Sunday 1st July – what a great day as the Olympic Torch Relay comes to town!

Today was my first day on duty as a City Ambassador for the Olympic Games in Coventry. Today was the day that the Olympic Torch Relay came to town and I was there in my lovely pink uniform, trying (and mostly failing) to control the very excited crowd who came out to cheer the torch bearers.

As ambassadors, our day began with a briefing from the Chief Constable, after which we were paired up with our police partners and loaded aboard our luxury transport (a double decker bus) to the torch relay route.

The crowds were slow to gather along the route but once there they showed plenty of Olympic spirit by proudly displaying their red, white and blue or their home made torches.

I was stationed at a torch handover point – known as a ‘kissing point’ because this is where the torches kiss to pass the flame from one to another.  My kissing point was number 151 and when the bus came along to drop off the lovely lady who would be collecting the torch and running the next 300 metres she was also wearing number 151. This lovely torch bearer was called Debbie. You can see how happy and proud she was.

She received the torch from Freya and I had spent some time talking to both Debbie and Freya’s families before the crowd built up. They were all enormously proud of their girls and I did my best to help them get into the best position to grab photos of their special day.

First came the initial build up, when the sponsors advance party of vehicles passed by, handing out goodies and generally whipping up enthusiasm in the crowd. 

Following closely behind these vehicles was the minibus containing the live camera which records the whole relay. Right behind this came Freya with her torch held proudly aloft before she ‘kissed’ torches with Debbie and handed over responsibility for the flame for the next 300 metres.

Almost immediately after the torch went on its way, the crowd began to disperse. I was surprised how quickly the huge number of people who had lined the streets just seemed to melt away.

A few moments later Mike, my policeman partner, received the message from his control to say we could stand down.

I honestly didn’t expect to feel so happy and proud to have played a part in the torch relay event but I had a really brilliant day. Now I’m just waiting for my next ambassador day on 25^th July when I will be helping out on the ‘last mile’ near the City of Coventry Stadium. Roll on the Olympic Football!

Next, Mummy Stylist blogger competition!

I’ve always quite fancied being a stylist to the stars but as it’s extremely unlikely that Cheryl or Kate (or let’s face it, anyone else) will have heard of me, instead I’ve got the chance to style my own little star – Daisy – for this fabulous Mummy blogger competition with Next.

Those lovely people at All Baby Advice Blog are hosting the competition on their site. Go here to find out more: http://allbabyadvice-blog.com/index.php/2012/06/win-500-to-spend-at-next-in-a-mummy-stylist-blogger-competition/

You might notice a ‘Daisy’ theme throughout my choices of a gorgeous children’s outfit.

I know that when Daisy grows up she is going to reject all attempts to dress her in cute items that match her name, so I’m going to make the most of it while she is still happy to be dressed in whatever is chosen for her.

My first choice is these beautiful Navy Daisy Print leggings. http://www.next.co.uk/g372520s10#829315g37 They are an absolute bargain at £3 -£4. These are very pretty and very practical. I have bought leggings from Next before and like the quality. Some cheaper leggings from other shops have suffered under the extreme quality testing that Daisy puts her clothes through. She really needs items that allow her to run, jump, splash, stretch, curl up into a small ball and generally keep moving 24 hours a day!

On the theory of why have just one T shirt when a pack of three is so reasonably priced, my next choice is this three pack of Daisy short sleeved T shirts. http://www.next.co.uk/g37480s3#836325g37 I particularly love the red one with the huge Daisy but the yellow one would also easily fit into my ‘styled’ outfit. At just £10 to £16 (depending on size) these T shirts are again a great value buy.

Obviously, every British Summer outfit needs a raincoat so choice number three is this fab little printed jacket. http://www.next.co.uk/g37520s2#839299g37  Colour clash is all the rage this year so this green jacket over the red t shirt would look fantastic and be right on trend. I love jackets that are not too fitted because Daisy is such a little live wire that I don’t want her to be restricted.

Finally to footwear. Peppa Pig has a lot to answer for as Daisy does love to splash in muddy puddles. She has numerous pairs of wellies but for a summer outing I’d love to complete her outfit with these beautiful Eva Mules. http://www.next.co.uk/x493758s4#800033x49 Oh look, they have a flower on them – how surprising! In these mules she could happily play on sand or in water but they also have enough support to hold her gorgeous little feet when she is running around chasing her big sister Piper.

So that’s my chosen outfit. An absolute snip at less than £45 in total. With the combination of T shirts this means Daisy has 3 different looks for £15 each! 

Well done Next for offering such a gorgeous selection. 

What a great time as the ship sails from the centre of Birmingham

On Saturday evening I enjoyed a fantastic event in the centre of Birmingham when I went to watch 'The Voyage'. 

The Voyage was produced by Birmingham Hippodrome and created by Motionhouse in collaboration with Legs On The Wall, funded by Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and supported by Dancing for the Games. (Phew!)

The Voyage was also in partnership with Town Hall Symphony Hall Birmingham, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Conservatoire.

The front of the Town Hall was turned into an enormous ship for 4 fantastic performances from 21st to 24th June and I was so pleased to be there and to be able to share the fun.

Professional dancers and aerialists joined forces with a huge amateur choir, live musicians and more than 140 community performers to transform the Square and tell the story.

This event was public theatre at its best. A really great spectacle, with a huge ‘ship’ nestled into Victoria Square and the audience forming the ocean.

When the event began at 10pm the announcer stated that performers and large objects would be passing through the crowd. It was all very ‘panto’ with the announcer asking if we would part to let these through and the whole audience responding ‘Yes!’

The spectacle began with a tight rope walker crossing high above the ship. As the weather was typical of a British summer (i.e. pouring down with rain) I really didn't envy him the task of crossing a wet, slippy rope but thankfully he made it safely to the other side. 

As the action unfolded, the passengers began boardng the ship, weaving through the crowd with their luggage.

 
Onboard the ship the final farewells were taking place and the dancers and aerialists were building up to a fantastic 'launch' with streamers and confetti being projected onto the town hall, followed by the ship sailing past a projected city scape. It was very effective and extremely clever. I never thought I would stand in the centre of Birmingham and watch a ship sail!

I obviously don't want to spoil the story in case this amazing spectacle travels to other cities, but the audience were called upon to move again to avoid floating passengers and lifeboats.

The Voyage was developed and presented as part of London 2012 festival. Birmingham is proud to be hosting the USA and Jamaican track and field athletes during the games and with this event the city showed that it is really taking its role seriously.

Although the weather was pretty poor 'The Voyage' was amazing. Well done Birmingham!  I hope this is just the start of things to come in terms of free public events.

Apologies for the quality of the photos in this post. My little camera and I were getting very wet and it was already dark before the performance began so I'm pleased to have been able to capture anything at all!

The highs and lows of Football in Coventry

Saturday was a sad day for Coventry sports fans, when Coventry City FC, who play their home games at the City of Coventry Stadium (aka the Ricoh Stadium) lost 2-0 to Doncaster Rovers. A result which sees them relegated from the Championship for next season.

City fans are already showing their 'look on the bright side' attitude, pledging that the club is 'only visiting' the lower divisions and will be back in the Championship very soon.

But as if to showcase both the highs and lows of football, CCFC’s home stadium will tonight host the only official Olympic football test event, when the City of Coventry Stadium hosts the Olympic qualifying match between Senegal and Oman, with the winning team taking the final place in this year’s Olympic Games.

Coventry will host 12 matches during the Olympics, including the women's bronze play-off and I’m extremely excited to have been chosen as an ambassador for the city during the games.
I’ll be looking forward to meeting and greeting visiting fans from around the world and helping them get safely to the stadium.

Many congratulations by the way to the England women’s football captain, Faye White on her recently announced pregnancy. But with Faye out of the games, is it too soon to offer a replacement in the form of this fine young dribbler?  Not quite sure she's got the idea of 'ball skills' yet.

I’m eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s Olympic football draw when we will know which teams will play in the city. Obviously I’m hoping for some of the big teams such as Brazil, or Spain or even – dare I hope – England!
My only disappointment is that the draw is to take place in London. I know the games are badged as London 2012 but wouldn’t it have been great if the organisers had used tonight’s test event to host the draw too?

Update on my olympic bid

I'm so pleased to say that this week I heard from the committee who are organising the Ambassador programme for the Football in Coventry as part of the Olympics.

They have said they would be 'delighted' for me to join them as one of the city ambassadors. (Not half as delighted as I am though!)

So I'm now eagerly awaiting dates for training and I'm really looking forward to being part of the 2012 Olympic experience.

So if anyone is coming to Coventry for the Olympic football I'll be one of your meeters and greeters. I hope to meet lots of lovely people and to be able to share my love of the city and my excitement at being part of the 2012 games.

My Anwhere Working Tips

Inspired to get crafty and start blogging

Friday, 2 March 2012

My Anywhere Working Tips

Over the years I've had the 'pleasure' of working in some weird and wonderful mobile places.


I've hosted conference calls in noisy lay-bys on the A14 on my way home from Ipswich, dialled into netmeetings with Indian colleagues from a service station on the M6, continually redialled into calls while travelling up the west coast mainline on a Virgin Pendolino and raced around Berlin a few days before Christmas trying to find somewhere offering free wi-fi so that I could organise a Christmas rota back in the UK.

So I feel relatively well qualified to suggest some 'Anywhere Working Tips' for a competition being hosted by Anywhere working via this link: http://www.anywhereworking.org/2012/win-the-ultimate-anywhere-working-kit/

One of my best tips is to try to 'network' wherever you go, whether this is to other offices within your own organisation or whether you are visiting other companies. I found that by cultivating friendships with colleagues around the UK I always managed to find a spare desk whenever I descended on their office.

I remember one time when the great and the good (i.e. my manager, his manager and 2 more levels of senior managers) all arrived in an office in Gatwick early in the working day. They immediately began looking for flexi desk space and kept being moved on by the office occupants who insisted 'that desk is already taken'.

I strolled in at around 10am having travelled down from Coventry (my own home office) and I immediately made myself at home at one of the desks that had been saved from the senior bods invasion.

When asked how I managed to nab a desk when everyone else had been moved on I simply smiled and shook the cake box I'd brought from home with home made cakes. I'd called the team that occupied the nearby desks the day before and told them that if they saved me a seat I'd bring cakes and pies. :-)

It seems that senior management just can't compete in the bribery stakes!

So...tip 1 - network effectively and don't be afraid to ring ahead, make mobile working arrangements and bring baked goods!

My next tip is for those whose mobile just never stops - and boy did I know how that feels. There have been huge improvements recently in the software that converts voicemails to texts & email and this is invaluable for anyone who has to sit in meetings with their phone on silent. It makes life much easier if you can glance at your texts or e-mail and get the gist of any messages rather than using a whole lunchbreak listening to messages that are usually out of date by the time you get to them.

My first experience of this software wasn't quite so successful though. I remember getting a message about problems with a system called EMP and the caller wanted me to know that the notes about this had been left on my desk in an office in London.

My text conversion told me there was a problem with the MP's debts in London.....I've often wondered if this was the rumour that started the MP expenses scandals!

So tip 2 - make use of voice to text technology....but don't assume the conversion is 100% accurate!


My final tip is to think light. I remember many days when I've trekked through the Tube network in London with a backpack weighed down with a heavyweight laptop plus all the leads needed to connect this to the power supply, LAN connection, etc. In a separate bag I'd be carrying a projector and my pockets would be full of mobile phones, USB dongles and USB memory sticks.

So tip 3 - save weight whenever possible. Use a lightweight pad instead of a laptop and a handheld projector rather than a hefty desktop model. The only extra pounds to carry are those in the bakery box being offered as bribes :-)

I lied about that being my final tip, I do have one more. Wherever I went would find myself in offices with dozens of men who all carried exactly the same laptop bag, a boring black rucksack issued by the company.

I made it my mission to cheer up the pile of boring bags and I always used to ask family and friends to buy me new laptops bags for my birthday. I loved having a bag that stood out from the rest by being bright pink, or yellow, or floral. My laptop bags were always a talking point (and usually the butt of many jokes) but at the end of the meetings when everyone else was scrabbling around sorting their bag out from the rest of the bags lined up against the wall, I'd grab my dayglo pink bag and be out of there!

So final tip - stand out from the crowd in whatever way you can!

Preview

Preview

How can an unfit mum be part of the Olympics?

This New Year I'm going to try and make a difference - at the Olympics!

Let's face it, the Olympics only happen every 4 years so being involved in the games would be brilliant wherever they were being held, but because the Olympics are taking place in the UK this year, getting involved in the 2012 games is even more special.

So I really hope I can!

Of course I would love to be healthy enough to actually take part in one of the events, but that would be a change too far for an unfit, stay at home, mum of two.

So, instead, I'm taking steps to contribute to the success of the games in my own way.

By volunteering to be an ambassador for my home city when Olympic football comes to Coventry!

Although the games are often tagged 'London 2012' , events will be taking place across the whole of the UK and are not just liked to our capital city.

I've applied to become an ambassador for my home city, Coventry, and will be attending a selection day on February 10th, at the City of Coventry Stadium (shown above) where I'm obviously hoping to shine and be selected to meet and greet visitors to the city during the Games! 

 

The City of Coventry Stadium is very close to my own home and is also known locally as the Ricoh Stadium. It is home to Coventry City Football Club and is one of the venues hosting football games as part of the 2012 Olympics. 

 

The stadium will host 12 Football matches during the Games, including the women's bronze medal match.

In addition to the football, Coventry has also been confirmed as a London 2012 Live Site venue, which will see a big screen installed at Coventry Transport Museum in the city centre.

Coventry Transport Museum http://www.transport-museum.com/default.aspx is another of my favourite places in the city as hubby is fantatical about cars so we often go for a wander around the museum on a Sunday afternoon. The Museum is home to one of the largest collections of road transport in the world and has 300 cycles, 120 motorcycles and 250 cars and commercial vehicles.

I love looking at the old cars and buses but my favourite 'car' is Thrust SSC which holds the World Land Speed Record with a speed of  1,228 km/h (763 mph) and was the first car to officially break the sound barrier!

Ok, so I sound like a geek, but I'm really excited to think that I might be able to get involved in the Games and share my love of my home city at the same time.

Fingers crossed for my assessment day....I'll post an update afterwards to say whether my attempt to get off my backside and make a difference is actually going ahead - wish me luck!