick succession. Although HVA don't really offer an employment law service my previous experience as a legal practitioner in this field (a veteren of over 80 employment tribunal cases) means that this is an area I sometimes get involved with. We began the day with a TUPE (transfer of undertakings protection of emloyment) issue and how the transfer of a contract needs to be accompanied by the transfer of staff from one organisation to another. The next group had a performance management issue and we discuss the most appropriate ways of measuring and evaluating team performance. We then move on to a restructuring issue and what happens in employment law terms when organisations need to fundamentally cut their coat according to their funding cloth. A quick dash back to the office and catching up with the outcome of meetings yesterday and a discussion about the volunteering project (which I am late for). Then a quick discussion about the team away day before I dash off to the University of Brighton. Here we discuss the supervision of disssertations. It is sometimes strange moving from an environment which is exceedingly practical into a more academic arena but I enjoy the challenge and really like supporting community work students at the end of their degree course. I have two students to supervise both of whom I know and thankfully have topics which are interesting. Back home about 7.00pm. Anyway the lyric reference is - as if you hadn't guessed the Fab Four and here they are singing it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84Gl3i6qAYo must say I am glad to be back home and writing this with a glass of wine at my side.

May your feet be forever swift may you have a strong foundation

2007-09-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bob Dylan provides us with our lyric reference and the Foundation in question is the Sussex Community Foundation which I attend this evening. Today was a day of meetings about communications (discussing the latest newsletter with John HVA's Information Worker) and discussing voluntary sector involvement with the new integrated Children Services Framework. Actually, Carlton the newly appointed East Sussex County Council officer in charge of all this is actually the same person I worked with years ago setting up leaving care projects when he was involoved with NCH and I ran a youth homelessness charity - it seems like another age. The Community Foundation by the way is a mechanism by which those who have money (wealthy individuals and companies) give money to community groups throughout Sussex. We have the grant giving board this evening which makes it a long day ('tis in Lewes) but there is always something pleasurable about giving away other people's money. As I leave to rush for my train Florence the Administrator for the Foundation whispers -" really enjoying your blog" so another convert to the revolution. Anyway, here is Bob singing the song from which todays lyric is drawn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il-WqilLCPM

Rock Lobster

2007-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

The B-52s Classic gives us the perfect combination of fish and music to seamlessly introduce my weekend activity at the Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival where I attend the jazz breakfast to see one of Hastings best musicians Lianne Caroll. All the tickets were sold out but they told us that some tables were available outside where we could hear the music. Actually this proved to be a better deal as it was a lovely ,morning and we rustled up some coffee and toast from the angling club which meant seeing it all for free instead of the £8.50 ticket. Anyway the event itself was terrifically relaxed with a lot of wandering around tasting food and generally meeting the people you run into when there is an event on. It was one of those days where Hastings looks and feels like a really nice place to live. The B-52s perform their classic here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM if you are interested.

WITH EVERY MISTAKE WE MUST BE LEARNING

2007-09-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

This morning a mandatory Action Learning Set meeting for those projects - of whch we have one - which are funded through the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. I say mandatory but attendance is poor with the committed and interested always there but with some notable absentees. We run through 2 case studies and a general catch up of the LEGI process. Would be nice to get more input as those who are engaged are those who already liaise well. But at least I was able to commit some funding to resource some training which another project was finding it difficilt to fund. Back to a pile of paperwork as usual pre weekend. The annual audit is also in full swing so we have to remember not to lock the auditors in when we leave for the night. Unfortunately the work will probably stretch into the weekend as I have a presentation to prepare which is not even conceived let alone prepared. But there you go.

Anyway todays lyric reference is a classic http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T7qpfGVUd8c&mode=related&search=While%20my%20Guitar%20Gently%20Weeps%20-Eric%20Clapton-%20George%20Harrison

Time to plant seeds of reconstruction

2007-09-20T05:07:00.001-07:00

A meeting of the Board of Hastings and Bexhill Rennaisance Limited which is the delivery arm of a body called SEASPACE - the Regeneration Company for Hastings - which is building a range of regeneration projects accross the Town. Ironically, I find myself on the board of the very company which will, in time, be knocking down our premises, which is a little like a turkey signing up for a Christmas Club I guess. Anyway we review the range of activities some of which are clearly on track like the creative media centre which is now fully let. The refurbishment of the Marina Pavilian continues to cause concern and is locked into an unfortunate vortex of delay and dispute. The end is in sight but not before time as SEASPACE are taking a big hit in the press over delays to its completion. To be fair some of the problems were unforeseen at the start of the project but that doesn't affect the public view that they have seen a building site for too long.

At the meetings conclusion I raise the issue of the Construction Charter. This is a Local Enterprise Growth Initiative project run by the Borough Council which, along with all the other LEGI projects we are helping to peer review as part of an Action Learning Set. I had assumed that as the company doing most building work in Hastings and as a major agent for the regeneration process SEASPACE/HBRL would be partners to the Charter - which aims to maximise the training of local people amoungst other laudable things. Unbelievably I was wrong and will be advocating for this to change. It seems unbelievably contradictoryif the very body seeking to regenerate Hastings isn't leading the way on this. I have asked for a detailed explanation and we shall see where it takes us. Surely it is the process of regeneration asd well as the final results that should benefit the local community!

Our lyric today comes from Pearl Jam. Architects - together with Nirvana and Soundgarden - whatever hapened to them - of the 1990's Seattle "grunge" sound. Here they are in full flight http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=t1CgfTOZpzU

I Still Remember

2007-09-20T04:48:00.001-07:00

A very pleasant task opened my day to give an introductory talk at the Ore Valley Forum away day. They are planning their future activity and role over the next stage of their development. Unbelievably, the forum is now 14 years old and I was asked to speak as I am the only person still around who was at its inaugeral meeting when I was a young(ish) Labour Councillor. The OVF came out of a period when the Ore Valley had its fair share of issues - indeed a mini riot hit the headlines in the early 1990's which made service providers sit up and try and build a better dialogue with local people. That led to some real Action Planning an Estate Action programme. It was ice to share memories with people who were involved in those early years. Some really interesting work going on and some real grassroots activism which is getting results. It all looks a bit uncertain because of the debate over Neighbourhood Renewal Funding etc. I hope I was able t get the message accross that it is the people and not the programmes which will ensure that a strong community voice that shapes the future of the Ore Valley. As ever I had to leave to make another commitment but hope to join them later in the day.

The lyric today comes from Bloc Party - I bought the album yesterday and here they are but be warned they are LOUD... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M0wcnKOfsu0

If you build it...they will come

2007-09-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

With apologies to Field of Dreams I am amazed at how having a blog brings together people with similar interests. Welcome Laura Whitehead a freelance web designer and fellow CVS Director from Devon who has her own blog - heaps more impressive than mine by the way. Like me Laura has 2 cats and a dog which means that she is kind to both people and animals (a big plus point in my opinion). Today I attended a meeting of the East Sussex Assembly to facilitate two workshops with the East Sussex Strategic Partnership. A full day but met two people who regularly read the blog. For ages you feel that you are prattling away to yourself and then you find that you have an audience!!! A few more like minded people and we will start planning the revolution.

If you didn't get the Field of Dreams reference see the great James Earl Jones give "that speech" by clicking on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDyM4CfExXU

I briefed the Sherrif (but I did not brief the Deputy)

2007-09-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today we welcomed the Queens representative in East Sussex in the form of the High Sherrif who had been told about some of the work we have been doing with the asylum seeker/refugee communities and our broader community cohesion actiuvity. A visit and briefing was arranged and HVAs Community Cohesion worker Habibah, myself and Angela who has responsibility within Hastings Borough Council for cohesion work spoke at length about the issues raised. There are some pretty big questions here. What is the best way of making new communities feel welcomed? How should public services respond to specific needs which do not attract additional funding? and how can this all work in a context of high deprivation. An interesting discussion and I found the high sherrif to be well informed and had prepared extensively for the visit. Tomorrow looks like a day from hell as I found that I have four commitments all in different parts of East Sussex some of which will have to go by the wayside. A problem of high demand combined with limited capacity but we shall see.

And in case you need reminding just how good our lyric reference was just watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WO2T42clWs

let's get together and feel all right

2007-09-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well that was the NACVA conference then. An interesting couple of days catching up with the more national picture. Interesting contribution from Iain Duncan Smith - former Tory leader - who has been spending his time looking at issues of social exclusion and ways of tackling it. Having spent most of his political career either creating or supporting the conditions that made for so much social exclusion and community alienation it is, at least pleasing to see that he has a commitment to clearing up some of the mess he had such a hand in creating during the 1980's/1990's. Anyway the "quiet man" seems to have had a bit of a road to Damascus revelation and feels that small community groups, civic activism and reaching out the excluded is now the way ahead. IDS put his case well but missed a huge point which I raised at the end of the session. The whole existence of an underclass won't be sorted out by a little more reaching out and much of the writing in the US has examined the way in which the inner city underclass have effectively abandoned the idea of being embraced by the mainstream - given that it shafted them in the first place. There was no mention of the informal economy or the way in which many communities in poverty are topping up their income and finding their own way of surviving. It was also really nice to see people at the conference who - wait for it - had actually read this blog. Paul from the ICT Hub was met face to face which was good and others were very encouraging.

Anyway here is the thrust of what IDS is saying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmp5VN9kulg

To release the pressure we need a holiday

2007-08-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Rose, HVAs volunteer organiser won the lyric competition of a few posts back. Genuinely impressed that Rose could identify a fairly obscure Elvis Costello song (Everyday I write the book) from the 1983 Punch the Clock album. Or so I thought, until I was told that Rose had simply 'Googled' the lyric: an act a little similar to Ben Johnson's 100 meters in the Seoul Olympics methinks. Must be stricter about the rules in future!! Still Rose does have a good taste in music so is let off just with a yellow card this time.

Madonna sings us out of the blog for the next couple of weeks. A final flurry of activity to ensure that I have done everything I need to do, that others know what they need to do when I am away and those who do not know what they are doing in the first place are left well alone. Blogging activity is now curtailed until my return.

Anyway to see and hear Elvis Costello sing Everyday I write the book simply click on this link
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QsxZjLVQraM

Blog Soon

S

The Birds Will Still Be Singing

2007-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

I feel I should have introduced him earlier but HVA is probably the only CVS is the country with its own mascot. Basically, Leonard the Seagull (see picture on right side) was previously the mascot for a - now abandoned - Passport To Leisure resident discount scheme run by the Borough Council. Unfortunately a new administration combined with a series of budget cuts did for Leonard who was made redundant. Through the involvement of our volunteer bureau Leonard became a volunteer with Hastings United Football Club and leads out the team during home games. So grateful was Leonard for the volunteering opportunity given to him by Hastings Voluntary Action he agreed to become HVAs mascot as well. Commenting on his new position, Leonard said:- "If it wasn't for HVA I don't know where I would be. I was devastated when I lost my job with the Council and was at risk of descending into a vortex of daytime TV, crack addiction, meaningless one night stands and petty crime. I now feel I have regained my purpose in life and wake each day with a smile on my beak." Leonard is now working towards his Level 1 Certificate in Community Volunteering as part of HVAs Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) programme.

Take it to the Top

2007-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

have just e-mailed Kevin Curley Chief Executive of NAVCA (our national body) to get the message out to other CVS Directors about the blog and how it might be a strand of a more general information strategy for a CVS. If Kevin checks out the site he will also feel right at home to see himself mentioned and to know that seconds after sending an e-mail he can also feature in the blogging world.

And yes I am sad enough to remember the obscure 1981 New York disco hit which gives us our lyric reference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fefrF9ngwOo

Consider Yourself Part of the Furniture

2007-08-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

Another Service Level Agreement negotiated this time with the Hastings Furniture Service - a local charity recycling furniture and making it possible for those on low incomes to stretch their money when setting up home. I have a lot of time for the work they have done and it was nice that they have responded to an advert in Hastings Community News to seek funding to offer some accredited training to their volunteers via our LEGI programme. As a result volunteers can get their Health and Safety "ticket" which is an essential item if they want to work in related industries. We are also upping the amount who are appointed first aiders as part of this process. through this they can complete most of the entry stuff to then go onto the Certificate in Community Volunteering which we also offer. It is becoming clear to me that - in a Town where over 40% of the adult population have no formal qualifications - opening up some unusual yet relevant pathways to learning becomes ever more important. The link betwen volunteering and learning is proving a positive starting point and interest in the LEGI programme is growing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LzmdovYoAI

All your compliments and your cutting remarks are captured here in quotation marks

2007-08-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

A special prize for the person who guesses the lyric! Anyway a lengthy interview took place with the Government researcher in which I was asked to review the Neighbourhood Renewal approach warts and all. In a nutshell there is quite a lot of positives I report including a greater resident involvement in service planning and exploring the nuances in different geographical areas which will need to be addressed in different ways. Data collection is more precise. On the negative side a bemoan the fact that a programme which was designed for the long term dwindled into another short term intervention with the same sustainability issues as all the others. I criticise the process for failing to resource neighbourhoods with resources from NRF to undertake their own mini-commissioning exercises to buy in those additiona,l services where and when they were most needed. On the community engagement side there is a mixed report some great ideas but a failure of delivery expressed in successive cuts to CEN funding and an elimination of the small grants process which made so much happen at a neighbourhood level. I speak about the importance of The Firm Foundations model as a basis for community activism and the attempts we have made to get others to adopt this as a fundamental principle to engender action at a neighbourhood level. I speak about the frustrations of hitting my head against that particular brick wall and the collective failure to understand the relationship between NRF and mainstream spending in such a way as to be precise. At the moment some core services are running towards the edge of a cliff without the slightest idea of what will happen next. On the LSP itself I explore the good the bad and ugly in terms of its performance - or otherwise - as the Towns strategic vehicle. At best there is a genuine will to form a partnership approach and at worst it is superficial and naive with political posturing and figure skating over the surface of complex and multi faceted issues. Not sure what difference submitting into these research studies is but maybe the message might eventually get through. Wasn't it Albert Einstein who said "if we knew what we wer doing it would not be called research would it!!"

Interview, who's interviewing who

2007-08-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

A very old Carly Simon tune that one. Anyway today I am being interviewed as part of a research study for the Department of Communities and Local Government or whatever their called this week, It is a large research study about the effectiveness of the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal which is a programme tackling deprivation in the 88 worst areas in the country. I will blog my thoughts later when I know what questions they want to tackle. After that I have the joys of the LAA review group, a monitoring visit to a project delivering part of the LEGI programme as well as a lot of admin to go through. When I started this job I used to make myself a list of things to do the following day. I now make a list of which lists I should look at!!

The future's here catch me on computer software

2007-08-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

A really really obscure lyric from Wu-Tang-Clan (80's rap band) gives us our theme and I have just spent an interesting 40 minutes or so being trained by our information worker on the use of the new database. Got to hand it to John who is bringing our management of information up to speed and enabling us to make sense of our contacts in a meaningful way. We have spent a lot of effort building a mass membership but this brings with it some information flow issues. We are developing an approach to build relationships with individuals within groups rather than just the groups themselves. This is useful because people tend to wear a number of hats in the VCS and understanding the range and scale of their involvement is key. Anyway I feel on top of the process - or at least sufficiently so to ask the right questions!!!

And in their most unadulterated form here are Wu-Tang-Clan (usual hip-hop/rap parental advisory sticker applies to this post by the way) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkOEtOR2GU

Footballs Coming Home

2007-08-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

A pleasant evening last night at the Pilot Field where, as the guest of sponsors Hastings Heritage, I watch Hastings record a satisfying 4-0 victory over Maidstone in the first home game of the new seaon. A bit of a treat sitting in the Directors box with a cup of tea at half time in the boardroom and a drink after the game - how the other half live eh? Actually what is rather impressive is the amount of voluntary effort the club harnesses at all levels. There is a good community feel to sport at this level and the boardroom actually doubles as a study centre during the week deliverying basic skills and ICT programmes. All the youth teams are all run by volunteers and that involves a lot of effort. It was also rather nice to catch up with a couple of former HVA staff and trustees. Paul - formerly a PPI Development Worker is a regular at the Pilot Field and has also been known to double as Leonard the Seagull the clubs mascot when the mood takes him. Also Steve Thorpe a former trustee of HVA was acting as Chief Steward so it was good to have a chat with them. Hastings United have their own website which is regularly updated if you want to check out their progress during the season http://www.hastingsunitedfc.co.uk/ And just in case you forget why football is called the beautiful game just watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2TY-hN8x0s

Slave

2007-08-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Slave was, I think - dredging the memory cells - a Rolling Stones tune from about 1966. This year, marks 200 years since the abolition of slavery and locally I have just taken a decision to offer a small amount of sponsorship to the Friends of Africa and the Caribbean group to help them put on an exhibition reflecting slavery past and present. I got a message throuigh the Council's BME Development Worker that they had raised 90% of the money but had faced some unforeseen costs. I then ran into James Johnson the Chair of FACE who has put a great deal of work into setting this up and offered to help. For those reading this who are local to Hastings the exhibition runs from 14-16 September at the Friends Meeting House with a Guest speaker at the launch event @ 7pm on 15th September. We will probably carry a feature on this event in the next Hastings Community News.