Rachel and Jasmine arrived Monday afternoon to much rejoicing in our household. Soon the front room floor space became a playground with all sorts of imaginative games played out. A terraced house with rooms on three levels is a good place for hide 'n seek with Grandpa too.
Tuesday I went into work, principally to attend a reception at the Mansion House to honour Eric Dutton the 'father' of city centre retailing, who has been passionately involved in the transformation of Cardiff's premier shopping area for the past fifty years. He was one of the early movers and shakers behind setting up a security radio network in the city centre, decades ago, and accompanied Cardiff Business Safe at various stages of its development. At 83 he is starting to take a back seat in overseeing improvements, not that he'll ever be satisfied things are as good as they should be. Nothing but the best is good enough for his beloved City! The event began with awards by Eric to three retailers responsible for initiatives in the vicinity of their own premises to ensure high standards of care in the retail zone. Then a presentation was made to Eric with speeches from the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.
In conversation afterwards, I learned that the way existing Partnerships between the Council and other bodies operates is about to change, and that the present Community Safety Partnership (of which Cardiff Business Safe is supposed to be a member, not that there's ever been much evidence of this), is to be absorbed into a larger new body. No details yet. I wonder how far this is a consequence of the need for cost cutting currently causing upheavals in most Council activities. It's a matter of 'watch this space'. It may be a while before we learn what impact this change has on the work of Cardiff Business Safe, if any.
Recently I've been writing an historical review of the past six years of our existence, and concluded that for all the noble aspirations behind its set-up, some crucial components were overlooked by all involved in the Partnership, and this has made CBS more vulnerable to the upheavals of the day than should ever have been allowed. Suffice it to say, none of the Partners would have tolerated or perhaps even survived the existence of such design flaws in their own organisations. But what's past is past. Fortunately, CBS has done more than survive despite inherited weaknesses, thanks to the determination of its volunteers to make a worthwhile contribution to the welfare of the City against the odds. I hope a constructive review of organisation and the Business Crime Partnership will result in placing us on a much sounder footing.
How good it was to re-start Chi Gung class this evening. Last week I wasn't well enough, and I wasn't sure that I was really well enough tonight. Nevertheless, I'm glad I made the effort.
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