I had fully intended to update my blog last week, publishing it on Monday with a focus on the week ahead. My best laid plans, however, were totally derailed due to last week being one of the busiest I can recall in a while – I know every week is busy but last week really was an exception!
Early Monday morning we welcomed the peer review team to County Hall to assess how we do things and where we can continue to make improvements in the future. Their focus was on how we empower communities to do more for themselves; what more we can do working with our key partners and our plans to manage change and transformation over the next four years. I know many of you took part in meetings and forums to feedback your views on how we work now and what we plan to do in the future. I would just like to say thank you for your contribution as this really helped the team to build a picture of our organisation and our culture. Whilst the final report will be sent shortly, which will help us to agree actions to deliver improvements, their initial feedback was very positive and the reviewers were struck by our can-do approach and how well we work with our partners and communities. I will talk more about their feedback in future blogs as there is a lot to cover and the whole process was extremely useful. It’s always good to gain an external view of how we’re doing.
On the subject of volunteering, on Tuesday evening we hosted the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards in the atrium to recognise and celebrate the many volunteers who give their time to coach or run clubs helping to develop sporting skills across the county. The centre piece for this event was a round stage with runways up to it and a huge backdrop screen. The layout was perfect for demonstrations by Laura Halford the current British champion in rhythmic gymnastics. One of the highlights of the evening was the guest speaker Mark Colbourne, Silver and a Gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games for cycling. Mark broke his back in a near fatal paragliding accident in 2009 and he took us on his rollercoaster ride to become the successful athlete that he is. His talk was one of the most inspirational and motivational that I have ever heard. He had such a positive impact on everyone attending, especially our future Wiltshire Olympians and Paralympians, and I really hope that I have the opportunity to hear him speak again. At the end of the evening he presented me with a wonderful picture that will have pride of place in the atrium at County Hall for everyone to enjoy.
We certainly have a wealth of talent and people who actively contribute to make a difference to the communities in Wiltshire. Over the last few weeks we have celebrated and recognised those who give up their time and share their enthusiasm to make our county a better place. The adult care awards showcased the huge amount of work being carried out to support older people and to improve the quality of life for so many. Last night the community and voluntary awards celebrated local community groups which are taking action to improve where they live and both the volunteer and young volunteer of the year, who carry out amazing work insert link to find out more.
Back to updating you on the events of last week which was National Purple Flag week. We’re very proud to have a purple flag in Salisbury, which was awarded to the city a year ago. The flag is in recognition of the safe night time economy and sends a positive message to visitors and tourists to the city. To celebrate we co-hosted with Salisbury City Council a vintage market on the newly refurbished Guildhall Square, which included live music into the evening, encouraging people to stay in the centre. The event was a huge success and highlighted the potential for making full use of the Market Place to boost tourism and the local economy by staging events.
And finally, 28 Wiltshire veterans who served on the arctic convoys Bomber Command 70 years ago were invited to County Hall last Friday afternoon to receive their Arctic Star medals as a mark of their valour, gallantry and contribution to their country. The journey they undertook demanded huge bravery and courage and Winston Churchill called it ‘the worst journey in the world’. Their resilience and determination is an example to us all and should never be forgotten and I was honoured to be part of this unique ceremony. The medals, which have been well publicised, were presented by the local Wiltshire MPs. The Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire and representative from the Russian Embassy also attended the event. Following the medal presentation, the veteran sailors were invited to splice the mainbrace with a tot of rum, which they all participated in!
By the end of last week I too was ready to splice the mainbrace!
On that note; I fully appreciate how busy this year has been – and it’s only October! You all continue to deliver a huge amount of work whilst staff structures are reviewed, and in some cases, reduced. Your commitment to making Wiltshire a better place is evident and has also been recognised by the peer review team. As a token of appreciation and as a thank you, I have agreed that the council offices will be closed all day on Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24 December 2013). I realise that some front line staff will be providing vital services over the Christmas period and it has been agreed that they will be able to take an alternative day off in recognition of their contribution. Thank you everyone for all that you do – it is very much appreciated.
Jane
Early Monday morning we welcomed the peer review team to County Hall to assess how we do things and where we can continue to make improvements in the future. Their focus was on how we empower communities to do more for themselves; what more we can do working with our key partners and our plans to manage change and transformation over the next four years. I know many of you took part in meetings and forums to feedback your views on how we work now and what we plan to do in the future. I would just like to say thank you for your contribution as this really helped the team to build a picture of our organisation and our culture. Whilst the final report will be sent shortly, which will help us to agree actions to deliver improvements, their initial feedback was very positive and the reviewers were struck by our can-do approach and how well we work with our partners and communities. I will talk more about their feedback in future blogs as there is a lot to cover and the whole process was extremely useful. It’s always good to gain an external view of how we’re doing.
Cabinet met on Tuesday and launched the new Business Plan in a user friendly public version, and a young people's version as well as a keepsake bookmark that sets out our vision, priorities and 12 key actions for the next four years. The bookmark will be inserted into Your Wiltshire magazine, which will be distributed to all households in November. The Public Health Annual Report was also presented at the meeting and for the first time the average life expectancy of men in Wiltshire is over 80 years and almost 83 years for women. This can present opportunities for our communities as many older people want to
be active, either by volunteering or
organising local events and activities, and we can help them to do this.
On the subject of volunteering, on Tuesday evening we hosted the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards in the atrium to recognise and celebrate the many volunteers who give their time to coach or run clubs helping to develop sporting skills across the county. The centre piece for this event was a round stage with runways up to it and a huge backdrop screen. The layout was perfect for demonstrations by Laura Halford the current British champion in rhythmic gymnastics. One of the highlights of the evening was the guest speaker Mark Colbourne, Silver and a Gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games for cycling. Mark broke his back in a near fatal paragliding accident in 2009 and he took us on his rollercoaster ride to become the successful athlete that he is. His talk was one of the most inspirational and motivational that I have ever heard. He had such a positive impact on everyone attending, especially our future Wiltshire Olympians and Paralympians, and I really hope that I have the opportunity to hear him speak again. At the end of the evening he presented me with a wonderful picture that will have pride of place in the atrium at County Hall for everyone to enjoy.
We certainly have a wealth of talent and people who actively contribute to make a difference to the communities in Wiltshire. Over the last few weeks we have celebrated and recognised those who give up their time and share their enthusiasm to make our county a better place. The adult care awards showcased the huge amount of work being carried out to support older people and to improve the quality of life for so many. Last night the community and voluntary awards celebrated local community groups which are taking action to improve where they live and both the volunteer and young volunteer of the year, who carry out amazing work insert link to find out more.
Back to updating you on the events of last week which was National Purple Flag week. We’re very proud to have a purple flag in Salisbury, which was awarded to the city a year ago. The flag is in recognition of the safe night time economy and sends a positive message to visitors and tourists to the city. To celebrate we co-hosted with Salisbury City Council a vintage market on the newly refurbished Guildhall Square, which included live music into the evening, encouraging people to stay in the centre. The event was a huge success and highlighted the potential for making full use of the Market Place to boost tourism and the local economy by staging events.
And finally, 28 Wiltshire veterans who served on the arctic convoys Bomber Command 70 years ago were invited to County Hall last Friday afternoon to receive their Arctic Star medals as a mark of their valour, gallantry and contribution to their country. The journey they undertook demanded huge bravery and courage and Winston Churchill called it ‘the worst journey in the world’. Their resilience and determination is an example to us all and should never be forgotten and I was honoured to be part of this unique ceremony. The medals, which have been well publicised, were presented by the local Wiltshire MPs. The Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire and representative from the Russian Embassy also attended the event. Following the medal presentation, the veteran sailors were invited to splice the mainbrace with a tot of rum, which they all participated in!
By the end of last week I too was ready to splice the mainbrace!
On that note; I fully appreciate how busy this year has been – and it’s only October! You all continue to deliver a huge amount of work whilst staff structures are reviewed, and in some cases, reduced. Your commitment to making Wiltshire a better place is evident and has also been recognised by the peer review team. As a token of appreciation and as a thank you, I have agreed that the council offices will be closed all day on Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24 December 2013). I realise that some front line staff will be providing vital services over the Christmas period and it has been agreed that they will be able to take an alternative day off in recognition of their contribution. Thank you everyone for all that you do – it is very much appreciated.
Jane
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