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In Praise of Old-Fashioned Volunteering
Walking around the Leys Festival in Blackbird Leys at the weekend, I was struck by just how much society depends upon volunteers. The festival itself was created through a partnership between local residents and the University of Oxford’s Cultural Programme, bringing together community organisations, performers, sports coaches, artists and many others for a day devoted…
A first proper encounter with the Bodleian
I confess something slightly shameful. As an alumnus of the other university in Oxford, I had never properly set foot in the Bodleian. No studying there, no late-night essays under watchful portraits, no quietly reverential wandering between shelves. Until today. What a joy to finally put that right. This afternoon’s visit to the was a…
Nepal update
It’s just under a week since the world changed for the people of Nepal. In those six days, more than 20 million GBP have been donated in the UK alone to emergency disaster relief. There have been 60 earthquakes in the last 7 days:- There have been many tremors over 4 on the scale,…
Jamboree Heads of Contingent Meeting – An Opening Speech
I’ve been asked to share the speech I made at today’s opening ceremony for the Heads of Contingent Meeting, preparing for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan. So, here it is… Deputy Governor of the Prefecture of Yamaguchi, president of the Scouts of Japan, brother and sister Scouts, This weekend marks an important…
Christopher – and why we teach.
His name was Christopher. He was in my Y6 class in 1987, back when we called them 4th year juniors. He was attention seeking, usually using poor behaviour to get it, often grubby and his clothes often smelt of stale cigarette smoke from the flat in which he lived at the top of the tower…
The Award in Cote D’Ivoire
Fifteen year old Marie-Ange smiles as she explains how participating in the Award has made a difference to her life. She has decided that she wants to be a teacher when she finishes school, having worked in her local primary school for the Service section of her Award. She’s kept fit by learning Handball and…
