Attended a Watts Gallery dinner at the Royal Academy to celebrate the Bicentenary of the birth of G F Watts and the display of Physical Energy in the Royal Academy’s Courtyard, the latter is a very impressive sight just off Piccadilly, do go and see it. If enough money can be raised Physical Energy will be installed adjacent to the A3 above the Watts Gallery.
Surrey’s “Angel of the North”.
Choral Evensong at Guildford Cathedral yesterday was inspiring enough without the added delight of the dedication of the refurbished pipe organ. They have been using an electronic organ during the refurbishment of the whole Cathedral but yesterday evening they “switched on” the pipe organ for the final voluntary and then invited the congregation to stay for a short recital by Katherine Dienes-Williams of three further organ pieces. The almighty sound filled the vastness of the Cathedral and was quite inspiring. What a delight.
Presented the prizes yesterday evening to the winners off the Soroptimist STEM challenge for girls. This took place, very appropiately in the Physics Department of Royal Holloway University and on International Women’s’ Day . The young ladies were in schools years 8 and 9 and seven groups demonstrated their ideas for helping people in the poorest parts of the world. Lots of great proposals from a mobile fridge to water purification. Well done to the winners. chosen by an eminent group of scientists (pictured).
Attended the Annual Awards Ceremony for the cadet units and the individuals who raised the most funds for the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal last November. The event took place in the Chapel of the Royal Alexandra & Albert School in Reigate and included some great music from the school choir and orchestra. Inspiring to see the smart turn out, salutes and the smiles on their faces as the winners received their certificates from the Lord-Lieutenant.
Delighted to attend a Supporters’ Lunch for Transform Housing and Support hosted by Baroness Bottomley in the House of Lords. Although the purpose was not to mark Paul Mitchell’s imminent retirement all present recognised the enormous contribution Paul has made to the success of Transform which has supported so many thousands of individuals in Surrey during his time as the boss.
Invited by the Lord Lieutenant to attend the presentation of British Empire Medals to six very deserving recipients. A splendid ceremony in the stunning location of the Great Hall at Loseley. Pictured is one of the ladies who received a medal. She has worked in a primary school in Haselmere for the last 34 years and through her efficiency and friendliness provides enduring support to pupils and staff alike. A very real delight to meet her.
Attended a Surrey Gypsy Traveller Communities Forum at Ash Manor school in Ash (Head Teacher the wonderfully Scottish Agnes Bailey). This school has the highest number of Gypsy Roma Travellers children in the County: around 1 in 8 of the pupils. An inspiring talk from Jo Luhman who recently left Ash Manor school after 18 years and is now Head of Kings International School in Camberley. She described the journey from when teachers didn’t bother with GRT pupils because they “had low expectations” to now when all children in the school are fully integrated and engaged in school life. The key has been trust between pupils and staff and between staff and parents. Such dialogues being encouraged by a restorative approach and a vocational agenda for learning not driven by academic results’ tables.
Very beneficial for GRT pupils but the interventions and school culture are also essentially the same for supporting any children who for example are at risk of exclusion.
Invited to talk about the Shrievalty past and present to the Witness Care Unit team of Surrey Police in a series of presenters named Sharing Our Unique Perspective – SOUP – my efforts were rewarded with a great response from those present and a welcome mug of hot soup!
Joined in the Inspection of the Parade of Police Officers being promoted to Independent Patrol Status. A great ceremony in front of Loseley House with a military band and very proud families in attendance. The Parade was followed by a proper English Afternoon Tea.
Invited to visit the Woodhouse Centre in Oxted this morning. This is a day centre for retired and disabled local residents and is run by the indefatikable Dee Graham. Over 80 members attend morning sessions up to four mornings a week with a wide range of activities from knitting to carpentry, furniture repair and making remembrance poppies. A wonderful friendly atmosphere and a real home from home. A stellar example of a wonderful local community service.
