Enjoy!

A street where, on regular days, people would doubtless think you’d lost your mind if you so much as sat in your front garden instead of around the back.

But last Sunday was different,  because me and my neighbours were taking part in the second annual Big Lunch – a day in which around one million people all over Britain sat down with their neighbours for a communal meal.  And so,  for just one day,  the road was closed,  the cars were relocated,  bunting and balloons were strung across the road and woven into the trees – and around one hundred adults and children came together in my street for a communal barbecue, followed by homemade cakes and puddings.

My street in London is very ordinary and is like thousands of others all over the UK – a row of terraced houses,  built in the Edwardian years at the turn of the twentieth century in order to house the growing middle class population of white collar workers such as bank clerks and office staff.  Some of the houses are owned,  some are rented;  some are single family units,  others are let out as individual rooms to a transient population of twenty-somethings from a variety of countries.  Most of the houses have now been updated from their original build and have had new kitchens, bathrooms or loft conversions bolted on,  although some do have the ancient 7’ x 11’ galley kitchen and prehistoric bathroom fittings still in situ (we inherited the original loo,  complete with overhead cistern and hanging chain, when we moved in in 2001).

Above all though,  we have a huge diversity and richness of talent in the street that I never really appreciated until one of my neighbours heard of the Big Lunch,  then in its early stages, last year and leafleted the street to see if anyone was interested in helping him organise our very own street party.  Before the 2009 Big Lunch,  our street was fairly typical,  in that some of us knew our immediate neighbours (and we are only a road of 27 houses,  so not a huge population) but nobody knew everybody.

I remember when there was a discussion a year ago over what entertainment to put on for the children and someone exclaimed: “What children?  Do we even have any kids living here?”

But we actually have nearly 30,  if we’d only known it at the time.

And diversity?  At this year’s lunch,  we had participants from the following countries: all four corners of the UK,  the USA, Canada, Poland, Bangladesh, Jamaica, India, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Russia and the Netherlands.

And this diversity of backgrounds also brings with it an amazing array of jobs;  a quick poll told me that amongst us we have a:

psychotherapist, a BBC producer, a professional sitar player,  an opera singer, an actuary, a CBT therapist, a vicar, an actress (who once had her own story arc in “Sex and the City”!), a motorbike salesman, some freelance musicians who teach drums and play in a band, an HR manager for a museum, a midwife, a man who makes models for film sets such as “Gulliver’s Travels”, assorted sales assistants, a primary school teacher, a management consultant and various people who “do things in IT”.

(And me).

What was great about the Big Lunch was not only the way in which this kind of event truly brings people together in a social sense,  but also the way in which people contributed their skills to the organisation of it all.

We had three barbecue stations on the go; Paul made us a playlist and plugged his iPod into someone else’s speakers so that we could have music.  I ordered all the food and took delivery of a huge Ocado order,  but that food was then stored overnight in multiple fridges up and down the street.  Wei-Hei used her discount card to buy the disposable plates, cups and cutlery at a great price from the cash and carry; Glynis spoke to a friend at a local church and arranged for us to borrow their tables in return for a small donation to the church roof fund (there’s always a church roof fund, isn’t there?).  Liz went up and down the street,  saying hello and getting people to sign up for the lunch; Russell used his great graphic design skills to knock out newsletters for everyone,  but particularly for those of our neighbours who don’t have email (which,  given that some of them are in their 70s and 80s,  is very much the case).

Astrid bought and stored all the drinks; Bevan collected the “Road Closed” signs from the local council depot; other neighbours contributed bunting (made out of what looked like old pyjamas), a gazebo, tables and chairs.  I did all the email communications with the Mayor’s office,  the local community policing team and our local ward councillors;  TLS was in charge of the budget,  on the basis that he’s great at getting money out of people and he also used his truck to fetch and carry various signs and bits of furniture.

Most crucially,  in terms of the atmosphere on the day,  our local musicians,  who form a truly fabulous band called Storey (check them out on iTunes and Spotify)  gave us a completely brilliant two hour concert.  They played their own stuff (with which quite a few of us are now familiar,  as we try to go to their local gigs when we can),  then went into some great covers and finally got members of the audience to join them on drums, tambourine and backing vocals.  Who knew that Mark was such a great drummer,  or that Ingrid could sing so well?

And I guess that’s the whole point of diversity – how do you know what skills people have,  unless you open up the doors (or the street) and include them?  I’ve had several job interviews (yes … still …) recently in which I’ve been asked: “What does diversity mean to you?” – and my answer is – it’s always all about the talent.  Just like the childless person who assumed that, like him, our road was childfree, I think that many unenlightened leaders think that having more people like them in the leadership team is the only way to lead the company,  or organise the street party.

But for me,  the Big Lunch events are a great reminder of a couple of things:

-       That I’m so lucky to live in this lovely street in this fabulously multi-cultural city;

-       That not sweating the small stuff is generally a great idea – and we will usually get there,  wherever “there” may be,  in the end;

-       And that the greatest outcome can always be achieved by having a mixture of talents and inputs from a wide variety of people.

Oh, and?  Street parties are way more fun when you get blue skies and sunshine (2010) rather than dark skies and rain (2009).

However,  proof of my networking and writing activities came all neatly rolled up into one busy day last week,  when my article about IDDAS‘s report into board effectiveness (as viewed by the chairmen of a number of FTSE 350 companies) and where diversity fits within that model was published on the Glasshammer (here’s the link)  and a piece on travel tips also went live on Alpha Female.

Do check out Alpha Female if you can; it was founded earlier this year by Carol Paterson Smith (whom I’ll be interviewing later this week for a Glasshammer profile, so look out for that too) and is a fabulous treasure trove of useful connections, smart ideas and stylish hints to make life easier for busy women everywhere.

Carol and I met last month when we were seated next to each other at the WIBF awards, and that in itself was an interesting example of what can happen when you’re naughty and move the seating plan around so that you don’t have to sit with your back to the stage … if I’d stayed where I was meant to sit,  I wouldn’t have met Carol,  checked out her fabulous site (you have to create a user name and register to view the content,  but it’s free to do so and well worth it)  and written her a guest article.

* * *

If you follow me on Twitter,  you’ll have seen that I was Tweeting on Sunday about the community party we held on my street in west London in support of the nationwide Big Lunch initiative.  More on that event later this week; as well as being tremendous fun,  it was a fabulous example of collaboration, planning and new friendships amongst neighbours of long standing.

As a word of warning to any other non-US passport holders: be prepared for delays and possible problems at Immigration if you’ve changed your passport recently.  TLS and I landed at Miami at 4pm local time last Thursday,  very much looking forward to our week’s holiday here over the 4^th July weekend. We’d had an uneventful flight, which had landed on time and we were early in the immigration queue.  I was processed with no problems and went on ahead to retrieve our bags,  but TLS was asked to accompany a Homeland Security employee to an office for what was described as a “brief chat” in order to “discuss” an apparent discrepancy on his passport.

He managed to tell me all of this via text before he (and he alone, out of the hundred-odd other people in the holding pen) had his phone confiscated … and we then spent FOUR HOURS sitting in separate parts of Miami airport each wondering what was happening. I was going out of my mind with worry, particularly after an airline official took the time and trouble to tell me that he might be deported (!) – a great start to our much anticipated holiday.

It eventually transpired that there are still apparently teething problems with the new ESTA system – the recently introduced on-line visa waiver process which replaces the old green form which one used to have to fill in on the plane.  We each applied for ESTAs (and were granted them) last September when we went over to California.  Since then,  TLS has replaced his passport,  so he naturally applied for a new ESTA – and, again,  was granted one on-line. Unfortunately, the ESTA software isn’t sophisticated enough (or perhaps doesn’t “talk” to other systems)  and doesn’t know when a passport has expired – all it sees is that there are TWO ESTAs live in the system,  each attached to different passports.

Ding ding!

Problem!

Arrest the innocent traveller and treat him like a criminal! Retain him in a hot, airless room with no facilities for four hours,  accuse him of applying for a new ESTA with an old passport … then accept that actually,  the correct passport was used – and then release him without a single word of apology.

So that was how our holiday started.

We were so exhausted by the time we got to our eventual destination in Fort Lauderdale that I didn’t even notice (or care) that we’d been allocated a room over the valet parking desk …. not the tranquil location for which we’d been hoping.

But we have subsequently learned that the one time when everyone will want to use valet parking is when there’s heavy rain – and what have we had for the majority of our time here? That’s right: the heaviest rain seen in this area for about 60 years!  Whilst London basks in blue skies and balmy temperatures,  southern Florida has 90 degrees F heat, 99% humidity and,  yesterday at least,  the most rain falling in one day since 1952.

But it’s not all bad news … we are two blocks from a branch of Borders (where the in-house coffee shop prepares delicious cinnamon lattes) and I’ve been doing a lot of reading,  due to being trapped indoors by the rain.  Here’s some of the books I’ve bought:

Half the Sky – Nicholas D Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn: not available in paperback in the UK for another month,  I’ve been wanting to read this ever since it first came out.

“A brilliantly argued case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide …”

Every Last One – Anna Quindlen : a new novel from one of my favourite novelists, a brilliantly nuanced portrayal of family life and shocking, terrifying change.

1959 – The Year Everything Changed – Fred Kaplan : Not the 1960s, apparently,  but the year earlier which  “ushered in the wave of tremendous cultural, political, and scientific shifts that would play out in the decades that followed …”

Purchased because it was placed (nice work, Borders) on the table adjacent to:

Mad Men and Philosophy – edited by Ron Carveth and James B South: a series of essays which look at the philosophical themes and issues which underpin my favourite TV show.

A Short History of Women – Kate Walbert: Tracing five generations of one family from 1899 through the present, this shows the myriad ways in which women have challenged the status quo, succumbed to it, or made their statements, for better or worse –  their stories here existing almost as a series of interrelated short stories.

And finally:

Hope in a Jar – Beth Harbison: this was perfect fluffy reading for a very wet, stuck indoors afternoon; not great,  but it did give me the earworm of the holiday. It’s the story of two high school friends, Allie and Olivia who have gone their separate ways as adults but who (** cliché alert **) reconnect at their high school reunion. Each chapter starts with a tag line from a past or current ad campaign for a beauty product (“Because you’re worth it!”) and one such chapter got me first singing “It’s gonna be an Avivance night …” and then rushing to YouTube to view the original 70s advert.

Check it out, feel amazed at the world it portrays (housewife whipping off headscarf and apron, adding scent and lipstick,  welcoming home her husband …) and then try and stop it going roundandroundandround in. Your. Head.

I wonder if this is the type of campaign on which Peggy Olson worked in the 1970s?

In the spirit of full disclosure,  I should probably mention that I’ve known Avivah for three years; I organised the corporate sponsorship of her previous book’s launches in London, New York and Toronto back in 2008 (it’s called “Why Women Mean Business“,  is co-authored with Alison Maitland and is still the most compelling book out there if you need cold hard FACTS to assist you make a business case for gender diversity)  - and I also contributed an in-book endorsement to the cover of this volume (referenced  elsewhere on the blog under Recommended reading).

So,  moving on – it’s a great book and my review of it and the Nomura-hosted launch event is now on-line here at The Glass Hammer.

Renuka was both puzzled and fascinated as to how England could be so far away AND in a different time zone,  so we used a second balloon to show the sun, and how it moves around the world, making it dark in England when it’s sunny in India and so on.  By the time of my second trip,  I was far better prepared and arrived with a case full of far more useful things for the children: underwear, hairbands, hairbrushes – and an atlas and an inflatable globe.  
Here’s Jyoti, the sixteen year old girl sponsored by my friend Diane, pointing to California.

I’m already planning my return trip for later this year and am far more wised up as to what to take Renuka (anything red) and what she does and doesn’t like (for the latter: anything “girly”, pink or that requires her to sit still) and also what the El Shaddai team would find useful to have as donations.

So the arrival of TV presenter Kate Humble’s new venture,  a website called Stuff Your Rucksack , struck a definite chord with me.  Her mantra,  based on her travels in the developing world is “if only I’d known before I came away” and she says:

“I’ve done a lot of travelling in the developing world through my job and I’d get to a school or an orphanage and they wouldn’t have something very simple like maps or exercise books. I used to kick myself because invariably these were things lying around at home that I could easily have stuffed in my own rucksack.”

Kate has hit on the fact that many people,  like me,  visit places around the developing world and want to do, or bring, the right thing, but are hamstrung by their lack of local knowledge and wary of, as she puts it,  ”dumping unwanted gifts on local communities”.  So she has developed a website with a map where,  if you click on a specific country,  you can link to local projects and find a list of what the people who work on the ground would find most useful.

Here,  for a great and very personal example,  is a link to one of El Shaddai’s shelters, where we can see  that they’d find it useful to be gifted toiletries, books and educational DVDs.

Fabulous work, Kate – pack a bag,  change a life.

And at last year’s awards, three fabulous things happened to me.

I arrived knowing nobody bar the Chair, Christine Lawrence,  and found myself at a mixed table of assorted women,  all of whom were there, in much the same way as at a wedding (“bride or groom?”)  because we weren’t affiliated with one of the big banks who’d bought a table of ten.

My three great things were as follows:

On my right, I was seated next to Pauline Crawford of Corporate Heart: a magical, energising, powerhouse of a woman, who has since become a great friend and a true inspiration to me.

On my left I met Christina Ioannidis of Aquitude and we immediately established that we knew some people in common; she admired my shoes,  I admired her necklace and,  as women do,  we bonded.

My third great thing was that,  at Pauline’s urging,  everyone at the table bought raffle tickets in support of WIBF’s chosen charity – and both Pauline and I won!   Pauline won a three course dinner (with wine) for six people at a five star hotel and I won a designer dress from No. 35 - a dress which I have since worn all over the world and which never ever fails to generate wonderful compliments whenever it has an outing.

Pauline and Christina were both at this year’s event,  and nobody at my table won a raffle prize, unfortunately. But Christina reminded us that she is running a brief survey via her website, aimed at understanding more about what compels 21st century women to set up their own businesses;  if you’d like to take part,  please follow the link here:

www.breakinggenderstereotypes.com

- and I’ll cover the findings later this year once available.

And,  if you’d like to follow Christina and Pauline on Twitter,  you can do so by clicking on their names.

The Foundation aims to offer women better access to business development support networks and finance in areas of the world which include India, Israel, Kenya, Malawi and Palestine.

The CBFfW is now launching  their Mentoring Women in Business Pilot and if you’d like to be a Mentor … read on.

The 10-month pilot programme will support women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, India, Israel and Palestine through mentoring. Approximately 30 entrepreneurial women will be mentored by 40 successful entrepreneurs or professionals. The pilot aims to demonstrate that there are measurable and tangible benefits from partnering women with entrepreneurial potential in developing and transition countries with successful Mentors in the UK using Google’s online applications such as Sites, Docs, Chat and Gmail. The pilot will involve testing exciting new formats and applications, so the Foundation is  looking for Mentors who are willing to be at the forefront of the development of this extraordinary international programme.

Being a Mentor is a great opportunity to share your knowledge and experience while helping others to succeed and learn about other cultures, places, businesses and market opportunities. Your participation in the Mentoring Women in Business Pilot will require a minimum of one hour of your time every two weeks, and the more you engage,  the more you will help shape the future of the Mentoring Programme.  Some of the Mentors applying for the pilot will be matched with a Mentee by July and will be able to start the mentoring relationship right away, while others will be matched in October, when a second group of Mentees will be ready to participate in the programme. Some Mentors will not be matched with a Mentee, but their involvement in the programme will be crucial for the successful management of the mentoring Platform, as they will be able to contribute to the public forums and share their expertise with Mentors and Mentees alike. The pilot phase will finish in May 2011.

Mentors are asked to provide a minimum donation of £100 per year to help support the programme and will be given training from Google on how to use Google’s applications and from renowned experts, Clutterbuck Associates and the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, Cambridge Judge Business School, on how to develop a strong and effective mentoring relationship. The one-day training course for the Mentors will be on July 14^th (it’s free) and will be a great opportunity to learn new skills and to network with like-minded people.

The Platform built with Google to run the Mentoring Women in Business Programme is now ready; if you would like additional information or have any questions, you can contact the programme’s project manager via gc@cherieblairfoundation.org

If, having browsed the site, you’d like to apply to become a Mentor, please apply now, as the the application deadline is 23^rdJune.

And please feel free to share this link with anyone who you think would be a great mentor for these women around the world.

Following on from my earlier blog about the Pill,  I was amused to receive a press release from none other than Britain’s major (something like £1 of every £8 spent in the shops of the UK is spent here) supermarket chain, Tesco.

They have leapt onto the World Cup bandwagon with alacrity and are urging us to “Lie Back and Think of England” with this cut price condom offer, “Won Sixty-Six”,  which they “hope will be a winner”.

Oh yes.  And there’s more:

“The excitement won’t stop after England finish their matches so we’re doing our bit to help it go through the night.

We chose the £1.66 price [for a pack of condoms] because we want to restore England supporters’ pride and help them to remember it is possible to go all the way, as we did when we won the World Cup back in 66.”

OK, then!

Moving on from contraception,  but still on the football theme (isn’t everything this week?),  the admirable pinkstinks campaign team have come up with an alternative take on the usual WAGS (“Wives and Girlfriends”) acronym with this alternative and amusing WAGS logo, available on t-shirts and tote bags.

Check out their fund-raising shop here.

Here’s a link to my article about it,  as featured in The Glass Hammer.

Check it out for a very useful footwear based tip …