Onwards and Upwards…!!

After a little break for some time on leave (yaay…brilliant) and a spell of covid (boo hiss….rubbish) it’s great to return to this reflective practice and jot a few thoughts at the end of the week.

It was great to be in London for a few days at half term. Old haunts were visited, lost venues mourned (can you believe that Stamfords isn’t on Long Acre anymore?!) and we got to see Kenneth Branagh’s King Lear; which was ok…but not great (bit sad about that) which is hard for me to say as I love him as Poirot!! Then covid hit which we won’t dwell on other than to say…feeling a load better, thank you.

So, coming back into focus this week, it was great to reflect on the mid-year reporting and remind ourselves of our collective goals and priorities at the quarterly staff meeting. What a shed load of connections our team make, the complexity of which blows your mind and the need for good communication, both formal and informal, across our team was so clearly highlighted in our discussions. We do so often get caught up in ‘our lists’ and remembering to connect on every level can be a challenge when we are working at pace to respond to and support the needs of our communities. It is always a pleasure to hear about the super work of our team and witness the problem solving in action!

And on a wider scale…what a load of opportunities to collaborate abound? As we begin to build our priorities for the coming year, the many many ‘irons in the fire’ need stoking, shaping and refining…this is a massive task, one done in partnership and which takes careful thought. Good for the brain cells (they get a really sound work out) and draining on the diary as we balance the ‘planning’ against the ‘responding’! It is, however, wonderful to feel the power of partnership in action.

And finally this week…our AGM once again went off smoothly; and who can believe I’ve been in the role more than a year? We welcomed old friends and said good bye to one of our longest serving Trustees. So, a celebration but also the end of an era. Our wonderful Trustees are committed to doing all they can to assure the longevity of our organisation and none more than Jenny has given her all to the stewardship of DCA over such a long period. We thank her and will dearly miss her.