SENSCOT
MEMBER’S BULLETIN No. 194, FRIDAY 5th SEPTEMBER 2003
Dear members and friends,
My surgeon says the op went well – it’s a great relief it’s
over, and now the recovery begins. From what I can gather the general
anaesthetic near enough kills you – then they slowly bring you back to life.
The first two days were a skoosh – I had a self-administering morphine pump –
thought I was I real star. But since they took it away my gas is at a peep. Colin
in the bed opposite is just a young lad but he is very brave and patient when
they’re always sticking things into him. He’s got a tumour in his head which
they’ve tried to get at with a laser through his nose. Being here is a humbling
experience – a great deal of quiet heroism.
This
morning a wasp got inside my pyjamas and stung me. The staff nurse, who’s
scared of wasps, is making more fuss of this than of my poor neck. For all the
messages of good will – my sincere thanks.
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During the recent 10th anniversary celebrations
of the community land buy-out in Assynt, Jack McConnell announced proposals to
extend the current right-to-buy laws from settlements of 3,000 to those with
populations of up to 10,000. It is planned that the extension will come into
force early in 2004. This has rightly
been heralded as one of the early successes of the Scottish Parliament, and
would have an impact on over 100 settlements/communities in the Highland and
Islands area alone, but perhaps more significantly it now opens up
opportunities for larger communities throughout Scotland, and it will be
interesting to see the level of interest in South and Central Scotland. (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/AssyntInsp.asp)
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Two weeks ago, the bulletin mentioned that the annual
Development Trust conference is taking place in Plymouth (14th-16th September)
and that DTA Scotland will be taking a group down. So far, Angus Hardie
(Director) has received a number of notes of interest and will be heading down
with a group of eight people from as far apart as the Borders and the Orkneys,
all representing existing or emerging Development Trusts. DTA Scotland has now
been operational for almost four months and the flow of interest is increasing
on a weekly basis. Angus and his staff have been out and about across the
country meeting people and are currently planning a series of local seminars to
run over the autumn/winter months. Membership forms are now available. For
further information, contact info@dtascot.org.uk.
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Senscot is one of the ‘key network partners’ in SCVO’s
‘workwithus’ project to bring very low cost IT products to the voluntary
sector. After a fairly lengthy period of development a number of items are
ready to roll – DIY websites, databases and other bits of software. Membership of
‘workwithus’ is available for all different shapes and sizes of organisations
and over the coming weeks Senscot will be involved in testing some of these
products and pointing members in their direction. Some freebies and discounted
items are promised for early-takers and parties interested in trying some of
them out. More info here: http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/WorkwithusUpdate.asp.
We’ll keep you posted.
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Already there has been a fair bit of interest in our
Conference on 19th November at the Lighthouse in Glasgow. We stated
last week that we have space for approximately 120 of which we want to make
sure that 100 places are for practitioners in a similar fashion to last year`s
event. Also, we are prepared to help with transport costs for groups travelling
together. If you want to book a place for yourself and/or colleagues, contact emma@senscot.net
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YELLOW PAGES: Space constraints mean we can’t carry every
notice you send. But please send in any relevant items (before noon Thursday)
to simon@senscot.net and we’ll post them
on our site. This week:
JOBS: 27 vacancies, including posts at LetsLink Scotland,
Scotland UnLtd, Fablevision, Visual Statement, New Economics Foundation,
Aspire.
EVENTS: SEDI events, October -November Theatre Nemo book
launches, East Kilbride, 6 &11 Sept; EDAS conference, Glasgow,
16 Sept; Multi-faith forum, Edinburgh, Sept 17; Partners in Voluntering awards
deadline Sept 26; environmental Justice conference, Edinburgh Sept 27; Falkirk
College Enterprise Day, 8 Oct; Urban Design conference, Glasgow, 21-22 Oct;
‘Make a Difference Day’ in Scotland, 25 Oct; Scottish Federation of Housing
Associations Conference 2003 Edinburgh Nov 20-22; Upstarts awards 3 now open
for entries: http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/Upstart3Launch.asp
PUBLICATIONS: “Care Sector – A framework for social
enterprise creation,” “essential new guide for care sector organisations who
want to become sustainable social enterprises” (see www.sel.org.uk)
For details on these and more: http://www.senscot.net/LD/Yellow/YellowFrontPage.asp
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This week’s bulletin profiles a community initiative set up
in Sighthill in Glasgow in direct response to well publicised difficulties in
the area. Those events provided the local community with the impetus to work
together in an effort to make a difference to life in Sighthill for all the
including both long-standing residents as well newly re-located residents,
asylum seekers and refugees. The Sighthill Community One Stop Shop (SCOSS) is
being set up with the view of providing a “One Stop Shop” for information and
advice to all sections of the local community. The project involves the
refurbishment of a derelict supermarket, converting it into a community
facility, that will open 9am -10pm, seven days a week. The Centre will also
operate a Café, serving breakfasts, lunches and dinners at affordable prices.
SCOSS is also in the process of setting up a catering company in a joint
venture with Glasgow Refugee Action Group (GRAG) http://www.senscot.net/LD/Profiles/Menu.asp;
www.senscot.net (Project Profiles).
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Following the International Rural Network Conference in
Inverness this year, Rural Network member Vanessa Halhead has undertaken a
study tour of Northern Europe to look at the Village Action Movement. The
movement started in Finland in the 1970`s and has spread rapidly through
Scandinavia and Central Europe. The movement aims to promote the well being of
rural communities and to support local initiatives. (http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/search.cgi?qt=village+action)
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Final words this week from WH Auden. His poem ‘Musée des
Beaux Arts’ reflects on how the extraordinary and the commonplace are always
around us, inseparable. Events that are to some personally life-changing or
maybe tragic take place alongside life just going on as usual:
“How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the
torturer’s horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.” (Full poem: http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/Auden.asp.)
That’s it for this week. Good luck with your adventures.
Best wishes,
Laurence.
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