Andy Wright's Blog

Last Post ... for 2010

2010-12-31T12:19:00.003+02:00

Hey all,

I saw some one had clicked through from this page to my website and remembered I have not updated for a while. So, here we are, the last post this year.

This is the second year of trading as self-employed and while it is still going well, some of the contracts have finished mainly due to the ecconomic situation. It is a worthy note to remember to always carry on with finding your next source of income and never rely on any one funding stream..

It is always wise to make sure your "paperwork" stands for legal scrutiny because people will do anything to get their own way - i.e. not pay you. Really, I should have learnt that a while back!

Anyway, a merry christmas (whats left) and a happy prosperous new year.

Wiltshire Wellbeing Awards 2009

2010-04-25T16:13:00.000+02:00

The Police and your local file

2010-04-16T18:07:00.003+02:00

Here's a shocker for you. The Police, when giving information from your file don't need to make sure the information they give, is ACTUALLY correct.

In effect, mallicious people can make false statements about you, this will then be kept by the Police for ever, and rehashed to all and sundry regardless.

Where it is assumed the Police are upstanding, truthful and beyond reproach, I have it from the mouth of the ACC of the local force, that: "he is not really concerned if the information is correct or not, just that it appears on their system. There is no compunction for him to verify the information is correct, and as such, he will reveal all of the information if he thinks it is appropriate to do so".

Beware..

Political Debate

2010-04-16T09:14:00.002+02:00

Anyone sit through that thing on TV last night? I know, I said I would not do it, but after flicking over was quickly enthralled by Nick Clegg.... I agreed with the Poll at the end that NC did a good job of showing the country the "old ways" do not have to apply, because there IS a viable alternative.

Having seen NC win the popularity poll for the TV programme, it will be interesting how many just fall back into the old ways, and vote for Conservative or Labour just because "they always do" and not based upon the policies.

I am not on my soap box here, but a lot of the crap Brown spouted was spoilt by the fact that he and his party have had 13 years to do all this, and they have failed. Conservatives on the same note, just want to look after the upper classes.

If NC and Lib Debs don't achieve winning the election, people will only moan about the other two parties inadequacies. I will just say: "its your own fault" because here is a golden opportunity to vote for change.

The old saying applies: "do the same things the same way, you'll get the same result"....

Vicar's verbal thrashing - serves him right

2010-03-31T21:02:00.002+02:00

I haven't read the article in the Mail but was informed by three of my students that the Rev, mentioned in the previous posting, has been verbally dressed down by a tai chi instructor. Hip Hip Horay! Well done, that man...

Most types of tai chi have no more religious connections than a packet of crisps, and his bigotted, small minded attitude are sadly why the majority of conflicts around the world start with religious "reasons". I am really stepping up to the soap box with this one, especially when our Armed Forces are the ones thrown in to deal with this.

One of my karate students (from a young age) wanted to join the Green Berets; and he did. I met him after he had served in Afghanistan (circa 2002) and was so proud of his achievements.

Luckily, he was a survivor of the Forces and has subsequently left. I can only imagine the heart ache for families of soldiers killed for what is said to be "the defence of our realm and way of life".

The point? People like the Rev should get a life, and take a reality check.

Budget

2010-03-24T16:14:00.001+02:00

Today is another day when we are screwed for more money... The government should get themselves a parrot and pirate flag for this is what it appears to be.

Booze, Fags, Petrol and Council Tax...

The joke is that in a few weeks, after the election, the "new" government will just have another budget, increasing everything once more.

Who pays? They Decide...

Tai Chi in Church Halls

2010-03-19T18:20:00.003+02:00

One of my students mentioned the article in the Mail...

Vicar bans 'anti-Christian' exercise class Tai Chi from church hall

By Chris Brooke
Last updated at 1:16 AM on 19th March 2010
As far as the pensioners were concerned, their weekly Tai Chi classes in the church hall simply helped them to relax and do some gentle exercise. But the vicar and senior members of the church community saw a more sinister side to the popular £2 a time lunchtime sessions. They decided the ancient martial art, with its roots in the Chinese Taoist philosophy, was incompatible with Christianity and should not be tolerated.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1258888/Vicar-bans-anti-Christian-exercise-class-Tai-Chi-church-hall.html#comments#ixzz0idlyxVPU

All i have to say is expressed on the comments page; I am holding my tongue and counting to 10!

co-incidence?

2010-03-19T18:06:00.002+02:00

I don't believe in coincidence but as I am trying to get an appointment to discuss an important matter with the Chief of Police and not taking any excuses in the process, in the post today is a speeding ticket!

I've looked at the evidence photos and I am following two cars, with a reasonable distance between me and the one in front. I'll never know, but I wonder if the others will get tickets because they must have been doing the same or more speed than me, which was clocked at 36 in 30?

OK, fair cop you might be saying. I agree, but the photo was from the rear and at a wierd angle meaning the operator was hiding - I did not see anyone or any vehicle. The position was also just inside a 30 marker, a hundred or so feet.

Reading the blurb, it says 73% of drivers going through that spot were over the limit. That says to me the area needs looking at, because quite often an area has a limit when to be honest it really didn't need it to be so low. Sometimes a road speed limit has been 60, and is reduced to 40 say, but there is no obvious change or reason to warrant the limit.

Yes, I know the stats; 80% survive at 30, compared to 10% at 40....

I dont agree with breaking limits and this occasion was a rareity. Having subsequently checked my speedo there is not much leeway on the instrument between 30 and 40, and it would be easy to go over the limit unintentionally as I did.

Police Chief Officer of Wiltshire

2010-03-19T17:56:00.002+02:00

Has anyone ever tried to get an appointment with their CPO?

I am finding it very annoying that he is unavailable for a meeting with me to discuss issues he is ultimately responsible for under Home Office guidelines!

Yes, he has no day-to-day responsibilities for the questionable tasks because he has a team of senior staff who do all the work. However, he is ultimately responsible should it become a matter for the court, because the buck stops with him.

I'm NOT mistaken in the fact that his wages are paid by me and other citizens from our taxes yet he has delegated the meeting to a subordinate officer. He may well be very busy doing what he does, attending award presentations (where I met him, shook his hand and requested a meeting), and the like BUT so am I, trying to earn a living!

I will keep you informed about progress.

Does anyone read these blogs?

2010-03-14T17:48:00.002+02:00

Interesting question... hmmm, does anyone actually read these blogs of mine? Are they just my own private sounding board as I originally envisaged they would be or does someone other than me benefit from the ramblings of a bored, middle-aged person?

Now, we can argue the word "benefit" - some would say it can have many meanings and what a reader may experience from the ramblings will be dependent upon their own needs at the time. At the worst they've used a few seconds of your important life, at best they may have inspired you to better things. For me, it enables the letting off of steam.

I've been in the process of sorting out classes for May to August 2010; paperwork, etc. In my other previous roles I have always fought the pointlessness of paperwork for the sake of it, but now find myself often contemplating its' invention for tasks that really doesn't need it.

I've also been reeling over the disappointment of not winning this years Wiltshire Healthy Awards - i was not even shortlisted despite getting 30 nominations out of the total 150.... Pretty much a rigged out come especially when during filming to be screened at the event, you're told categorically that you stand no chance because the person telling you this is "influential with/is on the deciding panel", and again as you enter on the presentation day to which you've been invited to give away the award for the category you're nominated.

There is next year of course.

2010-02-19T18:33:00.002+02:00

Police are appealing for information after a man attempted to entice two 14-year-old girls into his car near Sutton Benger.

On Saturday February 6 at approximately 1am the girls were travelling by bicycle near the Draycott Cerne area of the B4069 between Chippenham and Sutton Benger, when a man in a car pulled up alongside them.

The man shouted at the girls to get into the car, but they refused and he proceeded to drive off in the direction of Wootton Bassett.

The man is described as athletically built and between 5ft5ins and 6ft tall. He was dressed all in black and was wearing black gloves with a Nike tick on them. The vehicle he was driving was a white or silver saloon car with heavily tinted/black rear windows and a dark coloured interior.

PC Nick Holt said: “This incident was very frightening for the two girls involved and I am appealing for members of the public to come forward if they witnessed a man fitting this description acting suspiciously in the areas of Chippenham, Wootton Bassett or the B4069 on the evening of Friday February 5 or in the early hours of Saturday morning.

FIRSTLY, what the hell are these girls, 14 years 0ld, doing out at 1am in the morning riding bikes in the countryside?

SECONDLY, what are the parents thinking letting them do it?

Ok, if these girls were legitimately returning from a social gathering why weren' t other arrangements made, such as a taxi or parental transportation? However, if i were a parent of a 14 year old girl, she certainly would not be out in the countryside at that time and probably not out at 1am full stop.

My other point is that immediately it is alleged the man in the incident is a paedophile... I dont condone the actions of paedophiles and I would also suggest the man gets a new line in speaking to females, but I do feel the man has been hung before the facts are known.

What if by chance he had thought that these girls were actually older than they were simply because no one would expect a 14 year old to be in that place at that time, may be he was actually "chatting them up"; then when he realised they were younger than he thought, made a hasty exit...?

Probably not, but it is an alternative to the standard press ideology of convict without trial.

Who can tell how old people are these days when a little slap can make someone older than they are, especially if they are going to a party.

Off my horse now.

tuesday 5th Jan

2010-01-05T11:25:00.002+02:00

My second blog of 2010!

As my week traverses through to friday when I must begin again classes of tai chi I am trying to wind myself up into action after a good 3 weeks of nothing.

I pity those who had to go to an office yesterday, it was icy. I had to pick up a parcel and the car took a good 10 minutes to defrost. Aparently minus 10 has been the lowest temperature in the UK so far; hang on, what about global warming????? (yes, i know, its not global warming - its climate change caused by CO2 increases with the main culprit being the car ... wrong, the main culprit(s) are America and China who pump out CO2 like there's no tomorrow).

Anyway, while i'm high horsing i wanted to blog about people and the way they just cannot say what they mean or when they do say something to stick with it. I am not being too specific because its a personal issue, but when I say I will do something I follow through, and should I not want to do it, I am completely upfront about it. I dont wishywashy around, get some one else to pass on my thoughts, or generally get uppity for no reason. There, its said.

If you're reading this let me know how you found the blog and where you are in the world.

2010 is here

2010-01-03T17:43:00.001+02:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Many are preparing for work tomorrow 4th January. Not me. My sessions start officially on 11th January with my own classses, although on 8th January the sports centre sessions begin 9am in my home town followed by 3 others throughout the day.

I have the remaining time to catch up and prepare for what is set to be a busy 3 months.

14 December

2009-12-14T10:36:00.000+02:00

Hello Bloggists

I did not get chance to blog because I have been winding down and trying to find a late deal holiday, which I found last thursday. We go on wednesday, just two days away. Well, I had a cancelled class and it was very last minute but I had in mind a holiday somewhere for christmas, just not so quickly.

I may be blogging before the big day, so keep watching. Oh yes, please vote for me in the healthy wiltshire awards - the link is http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/2010healthandwellbeingawards/2010healthandwellbeingawardscategories.htm

Catching Up

2009-11-29T16:38:00.000+02:00

Well, I didnt get to blog last week, simply too busy! I have spent today catching up with paperwork and preparations for the new year courses. This is the first month of working for myself and it has gone well. I hope that the rest go as well.

I've finally managed to get a venue in Chippenham, and a new session will commence in the new year. Also, two people attending another class asked if I could do a session nearer to their location and as it turns out was an area I was going to target anyway. What is more they did the leg work and got the hall information form me - and a session will begin in January.

My software is not really getting any sales which is disappointing. It's had 93+ downloads from SoftPedia,but surprisingly no sales. www.aimanager.co.uk.

See you soon.

superTED

2009-11-22T22:41:00.000+02:00

http://www.superted.com/andy-wright/

i am now on superted..!!

Sunday 15th November

2009-11-15T12:00:00.000+02:00

Well, at the end of a very busy week I am sat here resting and preparing for the new week - my 4th as a self employed person.

This last week I've done the usual sessions plus a few extras such as HMP Erlestoke, Kestrel Court in Melksham and the Disability Sports Group in Swindon. Plus on thursday morning I attended the PMLD Partnership Conference in Trowbridge. PMLD is "person with multiple learning disability". I met up with staff and clients I'd seen the previous two days in Salisbury, plus staff and clients from Mill Race in Calne I was due to visit that afternoon!

I was able to distribute my card to a number of agencies and even met up with my ex-shaw trust colleagues who were also there!

Next week end is the second day of the training course I am leading to teach people the stuff I know in order to produce more instructors.

My other half disappeared yesterday to bristol to visit her friends and I watched "Red Belt" on Sky Movies; a story about a jiu jitsu instructor - did not really get the ending but it was compelling.

See you all soon. Please feel free to email me if you're actually reading this drivel or you have any comments.

Second Week

2009-11-08T18:43:00.002+02:00

I don't think it has sunk in yet, i am still not into the mode of working for myself even though I have now reached the second week of doing it. This week is a little more hectic with a few more classes, including Erlestoke for my monthly visit.

Last week, as I blogged previously, was actually nothing different to any previous week. I suppose it is because of being in a 2 year build up, I've not really noticed the changes. Anyway, I heard on the radio about mid week the presenter rambling on about having the best job ever and I chuckled to myself, quietly saying "yeah, right. Mine's the best job ever".

But, if you're working for yourself, you'll know this is now a bad time because it is easy to sit back and do nothing more than just the stuff you have to, whereas I was actively promoting and looking for new opportunities all the time. I am very conscious of this and I am still looking for new avenues - hence my supplying of shoes, music and mp3 players to students.

Week 2, here we go.

The First Week

2009-11-05T10:29:00.000+02:00

As the first week of self-employment as an instructor comes to a close, its a good time to review how it went. I have not really noticed much difference in the pattern of classes I have done this week, but certainly at the end of the month it will be obvious financially that the other job has gone with a 50% reduction in cash. I am hoping that the shortfall will begin to be replaced as classes start up in the new year although two of them are worrying me with no sign ups yet.

I think this is a time to hold your nerve and not to panic too much. I knew the step was a risk but what else was there to do - i know the sessions are needed and beneficial, and there is no one else doing the same.

Facebook

2009-10-27T20:47:00.001+02:00

Oh God!

I've really done it now, I've gone and registered on Face Book....

end of the week

2009-10-23T17:49:00.002+02:00

wow, what a good week.

Although to be fair monday night / tuesday morning did not go well because I was up 3 or 4 times on the "big white phone talking to God"! Not sure exactly why but it hampered my day on tuesday, attending as i did, a very important paid speaking engagement at Marlborough College.

The rest of the week whizzed by and involved extensive travel to various parts including Abingdon.

Please view www.thewrightinspiration.com and pass on to anyone you feel could offer me some paid work.

see you soon.

New Week

2009-10-18T17:07:00.001+02:00

It's an exciting week, because I have to do a presentation to students at Marlborough College. It is my first large scale speaking engagement and I have spent most of today doing the MS Powerpoint presentation for the event.

I am hoping the heady mix of humour and tai chi will win them over; however I am worried they won't know what a ZX Spectrum, Amstrad 1512 or DAF 55 are because they're products made well before any of them were born. It is shocking how fondly I remember the 80's only to realise I'll be the only one to do this!

If the presentation goes badly, I shall have to rely on the qigong!

Anyway, have a pleasant week.

customer service

2009-10-17T15:15:00.002+02:00

I think the standards are decreasing..What do you think?

I bought a new bed on 26 September and spent £500 on it. Nothing special, just a bed. Delivery was quoted as being the end of the week or early the following week. I waited until the end of the following week, before ringing.

I asked where my bed was. I was told that the bed was in stock, they were awaiting the headboard. Hmm. My next question was, "so why did you not ring and tell me this, considering the delivery deadline I was given."

The answer was a little staggering: "we don't ring until the order is in, and then its to arrange delivery".

I was a little hesitant to ask: "so when can I expect delivery?"

"mid next week at least", was the answer.

Need I say, by thursday it was not here. I faxed my complaint and made suggestion I wanted a full refund... On friday I had a phone call saying they would like to deliver on Saturday.

This was the only part they got right, being a full 2 hours earlier than anticipated.

As far as the bed is concerned, I actually think the matresses are not the ones I saw and supposedly ordered. I will reserve judgement about the comfort levels, until I have tried them out.

starting to work for myself

2009-10-13T20:28:00.002+02:00

I made the decision around 3 weeks ago, following conversations at work, to go it alone as a tai chi instructor.

Over the last year classes have really expanded and I now have quite a number during the week. With the extra time, I can get others started and offer more to those I already do sessions for. I am also hoping the speaking work will take off as well - www.thewrightinspiration.com is my new website for this.

I think that if you read the blogs from the beginning, you'll know the tribulations I went through at the hands of business partners... well, the premises is empty, and he's now had to resort to hiring school halls just as I did all those years ago! I cannot really say I am bothered, but there is a smug grin on my face knowing he couldn't make it work after stealing it from me; although to be honest, it was ruined and destined to fall possibly the moment it opened even with me there. I just wonder where the equipment and mats went?

Anyway, setting off on my journey of self-employment is a new venture and one I hope is the correct path. I am also running a training programme for people who want to do what I do - instruct.

My classes include sessions for HMP Erlestoke, Parkinsons, Age Concern, Wiltshire Council resource centres, sports centres, day services, sheltered accommodation, charitable organisations, voluntary groups, etc.

That's it for now. Back soon.

New Post for a long while

2009-10-12T09:30:00.002+02:00

Don't know if the above title makes much sense or is good grammatical English, however there you go.

Here's a quick update to the last year of no blogging, due to several things, one of which was apathy to write stuff. The other was losing my login details.

Anyway, during 2008 I left my home of marital bliss and was forced (at great difficulty) into a temporary flat while I continued to bid on homes that, to the best part, I had no chance of winning - such frustrating systems leaving me depressed and very annoyed.

I finally won a bungalow and moved in during August of 2008. Unfortunately the housing society saw fit that this was a "new tenancy" despite being one since about 1985, and put me on probation. I obviously then lost all my security of tenancy - caused in the most part by politics and paperwork.

My next challenge was getting Virgin to accept that "cable" was available for installation - despite their computer post code search saying "no". After having my account deleted at my old address and losing all my emails and internet facilities, (the whole point of transferring cable systems to my new address so that i wouldn't) I finally found Barry Walker who visited me, could see sense and sorted the problem out. Within a short time, cable had been fitted and I was up and running.

Christmas came and went - 2009 was here at last.

During February I attended the healthy wiltshire awards and won the first prize in the individual category. This was for teaching tai chi classes.

My classes started to expand and increase, so much so I had to reduce my work hours in my day job. By the summer, I was convinced that i should be self-employed and moving towards this dream happened in part during September as a result of the DWP putting the project under pressure due to performance issues (caused by a lack of jobs). With changes afoot I put plans in place to make the leap to teaching full time, and this happened in October.

More to come....

Delayed Blogging

2008-01-23T18:07:00.000+02:00

Well, damn the marriage breakdown - its been a while since being able to get back onto my pc and the internet in order to regain some semblances of normality. Unfortunately for me, the other half saw fit to allege an assault on her (she fell over), and i was then told in no uncertain terms by HM Constabulary not to return home for a while. That was 21st December.

Unfortunately (also) i have been worried about the possibility of a reoccurance of the allegations - especially with them being false (and proven with no further action being taken against me), so much so i have been forced to stay with family for my own safety.

I can see how getting me out will leave the house open for her to take it, which in normal circumstances would be quite a good move - except in this case, its a council property and i am the sole tenant!

Now, what has become quite a theme, which some more observant people will have seen is a trend in life, that the Law is a complete Ass. I have had conflicting and confusing advice from various quarters, namely my housing society and several highly paid lawyers.

On the one hand, tenancy law says i am safe and she should "move out", easier said than done. As far as matrimonial law is concerned there is every chance she could get a Judge to give her my tenancy! However, the difficulty has been no one can say for sure what is right or wrong.

If you're getting divorced at the moment, my thoughts are with you because the whole thing just seems to stitch up a guy to end up paying for the lot when the other party are just as to blame for the breakup. Luckily we had no children to worry about in all the legal mumbojumbo.

Keep watching for developments. At least i can get on my pc now.

Fed up with Flu

2007-12-16T11:47:00.000+02:00

Damn those microbes!

After a week and a half, approximately 2-3 weeks ago, i have the signs of flu again. They snuck up thursday night and by friday its full blown snot, sore throat, headache, etc. I put the illness down to low chi (qi) levels resulting from the stress and strain of running two lives! I envy those men out there who manage to have more than one "affair", which i must say I dont consider myself to be doing (although on a technical level it is). Gee, they must have great stamina and energy either that or they suffer with every nasty bug out there!

Well, shopping for xmas (do you hate that abreviation?) is done as far as practical, or as much as i will ever do. I went yesterday and after 3 hours of ignoramouses (is that the correct plural?) who walk around in a daze and get in the way, and of course the chill factor, (I found my self going into shops i would never go into, just to get warm), I quit. Amazon and Ebay beckoned nearer and resultingly made several sales from me in the endevour to resolve the present shortfall.

Are you looking forward to it? The only thing I am looking forward to is the extended break, from the 18th December to the 7th January when the main item for the agenda will be not to think about the work I never did, do not intend doing (i.e. delaying doing until new year - note, just in case the boss reads this blog), and all the fun and enjoyment i do intend to have.

Happy Holiday.

nearly christmas

2007-12-12T20:53:00.000+02:00

well, i am in the run up to holiday time as i complete my last full week and then im off work until January 7th 2008.

It has been a year of events and next year is set to continue with the trend. I am sure you read my last few entries, and are aware of my impending separation after a long 16 years of marriage. While i have no intention of sharing intimate details, i did decide to put some stuff on here because there may be others of you going through similar times.

My last few weeks have been concerned with futile petty battles with the wife and her family. It came to a head at the beginning of the week when there was a large "discussion" during which time I tried to keep calm and sane. Then things sort of got a bit better, the air being clearer for a while.

I dont know how long the accomodation situation will take to resolve, but my latest offer of a bungalow has fallen through for various reasons; and we're back to bidding on properties few and far between.

At least I have a long break from work and als0 from home, because the family is going away for 4 days and then i am going with my new partner for a week away.

Happy holidays to you all!

13th November

2007-11-13T18:23:00.000+02:00

Well, things progressed along quite nicely this weekend following a bad week of feeling ill with (man) flu - although if you had it, your choice of title would not include the words "man" or "flu" !

Whatever your feelings about having an "extra-marital relationship", i did enjoy myself with the girlfriend over the weekend - I have got to be careful what i say because she's been on and read the previous blogs, plus no doubt will be reading this one at some point! While I know it's an issue for the other partner the new relationship feels right and natural, with a feeling that we're so much alike despite what some would say is a huge age difference.

I would say it is the best decision i have made for a long while and if you're in a position to change your life for the better, then i would say, do it now. It may hurt and cause you heartache and stress, but hopefully the new found happiness will supercede and improve as time goes by.

So, if you are reading this blog - i love you very much and thank you for being there to support me....

Bad Time

2007-11-07T12:01:00.000+02:00

Well, who would have guessed what would be happening now in one's life; sometimes i reflect that its a bit like a movie, where things play out in a surreal atmosphere as they're happening to some one else and that as soon as i wake up it'll be back to the way it was before everything started.

Quite cryptic? That's deliberate, partly because i dont want my laundry publicly viewed as it's been stressful enough without it being used against me. But remembering the blog is a sounding board, and may be useful for someone going through similar experiences; here goes.

After 16 years of marriage I have concluded it is better to separate. Several things have helped me conclude this, one of whom is the new love of my life but NOT the cause of the breakup. The marriage was broken long before that time, possibly for two or more years before. This fact had been confirmed independently by several close friends of both of us who, when informed of our inpending separation, had said things such as "they weren't surprised" and "had noticed stuff going on". Pity it took me such a long time to see the same.

Now, of course, we have the messy affair of divorce and separating everything in our lives. Of course the easy answer is to blame the other woman, however for me the other woman is not relevant in the decision. It is of course easy to say that having any affair is wrong and the reason for breaking up; but in this unique situation it isn't and for me (easy to say) is the only thing keeping me sane and on the rails.

So, with impending legal costs, house removal and stress regarding bad feelings, I can honestly say I am not looking forward to christmas this year.

here and gone

2007-09-26T17:22:00.000+02:00

Why is passing time so fast?

Or may be it is just the "concept" that time is rapidly passing because so much is going on in my life, what with the day job, taichi, websites, programming, etc.

After all the previous blog entry was May and its now end of September and we've had Summer, Autumn and we're now moving towards winter! My holiday is Malta is a long distant memory of July. It was just a moment ago that I was planning the rest of this year, and now i'm planning next - what with the possibility of being made redundant from the job that is due to finish in march (well, probably; no one can yet say for sure).

Lets hope my next blog is not six months away.

A bit lapse but not lazy

2007-05-07T15:32:00.000+02:00

I dont want anyone to think, by the very absence of blogs, that i've been lazy and haven't been doing stuff. Blogging was on my mind but i've just not had chance to put key to screen just lately. Why, well loads of really cool stuff.

I have been setting up loads of new chi kung classes, (starting to) write a book (or 2) , working, sleeping and eating (plus accompanying side effects), plus generally keeping busy with website designs, re-designs and tests for ungrateful tight-wads (who, after creating a masterpiece, wont pay for it). I'm in the process of trying to create some DVD's for selling but either need to find a cheap production method or buy a camera!

Also, i notice how time flies by - already it is May and i'm looking forward to my holiday in July once again.

On that note i'm off to pack.

screwed once again by the UK Goverment!

2007-02-08T17:46:00.000+02:00

If you drive a car in the UK, please read - Sarah Kennedy was talking about this proposed car tax scheme on Radio 2. Apparently there is only one month left to register your objection to the 'Pay As You Go' road tax.
The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody about it. Therefore at the time of Sarah's comments only 250,000 people had signed it and 750,000 signatures are required for the goverment to at least take any notice.
Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.
The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the kids to school paid £86 in one month.
On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly bill.
If you are concerned about this Orwellian plan and want to stop the constant bashing of the car driver, please sign the petition on No 10's new website (link below) and pass this on to as many people as possible. Sign up if you value your freedom and democratic rights -
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax

new classes this week

2007-01-28T14:23:00.000+02:00

well, this week i have a new class; chippenham, wiltshire. I did try this town last May, but the turn out was exceedingly disappointing and sessions lasted to the 3rd week (when no one showed up, and I cancelled the remaining).

what's different? a cheaper venue for starters. Plus a ready made audience, from my day job. It's a shocker how many people say they're going to attend; lets wait and see the actual numbers. But in any case it's going to be 5x more than last year.

chi kung is brilliant and i recommend it to everyone.

Kylie concert

2007-01-14T13:15:00.000+02:00

What a weekend. On friday we (wife, pa and self) travelled to Manchester for the concert situated in MEN Arena, and what a nightmare journey that was. You may recall a previous blog about the travel arrangements and research I did to make it easy. I came to the conclusion that for our sanity we'd go by train. Here's the story:

1020am (friday 12th Jan) we're dropped off at the station as prearranged (20 mins early) to enable assistance onto the train.

1022am A train pulls in, after a brief conversation between ticket office and conductor she says (conductor) get on NOW; so we rush to get onto a train where we have no seat reservations but are okay except for the panic.

Arriving at Newport with 10 mins to walk 20 feet, instead of 3 mins, our next train - the scheduled booking, comes into the station. Someone is sitting in our seats (sounds like a goldilocks moment) so I asked one to move and then as i sat there I realised we were facing the wrong way despite the seat reservation saying "forward facing".

Settling down in a different seat (forward facing) we are heading up to Hereford where the train grinds to a halt; there's a train breakdown up ahead and we're stuck for over an hour just past Leominster. Between there and Crewe the staff dish out complementary drinks and snacks and the very nice conductor shares with us this is the first hour-long delay they've had for 2 years !!

He also shares with us the annoying fact that the train is going to terminate at Crewe; there's a train behind ours, about 10mins, (actually it has caught up by 1 hour), we'd need to catch to go to Manchester Piccadilly.

Luckily, the platform change is no more than 20 feet because the train arrives only 2 minutes later, and apart from a scrabble to grab seats, the event is unremarkable. This is now 330pm, having left at 1020am.

The train arrives at Manchester about 430pm, and we then made our way to the tram station. Talk about confusion, the station has all directions arriving and you needed to know what eventual destination the tram had, to know if it was the right direction for you. The map on the wall was clear, once you understood it. Purchasing a 60p ticket (x3) was the next challenge and involved asking a stranger how the bloody machine worked.

The tram was fun even if it was packed; being almost rush hour. Our destination, 3 stops away, was Victoria Station, behind which was the MEN ARENA. Once we were there and avoided being hit by a tram (!) we decided to get a taxi to our apartment (@ The Edge, a swanky modern private owned block of apartments) because it was too difficult to get our bearings despite having researched the roads on Google. As it turned out, it was only a mile down the road.

So, we got to the apartment at 515pm, having left home at 1010am! The next challenge was getting into the apartment, not having any instructions on how to use a security wireless door fob unlocker, which took me 10 minutes to sort out!

Once inside this magnificent 11th floor apartment we were dreaming of being able to own somewhere like this. After peeing and dropping luggage we made our way down and via a Taxi, went to the MEN ARENA, queuing for the doors to open at 6pm.

The event was supposed to start at 730pm but didnt actually commence until 820pm by which time our backsides were numb from sitting! The first set was 1 hour 10minutes of spectacle, lights and kylie. The second set was 1 hour and something plus 30 minutes of encore; the key song being especially for you...

Back at the apartment we searched the phone book for a takeaway and ended up with a pizza, at 1245am! Next day, we got to Picadilly at 10am and were lucky enough to discover an earlier service (saving us a 2hour wait). The journey home, was pretty uneventful and we staggered in at 4pm.

My other half had a party to go to so i sat and watched TV,, the highlight being Channel 4; Kylie Homecoming Tour....

My head span with deja vue!!

Having a Quickie

2007-01-08T18:33:00.000+02:00

Just got time to write a quickie, after all its been a week since my last confession... My excuse is work! Some say I don't do enough of it, however I do enjoy it and I don't consider it as such. Mostly it's rewarding, except when clients fail to show.

Anyway, today is the return of chikung classes and I am anxiously waiting to see how many students I get, considering the full page advert that went into the paper on friday.

Will try and blog some more when I get more time, although I am You-Tubing a lot lately; wow is that addictive... http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=soyoukan

See Ya..

Transport issues

2007-01-03T11:25:00.000+02:00

Here's another reason why I shall not be giving up my car ever, despite the Government's desire for people to use public transport.

Firstly, train fares have gone up to discourage people from using trains because of overcrowding. Last month they cut the timetables and reduced the number of carriages!

I am going to see Kylie in Manchester so I was trying to find the easiest, less stressful (but not necessarily cheapest way) to get there.

The concert doors open at 630pm and starts 730pm. MEN (Arena) is right in the heart of Manchester, which barring rush hour traffic, would take me about 4 hours by car (with no stops). I have done the journey to Heywood in about 3 hours before now, but I left at 6am on a saturday morning.

Anyway, the three options:

1) Car
2) Coach
3) Train

Going by car would mean driving 5 hours (allowing for M6 and Manchester rush-hour traffic) and when I arrive, trying to navigate a place I have never actually been to and trying to park. The MEN has an NCP car park on site, which is good but it also costs.

Not knowing the end time of the concert, the dilemma will be "do i stay or do i risk driving back" - another 3-4 hours??

Ok, so i could get a hotel for the night. Average costs were between £100-£300 for a room, and all of the cheaper ones were booked up already. The problem with the hotels was they only catered for 1 or 2 people, hence bumping the costs by having to have 2 rooms. We found a double-roomed apartment for £165 in the end, not too far from MEN Arena.

What about coaches? National express leaves from the centre of town and goes to a bus station not far from MEN... But two problems:

1) It leaves at 730am and arrives at 530pm ( 10 hours)
2) It goes via London (where there's a 2 hour wait)

The return journey is next day at 12midday, arriving back at 930pm (also going via London).

So, the last option, Trains. I had worked out that getting there would not, in theory be a major problem but getting back meant either staying over and returning next day, or leaving the concert early and being stranded somewhere like Swansea for 5 hours!

As for the cost, for the 3 people going, with an OPEN ticket, would have been £300.... Even a saver was about £190, for the 3 people.

Once there, we need a shuttle train to Victoria, but the train goes right to the MEN Arena, and the hotel is less than 3/4 mile from it, so all in all a pretty good outcome.

To do the train option means leaving at 1120am and arriving 430pm, with additional time getting to the hotel/venue, etc. At least there's only one change over, unlike some other routes that had 2/3/4 changes!

Mr Blair and the government need to get and use public transport in the real world for real life journies, they'll soon see how F***** up it is and how much the car is here to stay.

No matter how much they rip off the driver with stupid, unrealistic taxes, people need to drive. I would be interested to know where the taxes go, certainly not on roads, or transport!

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T13:27:00.000+02:00

What an uneventful new years evening. Me and the better half watched TV in the privacy of our home - "it started with swap shop", celebrating 30 years of saturday morning tv. It was poignant because of the way that Noel Edmonds brought on "kids" who were 9 or 10 in 1976 ( and now 39 or 40) to highlight their swaps ! It was poignant to see how some had matured; one man was now a millionnaire and had flown in especially for the TV show, another lady was "rather large" - not that there's anything wrong with that, it just seemed a bit wierd after seeing a skinny little girl all those years ago.

It got me thinking back to when I was a younger person and reflecting on life as it was and how it is now. I did this recently when a similar discussion at work, revealed that I probably wouldn't have done anything differently if I had another bite of the cherry. But hindsight is always brilliant if you've got the opportunity.

I think the point is that even though we dont know what is to come (short or long term) we should embrace all opportunities that are given us, because we may look back and wish we had. I shall certainly be doing that this year, 2007.

New Year's Eve 2006

2006-12-31T15:27:00.000+02:00

Hi all, thought i would do my last blog of 2006 and say happy new year to you (anyone who is reading my blogs obviously has nothing better to do - join the club!).

Well, here we are again at new year time, with all the doubts and anxieties that the unknown can bring. I know this year will be an improvement over the last, which was also an major improvement over the one before - if you have no idea what i'm raving on about, read some of the first blogs... 2004 was not a good year.

On that matter, it seems, my beloved ex-partners appear to be having business problems that is exemplified by a couple more classes being removed from the schedules, and whether co-incidental or not, they're selling their house (at christmas? cheap?)...

Why they need to set up another limited company is beyond me, unless as I suspect, it's in preparation for the downfall of the current business (company). The problem is UK company law, as i see it, has a few loopholes and cunning /devious people can manipulate it to their own advantage.

I won't say more than that because they're likely to use what i write in futile attempts at bringing unfounded charges against me, as they did last March with "harrassment" allegations. I was encouraged when someone said to me, anyone who needs to steal something in order to get it, will find that the object they stole will eventually slip away from them because they were never destined to have it... Much like the old "what goes around..." saying.

2007 will no doubt whizz by - already i have pencilled in my summer holiday in July, and money permitting will be visiting Malta once more. My better half has expressed an interest in going somewhere else (as well) and we both so loved Rhode Island we would love to go back.

So to finish.. have a great time and see you in 2007.

DVD's

2006-12-28T16:34:00.000+02:00

Could anyone explain why the UK citizens are subjected to delays when it comes to USA dvd releases?

For example, BOSTON LEGAL, series 2, came out on dvd in the US in November 06 while us poor cousins' have to wait until MARCH 2007 just to get a region 2 disk...

And why oh why are we still limited to REGIONS for god's sake! I could have bought a region 1 dvd and already been a proud owner but I need to make sure my dvd player can do region 1 - which i don't know it does, so i'd need a dvd player or some fix to enable my disk to work ... TOO MUCH HASSLE!

It still doesn't answer the question why do we have to wait? Surely we should have the ability to purchase on DVD the imported TV series the same as any other country, after all they have exported it; there's a whole market to be exploited, unless it's some plot to get the excitement going so we'll buy 2 or 3 copies instead!

how gullible are we? (don't answer that!)

Merry Blogg-mas!

2006-12-24T11:31:00.000+02:00

It's christmas eve and i'm fed up with it already, having had the "run up" to it, since November. This last week, which has gone soooo quick (mainly because i'm on holiday), has been one festive thing after another. Christmas is for kids, I would agree with that, but its also a time for adults to pause and reflect.

I spent the whole week rewriting the chi kung website, www.ukcks.org.uk, which i think is now vastly improved over the old site. I completed the last 3 sessions of chi kung and on Friday had my works christmas party (followed quickly by sickness/diarrhea). On saturday I did nothing apart from eat, drink (toilet) and watch TV, a rivetting program entitled "bristol airport" - a series jumping on the bandwaggon of "Airport".

I spent 3oclock to 4oclock awake because the dogs went beserk following our neighbour traversing the access way at the rear of our house. Very kindly, he left both gates open! He was lucky our collies are soft as faeces because he could have been attacked. Perhaps he'll remember his key next time.

It might have been Father Xmas, albeit he would have been a smidge early!

Anyway, for those that find it enjoyable merry xmas, and for those like me, bah-humbug!

I don't believe it

2006-12-19T14:10:00.000+02:00

Wow, I am OFFICIALLY on holiday this week. Hmm, let me see, yesterday morning i finished off some paper work, went to a pre-arranged meeting and then spent 4 hours in Devizes in our area office with work colleagues!

On Friday I have to attend a special meeting to go through some paperwork, then we're going for a work's christmas lunch.

Today (Tuesday), I got two calls on my mobile (although I did not answer them) and a few emails, which I deleted...

Anyway, did anyone not think Leona would win the X-factor final? 8million people voted, and @ 35p a shot, raised £2,800,000 for Simon, Sharon and Louis' holiday fund. Aparently, the Leona single had 20,000 downloads in 5minutes; allegedly these were £1.50 each so Leona's (?) 20% cut grossed her £6,000 !! Good if you can get it!

And what the hell is Sky playing at? I cannot wait until February for the next episode of Lost!! It's bad enough having to suffer adverts during each episode - it goes like this:

episode - 5mins, advert (5mins), episode 15mins, advert (5mins), episode about 15mins, advert (5mins), episode 5 mins !

And I am going to resist the temptation of saying, told you so. But, I told you so - train passengers are up in arms! It's caused the exact thing I thought was supposed to be an issue, more cars on the roads because people cannot get on the trains when they need to.

It's ok for the powers to say "leave earlier, there's plenty of space on the one before / after", all well and good if you want to arrive early at work. Where's the work/home life balance there?

I WILL say this, if I had paid for a seat on a train and could not sit in one, I would seriously consider suing, especially if due to overcrowding.

While I am in blogging mode, let me also plea to drivers out there: GET SOME ADVANCED DRIVER TRAINING please!!!!

Things that get my goat: 1) people driving @ 40mph -everywhere! 2) people staying in the middle lane of the motorway 3) people with no manners or think they own the highway 4) people who park in disabled parking bays 5) HM government tax pricing on fuel 6) petrol companies who charge what they like just because it isn't a big city 7) HM Government's idea about public transport, yet they allow the train companies to cut services /carriages.

.........Just for starters!

Have a good week....

Did you see that coming?

2006-12-09T18:55:00.000+02:00

* FIRST GREAT WESTERN TRAIN SERVICE REDUCTIONS IN BRISTOL AND
WEST OF ENGLAND 27.11.2006

McCarthy, Kerry
That this House notes with concern that from 11th December 2006 users of First Great
Western train services in the Bristol and West of England area will suffer the
loss of their early morning train service from Cardiff to Bristol, early morning
services and late evening services between Bristol and Gloucester, irregular
intervals between trains from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton, reduced
capacity on short platform stations to Weston, such as Worle, loss of
connectivity on trains to and from London and extensive reductions in train
services to local stations in the Bristol area; further notes that First Great
Western plans to reduce the amount of rolling stock used on train services in
the Bristol area, including cutting Cardiff-Portsmouth trains from three to two
coaches, an overall reduction of 1,839 seats, equating to a 20 per cent. cut in
train seat availability, and a reduction in the number of trains from 69 to 57,
equating to an 18 per cent. cut in trains; calls on the Government to urge First
Great Western urgently to reconsider the reductions in levels of rolling stock
on these key services, the consequences for overcrowding and forcing passengers
onto the already heavily congested road network, with all the outcomes for
increased carbon emissions, pollution and road traffic accidents that these
train service cuts will lead to; and further calls on the Government to ensure
that capacity and train service frequency in the Bristol and West of England
area are maintained and improved.

Haha!
On the news the other day*, (and confirmation that this Government has no idea and that taxing car drivers is a complete scam),

First Great Western are:
a) cutting services in the West,
b) reducing the number of carriages so making peak times impossible (and crowded), and
c) INCREASING fares in the new year!

What the hell is going on? The Government moan about cars and pollution and that every body should use public transport.... Yeah right. That's never going to happen - and above is the reason why, but to make us use public transport the fuel prices are increased.

Not only do they intend to rip off the poor car driver (it's already happened; please somebody explain if the rise is announced in a PRE-BUDGET speech, HOW COME it occurs NOW? Surely it should be on BUDGET DAY), but they are taxing flights by doubling the taxes... What are they spending that on? Certainly not green ways to travel!

Moan over. Roll on the election.

£20 billion

2006-12-06T13:02:00.000+02:00

I have to blog (moan) about the latest news from HM GOVERNMENT, Mr Tony Blair - simply because it is ludicrous!

Beside the fact that I was under the (false) impression that Mr TB is supposed to represent us, and carry out governing the country the way that WE want, how can he now introduce a spend of £20 billion to replace a nuclear missile delivery system when quite frankly the NHS and EDUCATION could do such a lot with that money!

The government moan about traffic on the road; what do they spend the tax from cars and petrol on - certainly not new roads. There's talk of taxing per mile, to cut down traffic - all that will do is put the burden on drivers who will end up paying more than now. Why not spend the £20 billion on doing something about transport infrastructure;

On the news yesterday a school has to close, cost to keep open £70 million - small fry if compared to £20 billion.

Okay, so we need to defend ourselves in times of war. If someone ("rogue country") dropped a nuke on us, do we really need to drop one on them? Have we not learned that a nuclear war is not winnable...?? If we're wiped out by a nuke, then i am pretty sure the Americans will take it upon themselves to nuke whoever it was who nuked us. Either way, i wont care because i'll be dead!

The damned government should get their priorities right. Spend the money on things that matter. What about cheaper housing for those who can't afford £200,000 for a 2 bed box...

Enough ranting, back to work.

It's nearly christmas...

2006-11-26T17:35:00.000+02:00

hey, despite what you think - it is almost christmas; anyway, i've got 3 working weeks and then i'm off until january 2nd 2007. That's 2 whole weeks off!

I was bored today (despite having lots to do) so I was playing around with my sound files using cool edit pro and came up with some comedic clips. I used to make up clips for my community radio show on WCR but that career option came to an end when other stuff took over the time and besides, the 25 mile round trip left me somewhat penniless what with the price of fuel...

You can get a taster of my humour by listening to these:

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/christmas.wav this is 7mb size!

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-jackson.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-badword.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-fart.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-gettowork.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-jaws.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-shutup.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/comedy-singing.wav

http://www.andywrightonline.co.uk/clips/leak.wav

All the sounds and stuff are available on the internet, mostly for free. I have a collection of wav's that enables any sort of comedy clip to be produced. Obviously, for my own use!!!

Besides that i've finished 3 or 4 books (various subjects; mostly related to teaching, therapies, chi kung or running a business). The last is on solution focus therapy; i attended a training course January 2006, with the intention of developing a training package for our team and other advisors working with clients.

I'm also going to put on a teachers / therapist course for chi kung. See www.ukcks.org.uk for information, or get the details here

Blog Update - Tooth Fairies

2006-11-18T13:22:00.000+02:00

Hi all, finally got round to blogging again after a traumatic few months of tooth problems. Firstly, i had to wait for a dentist appointment allowing me the luxury of sedation (I have a love-hate relationship with the profession, mostly all "hate" stemming back to age 11), following the filling falling out one afternoon.

Anyway, having got to the dentist and become sedated, the tooth did not come out - some of it was left and caused extreme pain! I had to visit the local NHS hospital and be told i was on a 9-month waiting list, which (if it was urgent) could be 3-months! OF COURSE ITS URGENT!

Monday morning i was phoning the dentist and hospital in a bid to get an earlier appointment WITH very STRONG sedation! A few days later, they offered an appointment but without sedation, needless to say I did not take it. However, a few more days later and a real appointment materialised... I was in business.

This wednesday just gone, I attended the hospital. The ordeal was not one i anticipated or revelled in but it was necessary, having consumed 2 packs of pain killers since the tooth quest began.

The Doctor couldn't find a vein to put the needle into and after slapping my hand to death, proceeded to the left hand for a repeat performance. Once inserted the drugs were soon whizzing round the bloodstream, but not before a whole load of sterile water he was attempting to inject into the "tap" spurted all over the doctor (much to his shock) and that's (fortunately) all i remember.

The next day i remarked to my wife, did i get run over by a train or something because my body really ached.

I am now recouperating with the stitches in my gum but at least some of the pain has gone. I am only reminded of the incident when i smile or laugh, which affects the gum and stitches! This gives me a good excuse to remain a miserable git a little longer and i intend to take up this challenge!

Anyone see Star Wars ep.3 on Sky?

2006-10-01T16:36:00.000+02:00

I was watching tv as you do, and following X-Factor, switched to Sky and tuned into SW3, being shown on sky movies as a first run film. (does anyone else find that Amid bloke
annoying /patronising?)

At 2hours plus, i was finding myself wishing it would end, having determined i knew what was the end result but not sure of the methods... i.e. anakin skywalker is darth vader but i didn't know how he became evil. NOW i do and the mysteries of life are solved.... :)

I use the theory of "the force" to some extent when teaching tai chi, because it is a good way to explain what chi is, excepting the bits where someone can levitate and leap about. At least the invisible life force energy bit is comparable and understandle. I can now offer my students the phrase "use the force" although this probably copyrighted!

I am chairing a team meeting on tuesday so thats something i am looking forward to (not). I may need the force (or a light sabre) to keep order!

keep in touch and have a good week wherever you are.

forgot to blog

2006-09-26T17:00:00.000+02:00

my excuse is how time flies! but i did forget to blog this week. And we had 8 newcomers to tai chi last night, with possibly more tonight. it was the full page ad that did it, and in a free paper! pity we cannot do that every week.

anyway, i am well and truly blogged for this week.

Sunday 17th September 2006 - 5 years 6 days on

2006-09-17T10:35:00.000+02:00

9/11 was and always will be an event for the history books. Just lately TV has spawned hundreds of documentaries and discussion programmes about the events on 9/11 and also during the 5 years leading up to it. Mostly they're from an American point of view, after all it happened there, and killed American civilians.

While i am no way a religious or racist person i find that i am becoming increasingly annoyed at all the press about the "muslim religion" and the way that (a small minority of) practitioners seem to take offence at the slightest thing and then use violence to resolve their differences.

Now I know the Press is well able to blow any situation up out of all proportion and it probably is just a few extremist nutters who are tainting the rest of the law-abiding citizens, but confronted on TV with "hundreds" of people demonstrating about the Pope's innocuous comments yesterday, i DO think it extends to more than just a few extremists.

Who thinks that violence solves anything? No one. So, when i get annoyed with someone for doing something, is it right that i should go and punch them for it? Of course not.

Okay so one could argue that consistent "comments" of an adverse nature is a little wearing but what right does the offended party have to "kill" people for them? I thought we lived in a civilised world.

Religion (mainly) has been the cause of 90 % of wars in history, maybe more. I am guessing some wars have nothing to do with religion (or politics) but they would be few and far between. There is a common thread, people being killed for no reason because of a person's religious belief. Much as with the 1st and 2nd world wars where millions died for a piece of dirt or in fact for a religious belief (as with 6 million Jewish people), war (and anger) solves absolutely nothing.

I uphold anyone's ability to practice religion and have a political stance, but not when they infringe and impose their will / views on others. It is said that the Muslim view of Western morals is that we dont have very high standards and this view is based upon the way people dress (short skirts, make up etc) but that view is only from the comparison of their own moral standards. Who are they to judge and more importantly in the context of the above, who are they to try and force change (by using violence)?

Blowing up innocent people for a religious belief just makes reasonable people join the side of violence in wanting revenge and everything that "hate" brings....... We all need to remember, life is too short.

One Week later?

2006-09-09T10:26:00.000+02:00

Quite amusing and relevant for me, was the channel4 programme on "intervention"; a young couple who were using £1,000 heroin per week, were forced to choose between family and rehab.

I spoke about this yesterday to one of my clients. He agreed with me that this seemed like a far fetched idea dreamt up to make good TV.

For a start, if they were on £1,000 worth of drugs where was this money coming from? No mention of this was made in the programme - my other clients would have been stealing or dealing if in a similar situation! Not good TV.

Anyway, when confronted they agreed to go to rehab. After six weeks they were clean and back in the world. The problem is, they were going back to their normal everyday lives prior to rehab and from experience, this is a relapse trigger they cannot avoid.

Despite this, apparently, they remained clean for 4 months (so far), and are a shining example to us all.

Sorry, but from my brief time working as an advisor to clients with substance issues, this is complete rubbish!

Anyway, i am getting off my horse now and going back to do some paperwork. Yes, I know its the weekend, but hey i am dedicated to my job!!

1st September already

2006-09-01T20:34:00.000+02:00

sorry haven't posted for a week but the day job has got in the way of life and things i enjoy...!! However, 3 clients have got jobs this week so i get more brownie points and go back to being top performer of our team once again - not that this is bragging, basically i've been lucky to get outcomes and more of them than everyone else!

so whats new? i'm organising a zazen beginners seminar for october 21st and running my chi kung classes (www.ukcks.org.uk); awaiting to hear back - correction, heard back - not selected for management training but did get selected to be trained in management ways so i can get into management training next year!

redesigned my website; www.zazenmeditation.org.uk and several others i own and have designed.

bloody amazon "amaze" me; my order was refused because the credit card i used was my wife's and hence did not come up as me, but, derrh, my wife's. funny how i have ordered stuff before and got it.

thats it. another weekend. another month. soon be christmas!!!!

Lazy Sunday

2006-08-20T10:04:00.000+02:00

This post will probably be quite short; just got up and feel worse for wear after a little snifter of JD while watching tv.

The film was the 2004 version of flight of the pheonix, which was actually quite gripping especially with surround sound turned on.

Looked up the tv schedules for today to find BBLB isn't on until 10pm and it conflicts with another programme. Normally its on 1pm or 2pm on C4. Maybe they can't show it because of Pete ("....wankers!") !

At least the sun is out for a moment!

Later!

Any commercial lawyers out there?

2006-08-19T11:31:00.000+02:00

I'd be interested in hearing from any lawyers out there that specialises in company law; i have been involved in an ongoing dispute with some (ex)-business partners that took myself and wife to the cleaners and stole the business for them selves. "Stole" may sound a strong word, but its the only one i can use to describe what happened to us.

Again, "stole" also implies we could use the Law to recover our losses, but hey, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of bringing charges, the Police can do nothing. Why? They class this as "civil law" where the only way to get justice is to spend vast amounts of cash and take it to a civil court.

It's really frustrating because the only way out was personal bankruptcy! Up until January 2006, I had a reasonable credit rating and paid what i owed on time and was up to date with payments. I had several bank accounts, some for 25 years, and a number of credit cards (all zero balances).

Then, they stole the business! Because the business debt of £20,000 (accumulating interest because they stopped repayments for 6-8 months) was PERSONALLY GUARANTEED, the bank could pass the debt to debt collection people for recovery and we (myself and other business partner) were liable to repay it.

Now, any one logical would think, ok, they have the business; why don't they just pay? Well, that's too easy and of course binds them to £20k of debt, on an already struggling business.

Let's face it - when it was stolen, the business had just started to break even - unless of course we were being lied to about the accounts!

Anyway, i need to be careful here what i say, because the nasty partners brought legal charges of harrassment against me, citing that I had a vendetta against them and this was illegal under some recent Law (designed for stalkers etc). That was March 2006, and I was told it could take CPS up to 6 months to decide if they're gonna pursue the charges. The deciding factor may be that my counter-charges levelled the playing field!

Their evidence included a "demise" website detailing the whole sordid affair.

How they have managed to get away with this is to keep the old company ticking over (as far as company law is concerned) because, as i was told, nothing can be done until it is liquidated either voluntarily (costing £2,000 or more) or invoked by a debtor.

The crux is if the old company is liquidated there will be grounds for the DTI to go in and investigate the second company they set up in order to get out of their financial liabilities - and commitment to us as partners!

Once that happens, there could be criminal charges brought for trading while insolvent, or illegal trading. This offence carries a 7 year prison term. It also means they can be struck off as directors and all the other pies they have fingers in, such as property sales, will become hot to the point of burning up.

Not that i want to appear vindictive, I just want Justice. These people have taken the piss with regard to the Law and no one in authority gives a flying f***!

Here's a brief resume of the business and the history of what went on (names changed except mine and my wife's):

During 2002, the whole concept took shape. The partners offered to help the Wright's set up a new business and both couples spent a considerable time visiting premises. Because of the Teacher/Student relationship Andy Wright thought that this was a brilliant idea and did not hesitate to take them up on their offer.

The deal was that Andy and Marisa would put in the membership of the very successful Soyoukan Club (approximately 100-150 members, which nett approximately £12k per year). The partners were prepared to put in £15k and other experitse (such as her banking and accountancy experience).

After a long time searching, a premises was found to be suitable. It was an empty shell at the time, so another problem was the location and engagement of a shop fitting company.

The shop fitters offered the team an all-inclusive, hassle free quotation of £32k. Having determined that "DIY" would be cheaper, it would also involve self-management and the team just did not have the expertise or time. So, they was engaged with an £8k upfront payment.

As soon as it was confirmed that the unit was the one to go for, an application for "Change of Use" went into the District Council. To cut a long story short, the permission was denied for several reasons, one of which stated that there was conflict with the DC run leisure centre and gym.

Another reason given was the Business Plan stated that it was to offer "charity" or reduced rate classes and the planners did not want such a prestigious park to have such a facility.

So, during the next few weeks the management had to canvas every official of the Planning Committee, securing the support of the majority of the members. This was because the case would be taken to a full planning meeting in order to ensure the Planners were given every opportunity to see the venture was profit-motivated and no threat to existing services.

At a full planning meeting, it was decided to give permission for the martial arts and fitness activities centre, with the proviso that it did not include gym equipment.

Building work could now commence, but approximately 2 months later than anticipated.

As work progressed it was soon apparent that the company employed to do the shop fitting, were actually making a huge mistake with the measurements. One weekend when the couples were visiting site to check on progress, it was noticed that the corridor and the changing rooms were of the wrong size.

Work stopped for a week, as the team went back to the shop fitters and told them of the problems. Eventually, they agreed to rectify the problems but there was no activity for a week, and only then did work commence again after many phone calls and visits.

Finally back on schedule, other problems arose such as the wrong colour carpets, no reception desk being included and several other niggly things. By this time another £8k had been paid. There was a major concern that a March / April 2003 opening deadline would not be made.

The last straw came as the team refused to pay any further money and sought legal advice. It was eventually time for opening, and most of the weekend before was spent finishing off, cleaning and painting.

Having a small customer base was the life-saver for the business. It had been decided that He would leave his day job and work full time for the centre. He would get a small salary. Andy and her would continue to be employed in their jobs and Marisa would help him whenever she could.

In order to get the business going the team had taken out a £20k bank loan with HSBC, and had overdraft facilities. The loan was personally secured by Andy and her, because they were the only ones with full time alternative employment.

The bank account required the joint signatures from one of either couple. It was common for her to request several cheque signings in order to pay bills etc. There was an air of trust and optimism despite the first summer being the hottest for years.

Up until October / November 2003, numbers of people joining were slowly increasing. By christmas 2003, there were 500+ signed up members. During the December 2003 and January 2004 period it was becoming aparent that the centre was moving towards a break even status, and would possibly get to break even within the first year of trading.

Daytime classes were a major headache and despite canvassing, customers were few and far between. A lot of classes were cancelled or adjusted to take into account the fluctuating needs of customers.

Finally, after a long time waiting, the centre were able to put on classes for the college and special school. Funding for the special school class was financed through a Millenium Commission award. The theory was that regular sessions would be included, but unfortunately the idea never materialised.

It wasn't obvious until long afterwards, but the partners had managed to alienate most of the Soyoukan Senior Black Belts, and by November the majority of them had been forced to leave, or had left and gone elsewhere. One particular black belt had been asked to leave by Andy (during 2002), at the request of her because she had reports of "perverse activities" from her daughter by him. He had allegedly looked at her funny, and was "wierd". It was a task that he didn't envy and was reluctant to do at the time, but felt it was necessary to ensure the continuing of the project. Besides, her had said she would report the matter to the Police if nothing was done.

So, the young guy is sadly told of the reasons behind the request and it is suggested that he should be extremely careful or he should look for alternative training venues after his relocating 60 miles north. He goes elsewhere.

On or around November 7th the young guy visited the centre unannounced. Andy had kept in touch with him via email and had said to visit anytime he was down this way, not really expecting he would. The partner's had what can only be described as a childish tantrum, demanding he should be told to leave yet not willing to tell him themselves. The behaviour was abominable, considering there was a guest instructor and customers present.

At closing time there was one almighty argument about the visit of the ex-student. Voices were raised and things were said. Andy and Marisa left for home, with Andy closely avoiding a back hander from him as her blocked his way.

Next day Marisa phoned to arrange a meeting in order to discuss the future of the centre. A meeting was arranged for that evening and a lengthy discussion took place about what had occurred.

Eventually the team agreed to carry on, to put the events behind them and even shook hands to seal the deal. While there was a cooling down period in the working relationship, it was also a good time (christmas 2003) and the membership numbers increased.

January 2004, the student grading, highlighted several issues around the way a grading exam was conducted. The whole thing was cut and dried in terms of looking from a "martial arts" perspective. Andy was a 5th Dan and head of the karate system being taught. He had always conducted the examinations, yet he assumed because of the management status he held, he also had the right to be involved in doing the gradings as well.

Andy had also noticed that he no longer trained under him in the karate classes. Concern that his knowledge and standard would not be maintained the issues of not training regularly were raised during a management meeting. he admitted after a lengthy discussion that he would not train in any of Andy's classes because he did not need to do so because he trained privately. A point of issue was raised about the fact that he was teaching what was essentially Andy's karate system and because he was only a 1st Dan, he had a duty to ensure that standards were maintained and that was through training under him.

he also admitted the following day that in reality there had been no resolution to the November 2003 arguements, and he was holding a grudge. Needless to say that for 10 days or so the working relationship was abyssmal.

On Sunday 8th February 2004 Andy made sure that he took control of the karate classes by preventing him from coming on to teach. Using a method of "embarrassing" him off the mat with the PA system, the partners soon left the building.

Duriing the week Andy taught all the karate classes and there was no resistence shown or given by the partners except that there was very little verbal communications between the couples.

Unfortunately there was no resolution. he refused to stop teaching karate and to concentrate on other areas, and he refused to train under Andy. This situation would be the next catalyst for problems within the management relationship.

During the afternoon of Friday 13th Andy and Marisa received a phone call from HSBC business manager asking did they know the partners's had been into the bank and had withdrawn £4,600 in cash, plus (2 weeks early) an extra £1,024 for his salary. Obviously the Wright's knew nothing about the withdrawl and asked how it was possible. The business manager said, the partner's had used a cheque (signed by Andy during the week, allegedly for the payment of a bill).

Suspecting something else was going on, Andy and Marisa immediately went to the centre and were greeted with a sign on the door which said: "closed until further notice". The door lock was not working because a key had been broken in it, and the side shed padlocks had been replaced. Assuming the next class, Ladies Kick Boxing, was still going ahead, the Wrights' phoned around and got a lock smith to come out and change the lock. While the class was late starting, and the next instructor never turned up (and was to be Michael Clarke, the convicted double-murderer), the whole evening was very stressful.

Several key files had been removed and the computer system switched off. (note: a webcam was attached and with this turned off, remote viewing was not possible).

The Kickboxing instructor was asked to cover the day classes during the week and plans were put in place to ensure the business would be open. Unfortunately, it transpires the kickboxing instructor phoned the partner's upon getting back home and the cat was out of the bag! She was also persuaded not to assist with classes.

Several reliable witnesses were present during the re-opening on friday 13th, including another ex-student whom we shall call "DN". He gave his consolation and support, and as it later transpired, kept the partner's fully informed of all the activities and numbers of students.
All in all, friday 13th was very unlucky and constituted the final nail in the sad demise of the martial arts centre.

The Wright's opened for business on saturday morning. The kids club classes ran as normal, until 11am. During the next class, kids kickboxing, the partner's arrived and started to create an atmosphere amongst the customers (who were mostly parents). While there is no documented evidence of any of the conversations that they were having, it was aparent from body language and the like, subdefuge was rife and the objective of the visit was to create disharmony and force people away.

After the second class there was an argument in the office between her and Andy. Both people were seated on chairs with wheels and during the argument Andy moved towards her, in order to emphasise a point. His knee touched her leg. She then childishly alleged "assault" and he immediately phoned the Police.

When the police arrived Andy and her were interviewed briefly and separately. Both parties were advised to sort the problem out or both would be arrested. The Police then told the Wright's to give the partner's a key to the main door. It later transpired that, legally, the Wright's did not have to comply with this order but it would have meant a repeat of the activities next day.

During the cooling off period the Wright's decided enough was enough. They called a quick meeting and told the partner's that, providing a suitable offer was made, they were prepared to hand over the business to them in full and to walk away. It was suggested that a list was drawn up in the following few days that would be acceptable and then the partner's would agree or not agree accordingly.

In the meantime, the rest of the day and Sunday, the Wright's were left to run classes and man the business, although most of the instructors involved had been told not to attend.

Monday 16th February... This was the day when he revealed he still held a grudge for the November incident and argument. If you recall, the incident nearly resulted in he assaulting Andy, saved only by the intervention of her, witnessed by Marisa.

A list of things acceptable to the Wright's was drawn up by Andy and handed to partners during the week of the 16th February 2004.
The main items included:
Release from the liability of the HSBC loan - in effect the partner's would have sole responsibilty for it, and the repaying of £20k and overdraft.
A sum of money, that eventually became £1,700 - this constituted the cash element put into the business by the Soyoukan Karate Club.
Half the total number of mats, namely 25 - these mats were worth around £2,000
All items previously supplied by the Wrights - namely, the computer equipment, assorted punch bags, fridge, sundry items, etc.
No comeback for the ongoing litigation with the shop fitters dispute

All in all, quite a reasonable and cheap agreement to take over the whole business. The problems started a long time later because the agreement had not been signed by anyone. In fact, the partner's maintain they never agreed to the list of items, yet during the period of March and April, allowed and even assisted the Wright's to remove items of equipment on the agreed list!

After a visit by the Wright's to remove some of the items (which included punch bags) the partner's changed the door locks. When asked for a key by Andy, she said "no, tough luck".

Although it was not known at the time (February 2004) but during the week the partner's were supposedly seeking legal advice and having the loan agreement drawn up by HSBC, they were in fact setting up their new company in preparation for their take over.

(new company) XXXLtd is shown on companies house to have been a "ready made" company that had a name change on or around the 24th February 2004, basically the week after the list was handed in to the partner's. While there is no evidence that the advice to do this came from the Solicitors dealing with company issues and the litigation, Andy Wright did have a wierd telephone conversation with the main Solictor who said: "the business is worthless and not worth worrying about. It is valueless. I am advising you just forget about it, it has no assets".

The takeover date turned out to be May 2004, and came about because the partners, in full control of the business and not allowing any access by the Wright's, stopped paying the rent to DC. Andy Wright was sent an email by the Agent that explained the lease had become forfeit due to non-payment of rent and service charges, amounting to approx £6,000. The lease was in the name of the old business. Andy was given the opportunity to take over the lease (on payment of back rent) but he did not have that sort of cash and could not see that the move would have given him a viable business, with the partners in possession of the building and equipment, but most importantly the customers and instructors.

So, as items on the list were taken out (sometimes with the help of the partner's), the Wright's naturally assumed the changeover would go ahead and the rest of the items would be concluded very soon. After a weekend visit by the Wright's to pick up more items (such as punch bags, fridge, stereo system, etc) Andy Wright found out that the front door locks had been changed once again, when he revisited during the week to collect more stuff.

He asked a work colleague to come with him and check that the lock had been changed because he was not totally sure and thought his key was defective. The colleague confirmed the key would not work in the door.

During conversations with their solicitor, the Wright's were advised that if the atmosphere was unbearable they should stay away from the business. They were also advised the key situation was a stale mate. The solicitor's advice was to break in and take the outstanding items (x25 Mats etc), but Andy was not prepared nor able to do this. So the Wright's had to resign themselves to having access only when the partners were present.

Towards the end of March 2004, becoming more frustrated by the lack of progress, Andy asked her when the liability for the loan would be transferred, and the cash and mats could be collected.
He was told in no uncertain terms they had no intention of going ahead with the plan. Asked for a new key to the door, he was told by her: "no chance, if you want to come in, you can come when we're here".

During April the partner's had a security camera installed and for a few weeks all of the Mats were moved off-site, to prevent them from being taken. The front of the building had a full width net curtain to prevent seeing in, although it was possible to do so.

Then, friday 30th April 2004, Andy and Marisa Wright had arranged for a Police presence while they attended the centre with a van in order to collect company property, following a written revelation from her in a letter from her Solicitor: "we have no further interest in the company....". A letter from Andy's Solicitor was sufficient to warrant a Police escort.

Friday 30th April 2004 was the day that Andy and Marisa had hoped to get things sorted. Having previously arranged a Police presence to ensure that Law and Order prevailed, it was just like TV with cars, vans and police swooping down on the centre. The following extract is from an email by Andy to his solicitor:

we arranged for a police woman to attend the centre. however, the wpc would not allow us to remove any items due to not wanting to get involved in deciding which bit belonged to whom. what was a little annoying was that she got on the phone and allegedly got her solicitor to speak to the wpc. however, later in the discussions it came out that they admitted they did not have a solicitor, it was her father!

after lengthy discussions we pinned them down to agreeing to attend your offices with their "solicitor" on wednesday, where the situation will be discussed.
they have again stated they are not paying us or giving us any of the mats. Yet, they have purchased 2 leather chairs for the foyer and carpeted the toilet area, and have plans to refurbish the holistic therapy room.

The 6th May meeting that had been hard-fought to secure was "eventful" but unproductive, resulting in no further progress or decision being made.

The Partner and her Father were interviewed in a separate room by Andy's Solicitor prior to the meeting. Unfortunately she chose to lose her temper and her rantings were overheard next door. The Solicitor called a halt to proceedings deeming them a waste of everyone's time.

So, May 2004, a lovely warm bank holiday weekend and the turning point when the partner's seized the opportunity to truely take over. During the weekend all of the signage and internal posters and paperwork suddenly changed to reflect their new company name.

During the next few months the Wright's pursued every avenue of investigation, Trading Standards, DTI, Companies House, the Police, a variety of Solicitors, etc. The results were mixed and varied but mostly of the same vane, that nothing could be done:

TRADING STANDARDS - no infringment of descriptions has occurred, no action can be taken
DTI - no action can or will be taken, mainly because business is still unliquidated. If it were, the situation may warrant an investigation, but this is unlikely.
COMPANIES HOUSE - have no powers of investigation or prosecution.
POLICE - while there may be a case for fraudulent activities it is more than likely not to be pursued because of the public interest due to the small amounts involved.
SOLICITOR - if a fee of £3,500 to £5,000 is available it may be possible to pursue a private case against the partner's. Winning the case does not mean that they will pay up.

On October 16, 2004 following repeated visits to HSBC bank by the Wright's, the loan was called in. Payments to cover the loan had ceased at the beginning of the year and £200 per month interest was being added. During one of the visits the Wright's discovered a) the business manager had moved on, b) the partners had set up another account under the new business name at the same branch, authorised by the business manager!

Shortly after being called in the HSBC referred the £20k debt to METROPOLITAN DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY. The letters and phone calls started during late December 2004 and early January 2005. There is no information regarding the Beaven's, but the Wright's experienced harrassing calls and letters demanding the full amount is paid or court action will follow.

During the summer of 2005, the Wright's saught legal advice and also visited the CAB. The concensus for managing the new debt that Andy Wright had liability for was that he should go personally bankrupt and by doing this, it would limit his liabilities for the £20k business loan, overdraft and impending court actions.

Resigned to never recovering business property (which could be sold off to pay the outstanding debts) and also resigned that actual payment of the money was out of the question because he was the only earner in their household and there just was no spare cash, he chose to follow the CAB's advice.

On the 27th January 2006 Andy Wright attended the Bath County Court and was declared personally bankrupt. During the discussions with the Official Receiver he was asked about the reasons for the bankruptcy, and the events leading up to it.

Mention was made about the partners take over of the business, non payment of the loan, non-payment of the rent, the forfeit of the lease, the payment of the back rent and the subsequent new lease, the fact that XXXLTD has acquired all of the equipment, stock and assets belonging to the old business, the fact that the partner's installed a "shop", and made structural changes within the interior, the fact that as of 25th February 2006 (Two years and 12 days later) they are still in business and allegedly have 1,000 members (although this fact has yet to be proven).

The Official Receiver said, when asked what will they do about investigating possible fraudulent trading: "while the other business is still not liquidated and they are doing what ever they should, there's very little we can do". When asked about the Official Receivers' powers: "we have plenty of power but at the moment we have no cause to investigate".

At the time of being locked out, the computer accounts showed an income of between £4,000 and £6,000 per month. Between January and April none of the rent or service charges were paid. As far as outgoings are concerned, the evidence is that the old business had accrued £6,000 approximately and that was the reason the lease was forfeit. Also, several other bills such as the old business British Telecom phone bill (and one can also assume Internet connection), plus Newsquest were not paid.

£4,600 was taken from the old business account. Documented evidence via the bank statements state that only £1,500 was put back into the account. The account was frozen at the request of the Wright's on Friday 13th February during the phone call from the HSBC business manager. Money could be paid in, but no money could be drawn. During the period of February to April only a limited amount was paid into the account, and that was usually just cheques.

ALL of the equipment, including things like vending machine profits, mats, protection, clothing for sale, equipment for sale, holistic electric lift bed, furniture, etc, BELONGED to and was PAID for by the old business. There was no official meeting or discussion about the transfer of assets or stock.

In order for there to be a clean sweep and not only get rid of liabilities through the litigation with the shop fitters, but also to get rid of liabilities to HSBC and also to Mr and Mrs Wright, it was essential the old business was no longer in control. One easy way was to stop paying the rent and bills. the old business was a limited company which meant directors were not liable for debts incurred in the name of the company. The ONLY debt that was chaseable, was the £20k personally guaranteed loan.

Did you see Big Brother?

2006-08-19T10:13:00.000+02:00

Couldn't post yesterday because the damned connection was playing up. This happened the day before but i managed to avoid the jam by 10 minutes! After trying to get onto the ISP website to see if there was a problem and couldn't I gave up and went for my tea and telly session (good ol' R & J).

By the time i came back to it, the situation had righted and i then shut down ready for big brother!

I'll tell you a secret: I auditioned for BB5 and BB6, both times getting to the "diary room stage". Obviously disabled people weren't high on the list of contestants they wanted so, my fame never went any further. Also, i have a suspicion about something that happens in the diary room that is a sort of test - obviously i am not going to spill it here or else you lot will be auditioning for BB8.

Good ol' Pete ("...wankers"!) of course won the prize. Well deserved and good luck to him. Personally for me i think some of his falling around antics are exagerated and put on - did you see it when he fell down those stairs! Ok, symptoms are made worse under stress or pressure, but really! When i first saw him go into the house and saw him bouncing around and stuff (like he was "on" something!) I thought he'd never maintain that through 13 weeks; he did calm down and became a good house mate.

Although BB producers now need to address the fact that there has never been a "PHYSICAL" disability shown in the house - plenty of "mentally challenged", but no physical ones! The Channel 4 and Endemol should step out from behind the "media" impression and get on with putting someone in there who can show just how it is, with physical barriers and some people's attitudes!

.....like me!

Today

2006-08-17T17:00:00.000+02:00

well here we are, thursday already and i am knackered. I've done about 50 odd miles travelling to see clients, most of whom turned up. Luckily the one's who didn't weren't that important.

what is my work? here's some blurb from jobcentre plus (because we're funded by them):

What is progress2work

The progress2work (p2w) initiative to help people recovering from illegal drug misuse into work was developed as part of the Government’s wider approach to help those with the greatest disadvantage. p2w provides support for customers who have made sufficient progress in their recovery to be drug free or stabilised, but their history of drug misuse is likely to be a significant factor in preventing them from getting or keeping work.

It is a cross government initiative which is advised by an inter-departmental group. Representation includes official from: Home Office, Health Service, National Treatment Agency, Welsh Assembly and Scottish Executive.

progress2work has two key strands:

contracted specialist support to help customers to access and sustain work and mainstream employment and training measures.

training/awareness for Jobcentre Plus staff to be better able to identify and refer to appropriate customers.

progress2work was rolled out early in 2002, initially in 27 pathfinders districts which were identified as:

having significant levels of reported drug misuse;
representing a range of labour market characteristics that typically reflect the different challenges posed for providers of both training, employment and drug treatment services;
having access to a wide range of complementary provision and funding sources.

progress2work provision will is available in around 60 Jobcentre Plus districts by April 2003,

Phase1 and Phase2, and will be rolled out to the remaining 31 districts by March 2004, Phase3.

Providers come from a variety of backgrounds including the private and voluntary sectors and those traditionally associated with the drug treatment sector. Referrals come form a wide range of sources particularly drug treatment services and criminal justice agencies.

Phase3 Districts will be deciding on the timetable for the introduction of p2w in their District in consultation with contract managers and tendering for phase 3 contracts will be advertised when those timetables have been decided.

p2w support
Each customer referred to p2w will be allocated an employment support worker who will provide:

an assessment of their employment and drug related history and other factors which will impact on their prospects of finding and keeping work;
an individually tailored action plan which will move them towards work;
any preparatory help they might need before starting an employment measure, such as confidence building and assertiveness, and life skills;
help to access specialist agencies to ensure that other issues which might act as a barrier to employment are addressed appropriately. These might include debt, housing, health and residual criminal justice issues.

The customer's individual action plan will include not only the steps to move into work but also the additional activity that is required to supplement this activity. This will vary according to their specific needs and circumstances, but might include help to:

access jobsearch training and resources;
develop their 'soft skills';
identify suitable work;
disclose their drug history;
access work tasters or work experience;
cope with any employer drug testing requirements;
disclose criminal convictions;
cope with the transition to employment and a wage;
manage transitional benefit issues.

The employment worker will continue to support the customer to ensure that they adhere to and complete their individual action plan, assuming an advocacy role when necessary. They will identify potential trigger points for relapse or drop-out and provide additional help and encouragement at these stages. The various transition points, such as entering employment provision, moving from one stage of provision to another, starting work experience, completing provision etc, will be obvious trigger points, but so too will be a range of personal factors which the assessment will have flagged up.

Support will continue for up to 13 weeks after they have got a job to minimise the perceived risk to the employer and help prevent relapse.

Budgets and evaluation
An initial investment of £40m investment over three years was made to develop and implement progress2work. It will then run steady state at £20m per year.

The initiative is being evaluated fully. Early indications are that interest in the initiative has been high and it is succeeding in helping people recovering from drug misuse to get back into the labour market and overcome additional barriers to work such as insecure housing and a criminal record.

I am one of a team running the contract for Wiltshire and am employed by shaw trust. who are they?

Shaw Trust is a national charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the workplace due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. It is the leading voluntary sector provider of work-related services under Government programmes. Established almost 25 years ago, Shaw Trust works in partnership with more than 5000 organisations - including Local Authorities, Health Trusts, Employers and Voluntary Sector groups to help people back into work. Through a network of over 250 projects and 1200 staff, the Trust provides support and employment opportunities for around 45000 in then UK each year.

Anyway, time for tea so see ya soon.

Introduction

2006-08-16T17:06:00.000+02:00

Hello World

This is the first venture into blogging following the Richard and Judy show about it, and ... as they say, here we are. Well, where does one start? I suppose with a run down of who what and where; I would like to say that i am a tight arse so at the moment this is a free blog account, so i don't mind visiting whenever i can and adding new stuff. Not sure what i will do when it's time to pay for it.

I have a few hours worth of information about me and this is probably a good time to say my fingers are tired already and i've done one paragraph!

I was born April 16th, 1961, in a British Army Hospital to parents Peter and Greta. Shortly after birth and for several months following (and possibly caused by over zealous use of forceps during birth) there was severe trauma leading to fits and eventually “cerebral palsy”.

Eventually stabilised after an operation to untangle the intestines several weeks later, it was determined that the condition was permanent and called “choreo - athetoid cerebral palsy”.

My family lived for the most part in Yate, near to Bristol. At the age of 5, the family was increased by one with the birth of his sister, Gail. Early schooling up until the age of 11 years was at a local school, Claremont House in Henleaze, Bristol (still there today and functioning as a special needs school).

At the age of 10 the “Spastic Society” assessment (IQ Test) determined that Thomas Delarue School in Tonbridge, Kent would be suitable for my secondary education. So, at the age of 11 I was a term time resident of the boarding school, until the age of 17.

During that time, I studied for GCE “O” level exams and eventually obtained reasonable results despite a lack of studying! My extra-curricular interests extended to music (discos) and war games while an avid interest in History and English were my main academic subjects.

After leaving school at 17, I was told by a Disability Employment advisor to “go and vegetate” and not to worry about getting a job, not that I would get one anyway. My careers advisor helped to secure an “employment training” job with Avon Polymers of Bradford on Avon. The six month course was extended to one year, the maximum available.

The next role was a “job” in a warehouse but it was only to last 10 months, before redundancy forced unemployment on me. This was at the start of Mrs Thatcher’s reign (1980’s).

I took up karate at the age of 25, one year after suffering an unprovoked attack in daylight while sitting in his car talking on the CB radio. The man was blind drunk, but despite this dragged me from the driver’s seat before physically assaulting him with a flurry of kicks and punches. Luckily, a CB radio enthusiast was passing the car park and called the Police, who arrived quickly and arrested the attacker.

Graham Slater (his cousin) was already a senior black belt in shotokai. When he came to the UK for a holiday he encouraged me to take up martial arts. At the time, the choice was limited to “shotokan” so that is what I took up.

After much hard work and dedication, I achieved 1st Dan black belt in 1989 much to the disgust of several other "instructors". There was a lot of media attention because I was one of very few disabled people to go through a normal syllabus and achieve the coveted grade.

Six months later, I opened his own dojo in Holt village (between Bradford on Avon and Melksham). There were a number of turbulent times, with association changes and conflicts with other instructors in the area but it settled down in 1994 when I was initiated as European Co-ordinator into the International Karate Do Alliance (with my cousin as Australian co-ordinator).

For four years (until a rift split the IKA) everything ran smoothly. After the split I formed an association called the World Martial Arts Alliance. But all throughout the various groups and associations, I was always remained the head instructor of the Soyoukan Karate Club, running it with diligence and dedication to the point that it has produced over 55 black belts in the short time the club has been around. (PS: The Soyoukan Club dissipated (merged) into the new Martial Arts Centre that opened in June 2003).

I was responsible for setting up the United Kingdom Self Defence Academy. This was a small group of like-minded instructors who mainly focus upon self defence training for all, but especially for females of all ages. The UKSDA organised seminars for schools, so that children can benefit from simple techniques to ensure their safety walking to and from school.

Arcade Software was born in 1994, although it had been around in another form from 1988 when I started programming. My first projects were on the Spectrum in compiled BASIC and machine code.

I ran a very unsuccessful mail order games business during 1987-88, purely as way to get out of the unemployment market. The Enterprise Allowance guaranteed a limited income while allowing an entrepreneur to develop a new business. Unfortunately, the business did not take off and was shut down 10 months later.

After honing the programming skills in Avon Tyres Limited, I progressed to compiled BASIC and ISAM databases for the PC. My skills with BTRIEVE were applied to Microsoft Professional Basic, which incorporated the JET engine (forerunner to Visual Basic).

I developed a karate club management database application plus a few other similar applications and decided to directly market them through the new business.

I also saw an opportunity to service home and small business users with help, supplies and advice where required and at cheaper rates than the competitors. During 2000/2001 I m oved the database application programming to the Windows environment by releasing version three of the karate application, this time written entirely in DELPHI.

Arcade Software became the leading force in PC support for home users in West Wiltshire, East Somerset and North East Avon by offering a premiere service at sensible prices. This also includes development of cutting edge websites for many local clients, including a chinese restaurant and an accountancy firm.

In employment terms, my day job was with DIGITAL as a field service engineer, from 1998 onwards. COMPAQ bought out the company, and I then became a field engineer doing the exact same job but for a different employer.

HP then successfully took over COMPAQ, so once more I was transferred. During 2001 I broke a leg while doing karate, and was off work for 12 weeks. This coincided with the take over of Compaq.

HP lost the contract in November 2003, and I was TUPEd across to Siemens. A week or two later, redundancy notices went around.

I secured a new role as Personal Adviser for Shaw Trust working on a project called Progress 2 Work. This job started in January 2004, just as redundancy from Siemens took hold.

Since then, I have focussed upon setting up tai chi classes. For two years I had severe legal issues with partners who stole the martial arts centre and have left me bankrupt. I have resolved myself to learning the lessons and hoping that what goes around comes around.

So, there we go. A whirlwind history of me. The picture was taken in 1997 in Australia when I visited to teach karate.