Day 111 – 26 June 2014
The Dynamo board went well last night. Justin is doing a great job bringing it all together. We covered a wide range of subjects including the type of governance structures we need to set up, what type of organisation we should become and who needs to be involved. We’re planning a number of events with a skills and education event next week. It’s going to be at the Sage building in Great Park. I went to their old headquarters once in Benton but this will be a first for me.
I offered to put on an event around women in ICT and Alistair from Sunderland University wanted to be involved as well. He’d been part of the ’Women in Engineering’ event earlier in the month and so that experience will be useful. Ideally we would like to have a series of regular events, a drum beat as it were and so we agreed that we would arrange this for whenever there is a suitable opening in the schedule. We are also planning an awards dinner to celebrate all that is good about North East ICT which will be in the middle of October.
Again today was a Northumberland day. Pam had set up another five meetings with the differing Heads of Service but in the end two of them had to rearrange. This was useful however as I needed to get back to Durham in the afternoon to give an update on the proposed collaboration plan.
First thing I spent some time preparing for next week’s presentations. They seem to come round quicker and quicker and take a lot of time to organise. They are worthwhile though and the trouble is that I can always think of something else to say. I didn’t have time to do a short presentation so I’ve done a long one.
The three Heads of Service that I did get to see covered social care, both children’s and adults’, as well as accommodation. There are so many parallels between Durham and Northumberland yet there are sufficient nuances to make each set up unique. Their accommodation story is very similar though and reflects our comparable paths since local government review. Our buildings and our culture are inextricably linked. We should be able to change the latter without moving premises but there is nothing like upping sticks to act as a catalyst for change.
Back at Durham I gave a progress update on the Durham and Northumberland plan to the board. The plan is looking good and we now just have to fill in the details.
Learning points for today: You’ve got to stay in the fight to win it; the wind can huff and puff all it likes but the warmth of the sun will make you take off your coat; it was a long way for a short meeting and; opportunity can pounce when you are least expecting it.
Today’s enjoyment rating 9/10 – more positive steps forward.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 