A Future Without Hope Is Dangerous

My stuff in the Herald Express 8th August 2013

Being tagged as NEET is not neat. Not neat at all. But what is a NEET? A NEET is a young person who is not in employment, education or training and the fact the numbers are growing is a huge worry for our society.
The thing is that if our young folk are not in some meaningful employment, full-time education or training then what ARE they doing all day?
The number of NEETS in the south west has increased by 61per cent during the past 10 years and the estimate is that more than 84,000 young people fall into this category — 84,000 young people in the south west.
I don't know about you but I find that really shocking.
So what are they doing all day if they are not in employment, education or training?
If you don't know the answer then perhaps it is time to find out before this social problem gets out of control.
A future without hope is a dangerous condition emotionally.
Of course, the numbers will fall as the post-16 landscape changes.
From this summer, our young folk will be required to continue in education or training to the end of the academic year in which they turn 17.
Then after the summer 2015, they will be required to stay until their 18th birthday.
Of course, they do not have to remain at school although full-time education in an educational institution is an option.
The other two options is an apprenticeship or part-time accredited learning if they are in full-time employment or volunteering.
The question is does that solve a problem or simply push the problem to a later date?
The old saying about taking a horse to water comes to mind as does the concept of wilful blindness.
Ultimately it will be about the provision of jobs and that, in my opinion, is about a re-balancing of the economic landscape with a more equitable sharing of wealth. Hmm.
Still keeping the NEET situation in mind, by a curious twist of location I found myself on a sunny afternoon wandering around the refurbished Torre Abbey with Gordon Oliver, Mayor of Torbay, and Steve Parrock, CEO of the Torbay Development Agency and now also Torbay's chief executive officer, as 'tour guides'.
They did an excellent job and I was completely captivated by what has been achieved.
Torre Abbey has now been re-opened to the public and I really would recommend you spend a day wandering around the abbey plus the stunning gardens.
Of course, the 'tour guide' bit was a little extra because my meeting with Gordon Oliver was very much about our young people and, in particular, the future use of the Parkfield Centre on Paignton seafront plus the development of the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE is the new brand name) for those outside the school / college world.
I guess, therefore, in many cases this will be about the NEETS and finding a way of making a better road for them.
Gordon Oliver and Steve Parrock seemed very supportive and that rounded off a quite atmospheric afternoon.
Thinking about Torre Abbey and the magical way in which the refurbishment has captured the rich history of Torbay, it made me reflect upon the many wonderful assets that we too often take for granted.
There are so many things that we too often fail to notice and yet are simply captivating.
We have beautiful woodlands, stunning gardens, endless beaches, splendid harbours, ancient houses, atmospheric coastal walks, deep caves and so many other wonderful attractions.
To say that there is nothing to do in Torbay is simply not true.
Why not start with a visit to Torre Abbey and take a walk through history?
Pause for a while in the gardens and touch the walls which once supported the abbey church hundreds of years ago.
Take yourself to the deepest part of prehistoric Kents Cavern and place your hand on the cave wall which was once touched by our cave-dwelling ancestors.
Why not simply take a walk in a part of Torbay you've never been to before?
This is our community, these are our towns and this is our time.
Let's share it and celebrate.
Keep the smile.

Let's Celebrate The Positive!

My stuff in the Herald Express 25th July 2013

 

Within our local community we all have a duty, in my opinion, to contribute personal energy. Let us celebrate the positive rather than the negative and not to be knocked down by nasty spiteful comments. Oddly enough the recent fine weather has brought a smile to many weary faces who thought that hot summer days locally were simply a distortion of ancient memory! When we look back the sunny days do tend to dominate.

 

As I start to write I suddenly noticed that my mobile device has less than 3% power left and the power source in another place. The summer sun has yet to climb over the distant horizon and yet the day is already very warm making me feel a little like my mobile device waiting for energy boost to kick in. Every two weeks, usually in the early morning light, I gather an eclectic mix of local happenings to shape what I want to share on this platform.

 

That made me reflect upon the energy levels within our community and what we have that provides the much needed power boost to drive us all forward. The phrase "What floats my boat" comes immediately to mind because it is so much easier to travel with the things that bring us joy rather than the things that, like a Harry Potter Dementor, suck at the very spirit mercilessly.

 

You would have to been in an isolated place for the past six or seven years not to notice that for the majority of us these have become difficult and very challenging times. I say for the majority because there are quite a few who cruise on regardless not challenged by the fiscal twists and turns that have reduced the energy levels of so many. I've spoken before about the words of the Lakota Indian philosopher Joseph Marshall and his simple yet energising message that we must all keep on going. But what keeps us going when the gradient is painfully steep?

 

Years ago my doctor decided on a new course of medication for me. I queried why I would want to take them. His answer was that they might make me live longer. Of course I questioned why that mattered to which he said that it would help my natural curiosity as to what comes next! That is a truth for all of us and is a reason for keeping energy levels high by greeting each day with enthusiasm. That is hard to do at times but attempting to keep a smile when you really don’t want to is a good starting point!

 

Three things brought a smile to my craggy face recently. On a sunny Saturday morning recently I found Paignton’s family friendly beach packed with rowing gigs from all over the South West. Hundreds of people watched enthusiastic teams rowing close to the beach under the banner of Paignton Gig Regatta. Torbay was at its sparkling best that day with a clear blue sky and wall to wall hot sunshine. Paignton Rowing Club appears to be attracting increasing numbers of folk on the water and it is an absolute joy to see so many local young people participating. There has been much talk recently about the Olympic Legacy and it has to be said that it is very much alive and kicking at Paignton Rowing Club.

 

Other refreshing experiences included a visit to the Robert Owen Communities team based on Steamer Quay Road in Totnes. ROC is a unique organisation doing some wonderful work. In their own words say “ROC exists to help as many people as possible, throughout the UK, who have learning or similar disabilities to be who they want to be. ROC believes all people with a learning disability should have the chance and the support to be able to do what they want to do. ROC will work towards making this happen. ROC will do this by valuing and supporting all people who use our services, and those who support them.” For me the phrase ‘To be able to do what they want to do’ is such an important message for all of us.

Sometimes things happen that really do inspire and recently I was asked to present certificates at the annual presentation for the learning opportunities students at South Devon College. They had all worked so hard to achieve awards and to see so many also getting DofE Awards (Duke of Edinburgh’s) had me smiling for days. Wonderful achievements and the celebrations were really inspirational. I was certainly inspired!

It is all too easy these days to look at what isn’t going too well and decide that the whole world is in much the same state. But it isn’t! By all means point out constructively things that seem not to be for the greater good but we must constantly seek the exciting and innovative work being done quietly by so many locally.

Keep the smile.

Wilful blindness is a worry

The South West Energy Centre on Long Road Paignton



My stuff in this week's Herald Express.

SOMETIMES I do find myself scratching my head and wondering whether I have missed something or perhaps, like a Philip Pullman story, I have simply cut a slit in the fabric of time and dropped neatly into another world. Philip Pullman is the author of the Dark Materials trilogy the first book of which (Northern Lights) was made in to a curious film starring Nicole Kidman called the Golden Compass. Read the book and give the film a miss.

It may well also be that we have all dropped into the wise monkey world where we see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil, or in this case simply not wanting to see a truth, hear something we don't want to or not speak out when we should. More worryingly perhaps we may have adopted what Margaret Heffernan refers to as wilful blindness. Wilful blindness is a worry because, despite the fact you can probably see the truth, you simply don't want to acknowledge it and carry on as though nothing has changed. That tends to be a more comfortable option in our increasingly restless world.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

This is the English Riviera and has always been a major tourist destination. We spend hundreds of thousands of pounds promoting tourism. Despite a run of several years of lacklustre weather we have been blessed recently with a few sunny days. Back in the dark winter days the local council announced cuts to beach services and as a consequence deckchairs, sunbeds and beach attendants had hours reduced. One local hotelier a few weeks ago was jumping up and down in red faced anger as he looked across a packed seafront without the usual infrastructure. It's a little like having Santa's Grotto at Christmas and telling Father Christmas he's not needed at the moment.

With such an obvious contradiction you would have thought that the announcement of closure of services outside the school holidays would have had folk doing cartwheels down the promenade but it didn't.
Having said that, my hotelier friend did do a very good impression of an Olympic high jumper as he bounced up and down pointing angrily at the seafront!

The other day I had to nip into Torquay to collect something. It was midmorning on a Saturday and the town was curiously quiet despite wall-to-wall sunshine. My short stop cost me £1.30. Again, we are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds promoting town centres and then bang parking meters all over the place to extract cash from short-term visitors. The parking meters have become a 'cash cow' for councils but I rather suspect that a law of diminishing returns will result.

Again for me the whole parking meter fiasco is another obvious contradiction and while most of us can see that we simply plough on. For those of you that sympathetically read my words, you will know that I worry constantly about the cohesiveness of our local community in these increasingly complicated times. We all need to keep an eye on what is happening around us and that doesn't mean attacking every change! We can also act in a very positive way is supporting the things that need a helping hand.
Seek out the community projects but remember to speak out when things are not for the greater good. It is much better to head silliness off before it becomes an unwelcome reality. Now here is some good news. I am sure you have received the cheerful call centre messages which make you wish you hadn't picked up the phone. You may have pointlessly requested that cold calls should not be made to your home number.

One tedious message doing the rounds just now is the friendly voice tells you you probably qualify for the Green Deal and other energy saving money off deals. It just so happens they have a lovely agent not far from your house and an assessment visit is free. Sadly by the end of the visit you can be hundreds of pounds out of pocket for information which was available locally for a fraction of the cost or freely available in the public domain.

So now here is some good news for those of you who like me have been hammered by that intrusive call centre onslaught. The new South West Energy Centre is about to open on Long Road Paignton. The SWEC will offer free, impartial, no-nonsense expert advice on how to cut your business energy bills.

I love this SWEC quotation 'community engagement is a big part of the South West Energy Centre. Everyone wants to save energy and working together as a community can be a great way to reduce everyone's fuel bills and energy use, but it's not always easy to know how best to go about it. Although there are plenty of options — solar power, wind generation, insulation, energy saving devices and the like — it's difficult to find an organisation which supports saving energy as a community in the South West. Coming together to work for the common energy efficiency goal can produce very strong feelings of community cohesion. With good planning, an energy efficiency project can also be an important vehicle for social inclusion too'. The first community open day is on Saturday, August 31. This is a really good thing for South Devon given the need to think green and popping along to the open day sounds like a plan to me.

Keep the smile.

We Can All Make A Difference

My stuff in this week's Herald Express

Marco Cova and Luca Bridgada Villa

 

CHARISMATIC singer Freddie Mercury, while holding the attention of countless thousands in the palm of his hand, hammered out the words 'Nothing really matters anymore!' Perhaps if you are, as he was at the time, sitting on a low wall on the edge of eternity that might be true, but the truth is that things matter very much. The fact that they matter means that it simply isn't good enough to sit back and not pay attention. You see we can all make a difference if we pay attention to what is happening around us and engage rather than disengage. Flopping back in a chair and submitting to the soporific impact of endless streaming multi-channel television while leaving reality outside the front door is dangerous.

Of course, these days there is a temptation to ask: "What can I do?" as the movers and shakers trundle unchecked. The truth is that you can make a difference by simply paying attention and speaking out rather than letting the political gatekeepers remain unaccountable. That speaking out need not be in opposition since it is probably as important to make your views known when support is needed. For example, you will I am sure have been aware of the heated exchange of words over the recent Miss and Mr England competition hosted on the English Riviera. MP Adrian Sanders felt the event degrades the image of our tourism dominated community while Torquay hotelier Linda Hill thought the competition added value.

What did you think? Many folk worked very hard to make the event the success that it was and the English Riviera International Conference Centre was packed to the rafters. Personally, having watched them film the promotional video on Paignton beach in the middle of winter and make it look like a hot summer day, I thought that the whole thing was a boost for our beleaguered tourist industry.

While on the topic of beleaguered places, I happened to walk around Oldway Mansion the other day. It was here that I remember watching the film 'Churchill. The Hollywood Years' while hoping to catch a glimpse of the stunningly beautiful Neve Campbell. I don't know whether you have walked around the central stairway area of Oldway Mansion but it truly is breathtaking. It was until recently a popular tourist destination with coaches regularly dropping folk off to enjoy the atmospheric magnificence of the stairway.
Sadly, Oldway Mansion is closed for redevelopment although nothing seems to be happening at the moment. There was a half-hearted attempt to keep the stairway open this summer by providing access via the small tea room door on the side of the building. That attempt, in my opinion, was pathetic. It isn't just the building, sadly.

As the world fixates on the annual Wimbledon tennis championships, Oldway Mansion's tennis courts have been closed. What happened to the vision of an Olympic legacy? For those who were engaged in community change words of protest sounded, but not loudly enough to challenge the closure it would seem. Does it really matter anymore? I think that it does.

For the past five weeks we've been whooping it up with the Italians at my house. Luca and Marco have been staying with us while on work placements arranged by the Training Partnership in Torquay. The influx of foreign students is, in my opinion, a wonderful thing for South Devon. They bring a much-needed cash boost to many host families, a tingle to the community and, of course, make the world a smaller place.
During a conversation with Marco and Luca one evening, we stumbled upon something almost mystical.
There is a number that connects the whole of the English Riviera. That number? It is the number 12. "How do you get to Brixham?" asked Marco? On the Number 12 bus. "How about Newton Abbot?" asked Luca. On the 12 bus. What about a visit to Torquay? Hop on the Number 12. Paignton Zoo and South Devon College? This time you need the 12a.

So now, thanks to these two vibrant Italian young men, we have found a number to connect our community and all we now need to do is translate that into a cohesive strategy. How good would that be as joined up thinking in action? Like the 12 bus route and bus routes in general, we need something which will connect all parts of our sprawling community. Finding that common unity or identity theme is something for us all to seek. The thought immediately lifts my restless spirit.

Keep the smile.

Whooping it up with the Italians – Part 2 Super heroes!

Luca Bridgada Villa and Marco Cova

For Marco Cova and Luca Bridgada Villa their English Riviera five week adventure continues! Both are really enjoying the work placements arranged by Torquay’s Training Partnership.

The evening meal at the Sobey house last night was a riotous affair as we were joined by son Sam and his fiancé Sophie for a huge baked ham feast. Our evening meals with our two Italian super heroes always seem to last for hours and it makes a refreshing change to live life at a more Mediterranean rate!

We had a surprise the other day when Marco's parents (Paolo and Marinagela Cova) and sister (Francesca Cova) arrived for the evening. They had flown from Turin on the Sunday then came to see us on Monday evening before hopping back on a plane to Italy on Tuesday. They are wonderful people and we loved meeting them.

Both Marco and Luca have taken an active part in life on the English Riviera including having a traditional cream tea at Cockington Village.

Of course what we didn't know is that they are both super hero characters which is obviously good news for local residents in need of cosmic help!

For anyone thinking about offering accommodation to overseas students I would certainly recommend it. In these lacklustre times they bring a special vibrancy to the area and much needed boost to the beleaguered tourist industry.

Marco is working at Preston MOT and joined his new friends last Friday for a lunchtime chip butty.  Now that really is super hero food! Luca's placement us at It's Your Money in Torquay and he says "They are really nice. I like it there."

frank sobey

Simply Sitting Back Is Not An Option

My words in this week's Herald Express

 

 

Bird song bumped me from a restless sleep shortly after four this morning. Grey light crept into the house as I stumbled to the loo scratching hay-fever fuelled eyes with my mind ploughing the remnants of a dramatic dream-scape. I've always been fascinated by a dream world where time and location seem to have no limitation. My kaleidoscope mind captures all too often the dream memory and gives reality a curious twist.

 

Climbing back into bed I made a hopeless attempt at sleep but by then the daemons were already snapping and so I've been shuffling papers since then in the hope of hammering down a few loose ends. That exercise has had limited success but at least an attempt has been made. In these troubled times the number of loose ends seem to grow on a daily basis.

 

Talking of loose ends I was asked by a group yesterday whether I would consider standing for mayor! This is the second time I have been asked but this time by a different group of folk. Sadly I know that I would make a hopeless mayor since my mind is fractured and my body aching. It's not just that of course. To do that job you need to have the skin of a rhinoceros and that is also something I lack. I am aware though that quite a number of people locally are already gearing up in the hope of becoming the next head honcho in 2015.

 

I have also gone on record as saying that Torbay is too small for an executive mayor and that much power is therefore in the hands of one man (or woman) which goes, it seems to me, against the local democratic process. Gordon Oliver was also against the concept of an elected mayor and at the time of his election had sought clarity as to how the post could be terminated. It seems to me that this might be a time for an update followed hopefully by abolition! What do you think? Of course we would have to have another referendum to undo what has been done in creating the office but perhaps it is time to do exactly that.

 

Something happened the other day to make me smile. As many of you will know I have become increasingly concerned about the future of the multi million pound Parkfield Centre in Paignton. The new parkfield Centre with its international standard BMX track, for those of you who don’t know, is hidden behind the old Parkfield House at the north end of Paignton Green. That concern had me writing formally to Gordon Oliver and Director of Children’s Services Richard Williams. The response was immediate and at 0800hrs the following morning I found myself meeting Torbay’s cheerful Localities Service Manager Gail Rogers at Parkfield. Gail walked me around the grounds and paused for a while in front of the old Parkfield House. The grass had been cut and the estate tidied! That brought a smile to my battered face and her balanced view of what was happening buoyed me considerably. As I say these are hard times and therefore every reason for trying harder rather than simply shrugging drooping shoulders!

It’s all too easy to let things slip because it all seems so difficult and yet to be quite honest simply sitting back really shouldn’t be an option. It’s a bit like accepting the empty tennis courts at Oldway Mansion. Wimbledon is kicking off and the UK is about to go tennis mad. Work hasn’t started at Oldway yet the numerous tennis courts stand empty! But there you go, that’s the state of play. Or not!

This is your community and your time. We all need to engage in what is happening locally rather than waiting for someone else to make the running. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Get to know your local councillors. Help them to do what they have been elected to do. Attend if you can the occasional council committee meeting and perhaps a full council meeting. Write when you feel the need to comment, not necessarily just to point out what is making you unhappy but also to praise what is making you happy. For starters you can have a think about whether we need an elected mayor and make those views known. Why not drop your MP a line and get his view. Perhaps our mayor would also like to hear your views. Remember you do have a vote. At least you should have and so perhaps this is the time to check that your name is on the electoral roll!

Keep the smile.

 

The need to disrupt and then captivate

My stuff in the Herald Express 31st May 2013

 

I’m writing this with cold fingers having braved the cold north-west wind on Paignton Beach. Walking the beach on the Friday 24^th May should have been, in my opinion, a warm and sunny experience. But it wasn’t. Yet two days before I found myself sitting on a grassy bank near South Devon College’s lovely university centre on the outskirts of Paignton as warm early summer sunshine washed over the campus. Perhaps by the time you read this the heat will be hitting the ground like a hammer!

So what has happened to the weather? Is there something that the Meteorological Office in Exeter is not telling us? I remember a story about an ancient battle in which some poor soul had been taken prisoner. His captors abused him and part of that distressing scenario was a quiet voice whispering that help was on the way. Of course it wasn’t but that didn’t stop him living in hope. It seems to me that anyone connected to tourism must feel much the same. “Don’t worry next summer will be better!” Sadly the past half a dozen summers have been pathetic and that does little for ‘Brand’ Torbay and the English Riviera!

So what if the Met Office really does know something that they are not telling us? Of course if we now face years of poor summer weather then that has a huge economic impact on an area which is hugely dependent upon tourism. Anyone with a sunshine reliant business will lose hope as the promise of “It will be better next year!” suddenly becomes empty rhetoric. Hotels, restaurants and guest houses will immediately see a decrease in sun-seeking visitors. I can see why a beleaguered government would not want that news out in the community. But course it is nothing more, I am sure, than a silly conspiracy theory!

My crooked thought process did make me think about the offering generally in South Devon and in particular about the local town centres. It also made a friend of mine who has travelled widely think about our town centres and about Torquay in particular. As we sipped our hot drinks in a local independent coffee shop he spoke with passion about the Fleet Walk commenting upon the expensive re-paving of the pedestrianized area. He described a scene that was for me so reminiscent of the mayoral dreams and visions that had Fleet Street with a gently flowing stream running into the harbour. Either side of the sparkling stream were quirky little shops, cafes, restaurants connected by clever little bridges.

Whatever we do, whether the sun shines or not, we must captivate the imagination not just of the visitors but also of the local population. What makes anyone want to engage? There are two things that must happen in my humble and perhaps fractured opinion. The first is the need to disrupt and the second is to captivate. It is all too easy for the endless stream of rhetoric flowing from consultants to produce a sort of wilful community deafness. Something has to happen that produces a shared feeling that there is better stuff out there coupled with being captivated by a common objective. Sadly I don’t have an answer but what I do know is that whatever we do has have some serious joined up thinking.

My walk on the beach also had me thinking about the resources that we have at our finger tips. At the end of Paignton’s sandy beach is the lovely little harbour. It is the only harbour locally that dries at low tide leaving it clean twice a day! Yet although we spend countless thousands on tourism that beautiful little harbour seems to have a proliferation of lines and signs telling visitors what they can and cannot do! There is even a huge sign with all the byelaws printed. How scary is that? The road surface and walkways are plastered with painted lines and curious council street furniture dominates. Although I didn’t particularly like the high-rise flats that were shown in the Mayor’s Vision for Paignton Harbour I did like the colourful energy described in the general plan. I was captivated by that and doubtless others were too. What also caught my attention was the fact that what had been suggested didn’t really rely on wall to wall sunshine and that was also true of my friend’s almost mystical description of a new Fleet Walk in Torquay!

My last article here was about, amongst other things, Carl Rogers concept of genuineness in how we respond to each other. If we do want a more vibrant community then part of that has to be genuineness in the way in which we engage with each other. There has to be a feeling that the things that happen are for the greater good rather than the selfish gain of a few. Selfishness produces a feeling of a community being dirtied. Ah yes, the greater good! When we all feel that what is happening is for the good of all then we can start to move toward being both disrupted by positive change and captivated by a better future. That inevitably generates hope.

Keep the smile.