Sexy Green Car Show at Eden

I was invited to attend the launch of the Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project, St Austell this evening. I went along with William. It was fantastic to see more being promoted about alternative fuels and more ecologically sound forms of travel ... if only things could move quicker to making the green car industry more accessible and widely available to all people. It is crazy that this technology exists in so many different forms yet it is all still in a very early stage of production.

It's hard to believe that this is the first green car show in the country but I do hope it signals significant growth in the sector as it is so worrying to know that carbon emissions from cars are responsible for 12% (!) of our carbon footprint.

The car show runs from the 30th March until 15th April, at The Eden Project, Cornwall.

Foster Hall

I was delighted to be asked to be the chair/trustee for the launch of a new charity in Bodmin last night. Although I have a fair bit on my plate right now, it is funny how some things come up which you simply can't say no to!

Foster Hall (the red building at the back of the picture) was a thriving community hall located on our old hospital site. It is a fascinating place - absolutely beautiful, absolutely huge with lots and lots of potential to become a conference venue, performing arts centre and in fact a badly needed centre of the community again for Bodmin.

Whenever I speak to people in the town about Foster Hall, which closed 19 years ago, the reaction is one of warmth, fond memories and an absolute consensus of opinion to try and regenerate it.

The regeneration is a big ask, but I take heart from the fact that similar projects have succeeded across the country and there is no reason why this one shouldn't succeed too! Ambitious, yes. Impossible, no!

The first steps are to try and capitalise on all that goodwill and feeling towards the place, I hope to engage the local schools to look at what they would like to see going on the site, and to engage the older generations to submit their memories and photo's. There could be an excellent exchange between the generations going on.

It is clear that if we can get and maintain a good groundswell of support going it will definitely help the case. Obviously we have to prove the case and whilst I will do everything I can to get this going it is essential that the place can sustain itself for the future ... Bodmin has long suffered from having it's hopes built up and dashed down with various schemes - this must not become another of them.

We hold our first meeting of the "Foster Hall committee" on the 11th April and I have been trying to write the agenda - problem being that there is so much we need to discuss and get done that it's hard to prioritise ... the good thing is that there are a number of very willing people who want to get involved and share the vision ... and as we all know ... from little acorns - mighty can oaks grow!

Watch this space!

Rainy Day

Well, five minutes to spare before doing the toddler taxi run!

It's been an intersting week this week - just putting the finishing touches to the funding bid for Big Lottery which seems to be keeping me awake into the small hours at the moment, cashflows, full costs recovery and capital expenditure seem to fill my dreams. It is so exciting the prospect of perhaps having a team to help with Real Baby Milk, as doing all the legwork on my own has been lonely at times - and frustrating as I have had to say no to some things which if I already had the manpower we might have been able to take on.

On another note, I passed the approval day last Saturday with a grade 1 which I am absolutely delighted about. I really enjoyed the day and got a lot out of it as well as meeting some really lovely people. So there's now a small gap before the next stage!

Otherwise, it has been bitterly cold so not much delivering this week - my days have been taken up with work so I have been unable to deliver through the day, but hopefully I can get cracking again this weekend. Have Regeneration committee meeting this afternoon and then back to writing press releases for the re-launch of RBM at the Penrice Birth Centre (St Austell) next week.

Have had really good feedback to our new and improved guide and have just sent the one for Inverclyde off to the printers - unfortunately RBM Inverclyde launches on May 1st - which is two days before election day so there is just no way I can go and see the first Real Baby Milk outside of Cornwall.

Busy week

It has been a madly busy week. Mainly because I have the final Lib Dem approval stage for parliament on Saturday so have been practising my speech and brushing up on all aspects of policy. I have known for some time that it was coming up on Saturday but all of a sudden it is here! I am looking forward to seeing how I get on, but will be glad to get it done as I can then focus on my election campaign again!

Otherwise it has been a casework week. When I first thought about standing for council I thought that it would be easy to get things done as a councillor but hadn't banked on the frustratingly slow mechanisms of local government - especially as so many services are now delivered through contractors. Some of my casework involving trees and repairs have been dragging on for between 3-6 months and I find that difficult as I am someone who likes to get things done promptly.

Fortunately, residents seem to be far more aware that this is the way that local government works and as long as I keep in regular contact with them - even if it is a phone call to say "no news" yet - they seem reassured that someone is on the case.

On another note, it has come to my attention that "Real Baby Milk" has been nominated for an all party Parliamentary award for maternity services!! Don't know how we will fair as I know that there are quite a number of fabulous Mum instigated projects in the UK, but to be nominated is very nice!

Mums in Cornwall

I spent all afternoon yesterday delivering the second version of "The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding in Cornwall" to birth centres, hospitals and Health Promotions.

It was fantastic to see it being practically given out the minute I got there and to know that women who have just had their babies will be receiving the guide which helps with all aspects of breastfeeding.

The essential guide covers all the social aims of the company, provides correct information, dispels myths and misconceptions and signposts to support groups, helplines and breastfeeding friendly places in Cornwall. We have had 7,500 printed this year so hopefully they'll last longer than the last lot! In fact, I have been told by health promotions that it is one of the most requested publications by midwives which is exactly as it was meant to be and absolutely brilliant.

The best thing is that the guide has been created by Mums for Mums and for that reason is entirely user-led. Which, of course, is the key to all successful marketing!

I have just been invited to make a presentation at an early meeting in Devon with health professionals and Mums on Thursday to discuss the Essential Guide for Devon which will be great .. more support for the £0.5mill funding bid.

I have to add, it was a nightmare driving from town to town though, pouring rain, ferocious winds, roadworks in every town and village I went through - what should have taken 3 hours took 6!! Oh well, it was worth it and I sincerely hope that it will help all the new mothers to get the right start.

Hello to you all

This is a quick post to say a really big Hello to everyone I met at Harrogate who knew me from my blog! To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised as I wasn't sure that many read it. It was really nice to meet so many of you and to know that the blog is being read! Responding to your feedback, I have removed the permissions for commenting so hopefully you will now feel a but more like leaving a comment! But, nobody be rude please! :)

For those of you at The Glee Club, I must apologise for my dreadful rendition of Trelawney's Army, but being as nobody else from Cornwall was present or willing to get up there, I simply had to fly the flag! On that note, it is the St Pirans March in Bodmin today so I shall be out flying the flag again today with my boys!

Returned from Harrogate last night - feeling pretty tired and it's nice to get home - train was delayed at Leeds so ended up travelling from 10am - 7.45pm ... a bit of a long journey! But it has been worth it, I have met so many people and talked my head off to most of them. Really good. Disappointed about Trident, but that will save that for another post!

Catch-up

Well, nearing the end of a busy week and a busy weekend to come!

I will be making the journey to Harrogate ... 7/8 hours from Cornwall!! But this does give me time to do some work on the journeys so all will not be in vain! I am looking forward to it and perhaps I'll meet some of you there.

This week has been hectic and mainly about Real Baby Milk, it started off with a live studio interview on Radio Cornwall at 7.40am Monday about breastfeeding in public which went well, then getting the "Essential Guide to Breastfeeding" finished for print and distribution to every woman who has a baby in Cornwall - will be delivering it to hospitals andbirth centres in Cornwall on Monday. Also finishing the "Essential Guide" for Inverclyde (Scotland) which has taken quite a bit of time but is now nearing completion. The webiste is nearly all there and it is such a relief to see the project reach the next necessary level.

This afternoon I have to present certificates to some newly trained Mums who will be helping mums in the China Clay area of St Austell. I love doing this, volunteer mums are some of the un-sung heroes in Cornwall and the work they do is so important in helping mums give babies the best start. I have built a peer supporters network to try and offer more support and am arranging a breastfeeding conference to boost morale so look forwrd to seeing what they reckon to that idea!

I have also been working with a couple of mums who have secured a grant to produce a breastfeeding dvd for mums in Cornwall, I love seeing people taking action and doing good stuff and am fortunate to be in a position to help wherever and however I can, these mums are working ever so hard and I just hope that the health community take to it.

BTW - The meeting with the midwife from NHS South-west went ever so well and she is going to write letters of support for the project which should help with our bid for £0.5million!

Real Baby Milk has kind of grown it's own legs and I seem to be just steering it in the right direction .. it's very exciting to see how far this project will go ... nobody seems to have "marketed" breastfeeding before and everyone gets very excited about the brand and project aims.

On another note - my little boys have been super stars this week, I am so proud of them and watching them grow is just the most priveleged and amazing thing, they are so bright and fantastic. Our youngest seems to have developed this most amazing sense of humour and the eldest has taken great pride in being "a bigger boy" this week. I don't normally use my blog to be maternally proud but I have fallen in love with them even deeper this week and just had to write it down. When they're good, they're very very good ... but when ....

And of course, big thanks to my husband, William, this week ... holding the fort while I go to conference and generally whizz around doing all the things I am doing. You are a superstar and I really appreciate it, love you loads x