Some weeks have similar meetings and activities, and others not.  I chair the Academic and Pastoral sub-committee of one of our local high schools.  This week’s meeting was agreeing targets for different year groups.  Data from previous years, the local authority (Bury) and Fisher Family Trust (national research) are used to explore how teacher’s aspirations for their pupils compare with trends.  It’s always an interesting meeting and one that you need to be able to really focus and work with the data presented to us.  The teachers and pupils then work really hard to focus on beating the targets!  This approach of setting achievable but challenging targets has enabled the school to improve year on year.

 After this meeting I had a Tenants and Residents meeting.  We’ve got super plans being drawn up for major improvements and the residents were delighted that so much is going to be done when there have been years of stagnation.   Our Prestwich Area Partnership meeting was on another evening – thank goodness – as preparing for the meeting means an hour or so of checking minutes and jiggling in your head, how you will present the reports that you need to discuss.  I presented a short report of the workings of our Community Regeneration sub-group, which I have been chairing.  One of our projects is working towards regenerating an empty block of shops on Chapel Road that will make a huge, huge difference to residents if we can get health and support and childcare and a pharmacy there too.  Then other businesses will see viability and take on other shops, we hope.  There is a small pot of funding to push the project forward too - all we need is for our partners to work together and make it happen.   Tonight – is a local political fund raising dinner – so off to get ready.

Our Climate change Poster competition presentation finally happened on Monday evening.  Eleven of our prize winners and their families were able to attend.  It was great to meet them and for them to see the winning poster, too.  I also met and chatted with teachers from Bury Church High School’s Geography department.  It was extra special to meet with them as one, Mr Taylor, had been my Form tutor and teacher when I’d been at the school!  He also taught my sons. 

Our Mayor, Catherine who is our area’s Youth parliament Representative and Lady Mayoress presented certificates and Goodie Bags.  Everybody was so very welcome and also interested in the Council Chamber – it needs to be used more for occasions such as this – to also positively promote local democracy, by visiting and finding a little bit more about the Chamber and what goes on there.  Unfortunately I had to miss our Bury Friends of the Earth meeting on Wednesday evening to evaluate the Poster competition’s outcomes with them, it was Parent’s Evening at work – I was surprised at the number of parents who came to see us especially before an important Footie match. 

Tomorrow is a Lib Dem Leadership hustings – so I need to find my membership card – I haven’t voted yet……I am also disappointed that a Woman hasn’t stood, we could do with somebody distinctly different to the other two party leaders with distinctly brill (as usual) Lib Dem policies to push forward.

Its’ been another interesting and busy week, marred by the complete lack of progress for improving the junction of Scholes Lane/Hilton Lane and Bury New Road junction – which almost hits somebody every day.  Apparently our dear Council agree it needs work but a lack of finance hampers progress.  I’m just worried that the youngsters who use the junction to cross each day don’t have too many problems in the meanwhile – and my email to Children and Young People and Engineering has said as such.    Rant aside, it’s been a week of sub-groups and talking to residents from a flat development about supporting their fledgling Tenants and Residents group that’s been besieged by problems.  One sub-group has been exploring the progress and quality of our Sure Start Children’s Centers – this was a good meeting.  Another evening was the sub-group of our Local Area Partnership which I chair – about regeneration of areas of neglect and deprivation.  We’re exploring and looking for pots of cash to support the re-generation of Rainsough’s

I really find the damp, cold, dark mornings a struggle when my duvet is so very warm and cosy.  As always, the busy world beckons and I find myself in my car heading towards another day at 7.30.  This week was different as my husband was away on a training course so my son and I were able to chart our own way through the week without having to fit in with Andrew’s busy schedule too. 

My mid-highlight was sharing the outcomes of our Climate change Poster competition with the Climate Change sub-group of Bury Council’s Environment, Economy and Transport Scrutiny Commission.  The Council plans to use poster entries to promote environmental services and the spin-off is the web resources web link to the Council Web Site too.

I have been the project’s coordinator.  It was good to share how we planned as a partnership between Friends of the Earth and Council departments to undertake the competition over the last six months, with the sub-group of officers, councillors and environmentalists.  So many young people had entered the competition that we had quite a challenge to undertake the judging process.  Winners have been invited to attend a presentation ceremony at the Town Hall.  I’ve been putting together winners goodie bags of fun and interesting things to promote climate change issues as well as the library service and other environmental council services.  Friends of the Earth have been wonderful – the competition has been a joint partnership between the Council and Bury’s FoE group – and HQ have posted over bits and bobs for the goodie bags too – so I need to phone and thank them next week.

As well as spending time liaising with Council Officers about the competition, case work and other issues this week, I’ve also met with our Local Area Partnership manager to talk our way through the sub-group that I’ll be chairing next week.  Its always interesting and important to meet, between meetings to update on issues of concern and  explore where items need more work or chasing up.  One of our main concerns for this re-generation sub-group of the Area partnership is a block of abandoned shops at the edge of our area that belongs to Salford Council’s social housing. 

We’ve been trying to push the re-vamping and re-opening of the shops for years and have done a lot of background work - the problem is that our local residents information tells us that theshops eventually shut as they couldn’t afford to pay protection money.  This issue worries me - big boy bullies threatening decent people who just want to run a small local business as chip shop or paper shop or launderette. 

If this is so, local people are denied shops close to home and are forced to use ever-disappearing bus services over to bigger shopping centres.  This is too much as people get frail and elderly and unable to venture too far from home.  I am hoping we can work in partnership and do something here.  It looks like a long-term project and not something that will happen over the next few weeks and will involve a lot of work too, for our local Lib Dem Cllrs.  Richard met with the Salford Ward Cllr for the shops a few months ago, who was keen to push forward on this issue.

Last night Andrew and I attended a fund raiser dinner with our friends in Hazel Grove constituency.  Although Marple Golf Club is interesting to find in the dark, we enjoyed a super dinner, wonderful company and listen to the after dinner speeches by MPs Andrew Stunnel  http://www.andrewstunell.org.uk  and Jo Swinson http://www.joswinson.org.uk/.  Jo, the youngest woman MP, talked about the role of women in politics, her work to encourage more to become engaged in politics as well as her bill and efforts to reduce excess supermarket packaging and establish guidance and standardisation towards environmental sustainability.  A very enjoyable evening.    As its raining this morning, I’m able to catch up with blogs, case work and washing …….I hope the weather improves ….. I ate so well last night, my body needs a spot of leafleting….