Empty Places #1

A little while ago I found myself sitting quietly in a traffic queue near the ruins of Plymouth's Charles Cross church. To my left was the new shopping centre and this little poem was born....

The house of god now stands empty
Its roof upon the lonely grassy floor
Glassless windows ubelieving stare
To where a bomb blew out the door

Once local  congregations gathered
To hear the Gospel of Saint Mark
Now the distant mindless echo
Of Sunday shoppers in Primark.

Past generations might wonder
Where it all went sadly wrong
As the endless ring of cash tills
Replace the sacramental gong!

'Keep the faith' is a phrase that I often use, sometimes with a capital letter for Faith....................

Shine a light in the darkness

.Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Herald Express - my stuff in this week's paper.....

I REALLY love Paignton's Fairy Cove! Fairy Cove is a quiet little beach tucked away under the Roundham Head's red sandstone cliff just east of the Paignton harbour sea wall. It's a great place to watch the sun rise and a wonderful beach for family picnics, swimming and just having fun. Access to the beach is either by steep steps from Cliff Road or via the harbour.

This morning I came down those steep cliff steps and paused on the shore to splash sea water over my face. It's a tingly sensation I enjoy especially when I then let the salty water evaporate from my skin in the warm morning sunshine. Two very simple things, and yet so incredibly spiritually refreshing.


Sadly, my good humour soon evaporated faster than the water from my face when I found the path from Fairy Cove to the harbour yet again blocked by large trucks, multiple plastic crates and two huge, ugly containers. The latter exist because of a silly decision by the harbour administration allowing them to be dumped in a conservation area, and that nonsense is now being rectified all too slowly via planning enforcement. I've watched tourists angrily turn away from this lovely beach rather than risk taking the family through the messy hazard. This is a curious tourism paradox, but I will leave that to the English Riviera Tourism Company and Torbay harbours to sort between them if they feel so inclined. But hey, there are bigger things to worry about just now.

One of those bigger things popped up on the horizon the other day when the plans for a third harbour appeared on the front page of the Herald Express complete with a picture of our mayor looking whimsically out to sea. I had thought we had escaped from such mayoral visions, but it would seem that mystical insights are still out and about. It's going to have to be a very deep harbour indeed to accommodate huge cruise ships packed full of folk just itching to shop in Fleet Walk, Castle Circus and Torwood Street.

But let me not be a harbinger of gloom because I really do love exciting new ideas, so long as they work for the greater good.

Part of the greater good is making certain that all the usual checks and balances are in place. I worry also that funding for the research, which alone will be hundreds of thousands of pounds, is to come from reserves. Now the thing about reserves is... that's right, they are in reserve for the unforeseen!

Now, about that greater good thing. These are indeed tough times, with so many of us being battered by economic hardship and a constant torrent of confusing political rhetoric. If you've been following the Leveson Inquiry then you must by now have your head in your hands after the daily wriggling and twisting from our political leaders. It can seem very depressing at a time when the national mood is already somewhat subdued.

Which leads me neatly on to the topic mental health and to something I rarely seem to do these days.
That rarity for me is actually praising a politician. Now, why on earth would I want to do that? Well, if you fall and break a leg, people will gather around and quickly call an ambulance.

They will also try to ensure you are comfortable and tell you help is on the way. On the other hand, if you fall to the ground sobbing, people tend to go out of their way to avoid you. Yet in truth too often the person weeping with chronic depression is probably in more danger than the person with the broken leg.

So who therefore gets my praise? Well, it is Totnes MP Doctor Sarah Wollaston who stood up in the House of Commons the other day and said she had once suffered from depression. That sort of self-disclosure is a brave thing to do these days, and especially so coming from a doctor. She went on to say that having been depressed that it now made her more empathetic toward patients suffering in that dark and lonely place. Believe me, it is indeed a dark and lonely place, for I too made a visit some years ago. Good friends held out a hand and helped me climb out of the pit. Empathy is certainly what is needed, and not sympathy! It's good to shine a little light in the darkness.

So let's go back to where I started. So often the joyful things in life tend to be staring us in the face. It can be something as simple, as it was for me this morning, like splashing sea water in your face and drying off in the sun! It's also about looking out for each other and, as Sarah Wollaston says, finding a little empathy. Oh yes,and do try to keep the smile.

Students bring welcome boost

Friday, June 01, 2012 Herald Express..............

AS I WRITE this column, the sun is streaming through my window and the air is suddenly warm. It is worth mentioning because this year the weather so far has been dismal and I can’t remember ever needing the heating on mid May! Sunshine makes such a difference to the collective mood and a blast of bright sparkling sunlight really does tend lift flagging spirits. Beautiful bird song soon after dawn this morning seemed to say it all for they too were celebrating the start of a sunny day in South Devon.
 Now one of the lovely things about Torbay at this time of year, in my opinion, is the welcome arrival of numerous foreign students who have chosen the English Riviera as a temporary home while improving their already excellent spoken English. They bring with them an almost electric vibrancy that tends to send the Riviera air ringing with beautiful words like ‘Buon giorno!’, ‘Fantastico!’ and ‘¡Hola!’

But of course they bring more than a much needed breath of fresh air. In this hugely troubled economic time they bring with them a much needed income boost for many local families and the business community. It is all too easy to lose sight of the value of this influx to our community and simply pretend, as many do, that they don’t exist. That ‘willful blindness’ is sadly somewhat endemic among many of the local decision makers locally who still habitually plough the same furrow and quizzically wonder why the outcome is no better than the year before. But don’t get me started on process and outcome! Hmm. In raw basic economic terms, these foreign students provide a potential source of potential disposable income for cash strapped communities in these merciless times. That additional income then becomes part of a local economic upward cycle rather than a hopeless downward spiral. All contributions to the communal coffers will be gratefully accepted!

Let me share a couple of things with you. The first must be about the joy of sharing of your home with new friends from exciting foreign parts. As one young father said to me: “It’s not just about the money. We just love having foreign students in the house because they bring a whole new cultural experience to my young children. “However, having said that, the money is also very welcome and this year we have had a total of 18 already. “They come from all over Europe and seem to love being part of the family. I hope that when my children get older they will want to do the same thing.” Of course it isn’t just the summer, since many local businesses have interns from mainland Europe throughout the year for periods of up to three months. These interns are funded by the European Community and bring a new cultural dimension to local business as well as an extra pair of hands. Once again, this is much needed additional income for the English Riviera as they live with families, shop locally and visit our numerous wonderful tourist attractions. They also meet up in local pubs and clubs, travel by bus and taxi, bringing more than welcome custom where it is much needed.

Ian Smith of the Training Partnership in Torquay (The Training Partnership brings hundreds of language visitors to South Devon every year and provides a first rate service) tells me that the intern places are also available for our young folk in Europe. He says that these are all fully funded work experience positions which means, although unpaid, outgoings are covered, including accommodation, language tuition, local support and transport. How good is that? Sadly, he also says, that it is almost impossible to find local people who want to participate. What a great way to smarten up a CV with overseas work experience in an employment market which is now so highly competitive. If you are interested and still reading this then please give Ian a call.

In passing, years ago I used to teach overseas students to windsurf and remember clearly asking whether they could understand what I was saying. The reply still makes me smile today. “Oh yes,” said Marcus, “But why are you speaking so slowly?” So often we worry that there will be a language problem in dealing with people from overseas, but that isn’t usually the case and anyway, when all is said and, done a winning smile carries the day! So let’s throw open the doors and windows around South Devon allowing new young friends from overseas to boost the energy of the English Riviera.

Let’s embrace the change rather than stamp on it. Keep the curmudgeons out of sight and celebrate the here and now. This is a time when we really do need to engage with each other in the hope of providing a better platform for future generations. Let it begin with you.

It's time for you to seize the day

This is my column in the Herald Express 17th May 2012......

BACK in ancient Rome years ago, the poet Horace wisely said that we should 'seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the future'. Those words seem to be banging around in my head just now.
 All we can really know is this time right now, and you can evidence that as you sit and read these words because this is your here and now. The past is the past and cannot be changed. The future is not ours to see and so, as Horace wisely said, we must celebrate the day.
Of course, these are stormy days and so many of us are being beaten down by daily economic hardships which tend to make celebrating anything difficult. While we might accept Horace's suggestion that we put as little trust as possible in the future, we do have a responsibility to do what is for the common good rather than remaining face down in the trough gobbling greedily away. We can see the consequence of that greedy gobbling where a few selfish people have taken more than they deserve and left the rest of us staggering under the yoke of the banking crisis. What upsets me is the nature of the rickety platform we have built for the next generation, having already spent their future! Now is the time to take stock, perhaps, before it is too late. Two things do need celebrating just now, and both relate to future generations.

The first is the spectacular new Paignton Green geoplay park. Although I wasn't in favour of losing a chunk of the Green, what has been built really is very good. On the first day it was open the whole park was covered in children and families, and every time it's not raining the same thing happens. The park is a consequence of community action and that alone is quite a thing to celebrate in this day and age! There is one small adjustment for Torbay Council to make, and that is to ensure a safe crossing between the beach and the park because at the moment it is a rat run between moving traffic and parked cars. That apart, it really is the most amazing world-class facility, and so well done to all those who worked tirelessly to make it happen. Old Horace would certainly see that, I have no doubt, as seizing the day!

The second is a little more problematic, and that is the new Parkfield development in Paignton. Those who read my wriggly words will know I was hugely excited when this £4.8million youth facility opened. If you have yet to visit then please do. As you drive along the main road you will see two huge signs outside the seemingly semi-derelict Parkfield House. That is a little confusing, I think, however if you drive around the corner toward Torquay simply turn left into Colin Road and head for the car park. To your left now is this spectacular complex with its world class BMX track (pictured)! Sadly, the opening of Parkfield coincided with a draconian funding cut for already beleaguered Torbay Youth Service with a somewhat predictable outcome.

Our young people wax lyrical about the stunning skate park, climbing wall, sport hall and other things, but there is the worry that if we don't get this whole enterprise on a firm footing then it will drift into the mediocre and that, my friends, would be heart breaking. There is an increasing gap between the promotional video and the way things have so far panned out. So how about becoming a Parkfield volunteer? Isn't that how the Big Society is supposed to work? Well, here is your chance to contribute toward the future in a very physical way. Just simply turn up at the Parkfield reception and offer your help. Outstanding!

One of the things I feel really strongly about is identity. Once you establish an identity it tends to stick. We watched that happen years ago when Torbay Council attempted to charge everyone who turned up to look around the then new English Riviera Centre an entrance fee. I was there and listened to the comments as people turned away, probably never to come back. I don't think it ever really recovered from that idiotic decision.

Both the geoplay park and Parkfield will now be building an identity, and it will need community support to ensure that both become a beacon of excellence and a platform for our young people in these battered times. So here's the thing. When you get up in the morning take a look at the person looking back at you, and ask whether today will the day that you will make a difference. The day where you don't get knocked down in a daze of negativity and deciding that it is all too much. Perhaps it is all too much, but that isn't a reason for mooching looking and sounding like Pooh Bear's friend Eeyore! As dear old Horace said way back in 65BC — seize the day.

Is that a smile I see?

Changing face of the High Street

This is my column in the Herald Express 3rd May 2012...enjoy!

RECENTLY a wise man, or at least I thought him wise at the time, asked me how business was in these troubled times. Well given that I am tangled up in retail I would have thought the answer self evident given the huge number of empty shops populating town centres. I have shops in Plymouth, Exeter and Paignton and so it did start me thinking about the nature of our local towns and of Paignton in particular. There has without any doubt been a seismic shift in the nature of shopping patterns and that adjustment has had a catastrophic impact on so many. Unless you have been living like a Clanger in some deep silo you cannot have failed to notice the increasing number of empty retail units in town centres and indeed the tattered remains of traditional ribbon shopping parades. Each empty shop has a sullen grey sadness about it because it once held the dreams and aspirations of the hard working occupant. Daily we read and hear so many comments about the demise of the traditional town centre, the relentless onslaught of out-of-town shopping, the internet and the rapid development of huge urban shopping centres like Drake Circus and Princesshay (each with empty retail units vacated by recent brand casualties). Sadly, much of what is reported is caught up in a mixture of misty myth, half-truth and wishful thinking. What cannot be challenged is the fact that years and years of hard work by so many has been flushed down the economic toilet as this paradigm change settles down. Meanwhile, giant supermarkets continue to open around the outskirts of Torbay like some demonic attempt to replicate the Great Wall of China, with end-to-end enormous food halls packed full of so many goodies in regulation sizes. I guess that once the smaller shops have gone the retail giants will then slug it out in what will doubtless be recorded by history as the Supermarket Wars. Who knows? Beyond the 'wall' are the increasing car boot sales with queues that bring local weekend traffic to a standstill. What an exciting rummage a car boot can be with so many of the little bits and bobs that increasingly find themselves launched into the brave new recycling cyber world that is eBay. But here is another interesting change. Inside the 'wall' have you noticed the growth of charity shops, charity offices, gambling shops, fast food outlets and shops selling second-hand stuff in Torbay? Is this the nature of the new town centre community? Anyway, let's get back to where we started with my wise man conversation. His second question was whether Torbay missed a trick in attempting to attract people back to the town centres? As you know, much effort has been put into the establishment of Business Improvement Districts, which is of course another tax on local business with a positive spin. This strategy is about improving the ambience of the business districts. It is good to do but of course the best way of helping struggling local business would be a reduction in the rent and the business rates, but that is another story. What actually happened next in Torbay was sadly a bit of an own goal. Cash-strapped Torbay Council decided to populate the town centres and popular tourist areas with an army of blue traffic meters policed by community enforcement officers. Parking charges became a source of short term revenue and nothing to do with easing traffic flow. I'm not going to waste time bleating on about the damage that has caused since others are still fighting that short term and hugely damaging simplistic policy. So there you have it, an opportunity to attract folk into the area has been squandered by the short term need to generate income in the face of draconian economic cuts handed down by this unelected government. But life is good and so we celebrate the moment and greet each day with a smile.

We all want to help our children, don’t we?

We all want to help our children, don’t we? Of course we do! Sometimes you go without simply to ensure that your children grow healthily. That doesn’t change as they get older and often the sacrifice is hard, especially so in these troubled times.

So when a grown up tells you something then you tend to take note. It is after all the natural order of things. When that grown up is a government minister then you do tend to take note. When that government minister tells you not to panic over fuel but it would be best to top your car up and whilst you are about it perhaps filling a couple of Jerry cans might be a good idea I guess that is what you do.

Have you ever watched petrol unexpectedly catch fire? It is shocking. The deafening bang, the stunning blast, the hammering heat and, if you are unlucky, the searing painful deep skin burn.

So when a government minister says fill Jerry cans you really do raise an eyebrow and ask the question, “You can’t be serious?” Then the ghastly news that a mother helping her daughter by decanting fuel from a Jerry can into a jug for her daughter's car then experiencing the petrol suddenly metamorphosing into a traumatising demonic fireball! She is now fighting for life in hospital.

After all is said and done we want what is best for our children and thought that was the message being delivered. We live in times of confusing rhetoric and most of the time that is simply tediously annoying. But occasionally that rhetoric can have catastrophic results.

All very sad don’t you think?

Are we really all in this together?

My column in this week's (22nd march 2012) Herald Express...........the still restless pen...

I LIKE to read and words always both disrupt and captivate me. They always have and I guess they always probably will. But the thing about words is the interpretation of what is being said by the listener can be worryingly problematic.

Part of the worry is when the speaker is a spinner of rhetoric, purposely choosing words which can be manipulated into a convenient truth.

To be a deliberate spinner of words in a time of economic stress too often produces a dangerous toxic mix that simply knocks the unsuspecting over.

Things are changing so rapidly on a daily basis and it is all too often hugely confusing as we face an assortment of worries from the mundane through to life changing events which simply knock you off the perch.

But here's something to think about.

It is the concept of what might be called wilful blindness explained by Margaret Heffernan in her latest book.

It's worth a read and I noticed a copy in Torquay Library the other day.

In passing, when was the last time you popped into a local library? Wonderful places for community contact and a quick public warning therefore. Please use them before we lose them in these times of funding mayhem.

I worry about wilful blindness locally as Government funding and political dogma seep into the community fabric of South Devon.

How often have you become aware of something but decide you would rather not accept it as a reality?

One reason may be that things have become so complicated for you that it is better to look the other way.

In these bumpy times is that of course quite understandable.

Part of the bumpiness is without doubt the various funding pots.

There are so many curious names from the well-known Lottery Fund to lesser known qango (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation) projects.

You can see the initiatives dotted around Torbay with two leaping immediately to mind.

The first is the wonderful Parkfield Youth Centre with its spectacular BMX track and the second the stunning geoplay park on Paignton Green which will open at the end of this month.

I seem to remember that the Parkfield development has £4.8million of funding but can't remember the grant received for the geoplay park.

The most shocking economy being made just now is the cutting of jobs.

You don't need me to tell you the impact of job loss as the fabric of a community is traumatised by that powerful swipe at the stability of the individual citizen.

Jobs that might have been there to support these new developments seem to be disappearing.

We hear so much about community volunteers in the rhetoric of the Big Society yet hoping that somehow people will magically appear to do the business is risky.

It's all very well saying that we are all in this together, but what does that really mean?

Even if we want to help, it isn't that easy.

By the time you have gone through the Criminal Records Bureau checks, undergone various inductions, certification, orientation, safeguarding, equality and diversity training and a myriad of other goodies, often at your own expense, your head is spinning.

Back to Margaret Heffernan and her thing about being wilfully blind.

This is not a time for looking the other way or pretending that someone else will pick up the slack.

Whether you like it or not, we probably are all in this together, although that may not include the folk who coined the phrase!

Commenting to a local councillor the other day about staffing cuts, he said community volunteers would pick up the slack.

Personally, I would have rather found the volunteers before I removed the proverbial bike stabilisers and let the novice cyclist off on a busy road.

Stevie Smith's words have been banging around in my head today and I feel that I want to let them go, but for some reason I can't.

Her words seem to underline these curious times so well.

"I was much further out than you thought and not waving but drowning... I was much too far out all my life and not waving but drowning."

Hmm.