One of my roles working for an MP is to look at how we better support campaigns and causes. I’ve been amazed at how many, our parliamentarians are asked to support. It seems most days of the week there is a national campaign for something. Most are extremely worthy causes. This week it’s FASD week. … Continue reading Babies are being damaged by alcohol
Category: General Blog
Compassion, hope, communities, climate change, sustainability, power, identity
Remember Aylan
Yesterday through tragedy Britain showed its heart. There's been a slow burn of racism creeping into our communities; an unkind spirit growing in our towns. "You're not welcome here" becoming the new tag line of our cities. Yesterday we were faced with the reality of our actions. Yesterday the migrant became a human. Yesterday the … Continue reading Remember Aylan
Speaking About Mental Health
LAST week, a few of my friends and I took part in the Youth Speak charity campaign, “WeRallbananas” The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and help young people to share their experiences and advice using the hashtag #weRallbananas. My friend Laura Degnan who is behind the campaign told me "It's a … Continue reading Speaking About Mental Health
The Saltburn Surf Community
I love this time of year, the warmer weather and light-nights means I can get outside more and enjoy the outdoors. There’s nothing I love more than a trip to the seaside. You see, I am a surfer. When I’m not trying to change the world, I’m usually driving around the beautiful north east coast, … Continue reading The Saltburn Surf Community
My Teesside Art Crawl
I like art. It makes me feel something. I will often visit an art gallery or two when I hang out in cities. I rarely go to see art in Teesside so last week I decided to go on a bit on art crawl. I put a call out on facebook for suggestions and was … Continue reading My Teesside Art Crawl
A powerfully northern conversation
I love visiting cities. I go often with empty arms and usually come back full. Full with new ideas, with fresh thinking, with inspiration and hopefulness. I have been gathering for the last few months with some really great people that are exploring place, communities and storytelling. Last week we gathered to discuss “community led” … Continue reading A powerfully northern conversation
Sharing honestly about self interest
I want to share really honestly with you this afternoon. My deepest concern for British society, above all other things, above domestic abuse, above crime, above loneliness and even above poverty is this… selfishness. That’s a bold statement I know, so let me unpack it a little. Many, if not all other social and moral … Continue reading Sharing honestly about self interest
Failure and Getting it Wrong
One of the most significant barriers to overcome when doing something in our communities is fear of failure and anxiety about getting it wrong I have really struggled with this over the years. In part this has been my own problem but also we live in a society that doesn’t give much room for failure. … Continue reading Failure and Getting it Wrong
Finding our own power – Part 2 (Permission and Power)
From the very beginnings of my community development and activism roots, from the early days of A Way Out, to the setting up of I Love Stockton me, I've found, the next question you get asked when wanting to do something in your community, after "who are you and what is your identity?" is usually … Continue reading Finding our own power – Part 2 (Permission and Power)
Finding Our Own Power (Part One)
Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing some of what I have learned over the last 10 months as I have explored life after A Way Out. One of the things I have been learning about is power. Power and powerlessness is often overlooked yet is a significant contributor to the … Continue reading Finding Our Own Power (Part One)
