Been away so long I hardly knew the place

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

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

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

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

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

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

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