Claire Squires' Just Giving Page

The Claire Squires story is heartbreaking. Her brother died young and Claire was doing her bit to raise money for the Samaritans when she passed away towards the end of the 2012 London Marathon aged only 30. Claire had intended to raise £500 for the Samaritans and the flood of donations since her untimely death has pushed that amount to almost £500,000 at the time of writing. I suspect that I am not alone in hoping that the Samaritans set up a Trust Fund in Claire’s memory so that her contribution is still helping the charity in 30 years time rather than the monies being absorbed as a windfall now. It would be nice to see a lasting legacy from a person who understood that we are all on this earth for what we do for others. That would mean that Claire’s early death is not totally in vain and her family and close friends can take some comfort from the positive outcomes for Claire’s chosen charity the Samaritans. So why not track down the Claire Squires ‘just giving’ page linked to the Samaritans and send off a few pounds as well. Many of us are, or have been effected by mental ill health and those who are not, probably know at least two or three persons who have suffered a mental health setback in their life. Claire ran the Marathon and tried to raise money for a charity that is close to many people’s heart. I have rung the Samaritans once in my life, and it’s nice to know that when you need someone to talk to, there are systems in place that can help others when they need that help the most. I gave the few pounds left in my Paypal account. It's no big shakes as it was only a small amount. But if lots of people do the same then it all adds up.

I had a social network message off a friend yesterday asking about the snow.

“What snow?” thought me, until I stepped out into the freezing cold arctic conditions and above the village could see the 'white of those hills there yonder'. Now that what comes of being ill; you lose track of what's happening around you. Well that’s not strictly true as you may acquire a better understanding of what’s going on in the wider world through television and the internet. But I’m writing about that bubble around your personal space and the interaction between the person and their community and the local environment.

I could have sworn that when I last went outside I was wearing shorts and sandals and Mr Tister and I were enjoying an ice cream on the promenade. But then again I was just jabbering away to two family members, before I realised that they weren’t in the house!

The other clarification means that we have to return to the ice cream story. You see, Mr Tister was enjoying the frothy cone, but I was just looking on longingly and wondering if my pension could stretch to getting myself one, given the Government’s hike in taxation and the zero annual occupational pension increase that is currently my lot.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate getting a pension, and I also understand that if I had left in 2005 when I pleaded to go, then it would probably be a lot less. But ‘no increase’ every year doesn’t mean ‘no pay rise’, it means a pay loss. Not even a ‘pay freeze’ because while the pension hasn’t gone up, the actual cost of living seems to increase exponentially and those increases seems to occur monthly.

Strategy and not Tactics

Can someone please start teaching the Apprentices the difference between Tactics and Strategy before the programme airs each Season. Maybe it could be part of the introduction and health and safety package.

And while we are at it, could someone check out the behind the scenes footage before the FIRING. You know the sort of thing “I wasn’t too impressed by your behaviour when you done so and so and for that reason you are fired”. Because in the real world people are more often than not pushed out for what they say, do, stand for, rather than for failing a task or being a pivotal part of that task failure.