From when I was fourteen until I took my ‘A’ levels before leaving school, I was taught English by a teacher named Peter Despres. He was assiduous, inspirational and had the highest of aspirations for every one of his pupils. He got me to love Shakespeare (not hard), Jane Austen (even easier a task), Wordsworth…
The UK Scout Association (The Scouts) has announced a new strategy today. And, along with the strategy, it’s announced a new corporate visual identity. The old ‘swoosh’ has gone, to be replaced by what I think is a more contemporary treatment of the iconic arrowhead / fleur-de-lis. I’m always sorry to say goodbye to an…
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and so I had my arm twisted to join our supporters from across our global network in taking up the challenge of raising money, helping to deliver a life-changing experience to more young people as they find their purpose, passion and…
People often say to me that I must have one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. They’re right. Today I began work by explaining how young people around the world are helping to deliver the UN’s sustainable development goals through the support of organisations like my own. This was in a breakfast meeting…
Tonight I was chuffed to bits to have been able to welcome the latest intake of young international Scout volunteers to their staff induction training, being held in beautiful, but very chilly, Oxfordshire. They’ve funded their own travel and expensive visa applications; they’re putting their normal lives on hold for between nine months and a…
Looking at the news, I think it could safely be said that 2017 has been a troubled year globally. Trump. Terrorist attacks. The global refugee crisis. Plans (or lack of them) for Brexit. The growth of violent extremism. The threat of the use of nuclear weapons. Yet, my Facebook feed throughout the year has been…
A friend posted on my Facebook timeline the other day, “First you believe in Father Christmas; then you are Father Christmas; then you look like Father Christmas.” I am currently entering that third phase, even if I’m not as hirsute as the big man himself. But I am certainly getting older. I know this because…
A humbling experience, meeting young people at Wiltja Anangu Secondary College in Adelaide, South Australia, many of whom are Award participants. The Wiltja Secondary College is an initiative of the Anangu (Pitkantjatjara word for “people”) whose country is the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands in the far north-west of South Australia. In the 1970s, a group of…
This morning I stood in silence at a village remembrance service. Tonight, my Facebook wall is full of pictures of those friends, many in Scout or Cadet uniform, who also chose to pause and remember. Those pictures are not just from my own country, but from all over the Commonwealth. Conscripts and volunteers from across…
Day 5 – Gilsland to Brampton A very gentle walk today to finish the week. The landscape became more and more gentle as I walked into Cumbria – farmland that has been cultivated for generations, rather than the barren moorland of the previous days. I hadn’t planned on visiting the ruined Lanercost Priory, but I’m…