The Risca Legend's Visit to Manchester
From Monday evening to Friday Darren will be in Manchester attending the Community Transport Association Conference. Darren says:
"I know what you are all thinking, why doesnt my job allow for me to go to something as fun, exciting and informative as a week finding out about buses? But as the fortunate one who is going, I feel it is my duty to keep you up to date with events at the conference, about lving in a travel inn in an alan partridge way and my general experience at the biggest and most prestigious community transport event of the year.
So to keep you informed, I will give a daily update via the comments page in this blog of what I have learnt, what has impressed me, what has made me laugh and what has made me think that maybe community transport is not for me afterall. Wireless internet allowing, I will give you a blow by blow attempt of my week".
Tune in next week to find out about what you are missing out on.
posted by Gareth @ 4:22 pm
5 comments
5 Comments:
Sounds good,will be awaiting each episode... interesting to find out what is happening with other Community Transport schemes across the UK, looking forward to hearing about your favorite workshop- sounds like a good range to choose from!
And people say there are no perks to the job if you work in the voluntary sector! I fear for you when you have to submit your expenses claim to JP rather than Mike! Have I got that the right way round?!
I hear that there are buses and some pictures..
Guess the wireless doesn't work...
hope you have found some friends Darren! and that as I type you are out enjoying /finding Manchester.
Hello all
It is my second night in this lovely Alan Partridge-esque hotel and you will be right, the wireless internet does not work on my computer. Yet at 9 pence per minute I thought it was worth paying to relay my experience at the 25th geek conference.
I caught the 4:59pm train to manchester yesterday from Newport and arrived at the hotel at 8:45pm. On the train, there was no space when I got on so I sat by two pathologists who were sat using their laptops, trying to out do each other by using fancy words and claiming to know more about the local area than the other whenever we stopped. Meanwhile, I sat reading the Sun and then playing Fifa 2006 on my lap top, obviously matching them on an intellectual level.
The journey was entertaining because of the stories they were telling each other. The best bit was when we got to Hereford and the one man claimed he could smell the "malt" of the local brewery. He then banged on about the breweries of Hereford and how he would never mistake the smell. However, what he failed to notice was that two school girls were sat behind us eating fish and chips and what he could actually smell was malt vinegar!
Arriving at the hotel the guy infront of me at the check in desk was told that his room had been given to someone else as he had arrived after 7pm and that they were fully booked. Next it was my turn and when the receptionist said that she could not find a reservation for williams, I was about to go wild. Then she said "oh there it is". Very lucky for her I think.
I got in the lift and was most impressed with its state of the art buttons, and I noticed the comapny name of the elevation shaft. It was called "Schindler". This obviously made me think of the film "Schindlers Lift" and I started to chortle to myself in true Gareth Roberts style. Unfortunatly I forgot about the person stood next to me who must have thought I was a little bit mad. OH CRIKEY!
The room I have is nice, but as I checked it out for alan partridge related stuff I noticed there was not a trouser press for me to dismantle, there was no shower curtain for me to tie around my neck and only a limited range of biscuits for me to selotape to my face. So not amused with the room to be honest.
Day one of the event was today and I have to be honest it was very interesting. The first training seminar I went on was really good but the one this afternoon was a long haul and gave me my first altercation with another delegate.
A vertically challenged Irish woman was in the group I was in, which had been set by the trainer. Jokingly someone else (not me) tried to put their dominant male ego over on her and she reacted in a way I thought was tongue in cheek by saying "never underestimate a small woman" Thinking we were all pals I replied by saying "unless offering to get something from the top shelf for you". Needless to say she was not amused and we didnt talk for the rest of the session.
I know, this will be removed as it is not in the spirit of blogging, and no doubt a training session will be identified but it was honestly a joke.
There are so many buses at the event, I counted thirty before having to hide from a city and county employee with a particular interest in CT. Needless to say i shouldnt have bothered as a bit later he was walking towards me with some members of the CTA Wales exec and completely ignored me. Tomorrow is the wales delegates networking session and I am wondering how many of them will speak to me.
For all the negative of the Wales branch of the CTA I did meet the new Chief Exec or whatever her title is and did have an interesting conversation and found her to be very pleasent. A worthwhile exercise I really do think.
TOnight I am back in the hotel with no friends, no one to talk to and no football on the television. Could my night get any worse. Yes is the answer, just realised I have got to be up for eight o clock tomorrow. This isnt the holiday I imagined it would be.
So after day one of the exhibition I have to say that all in all I was pleased with how it went and did get a great deal out of it (buy one big mac get one free). No seriously, some really good info has filtered into my head. Not to mention the CTA 25th anniversary mug and bag I got as part of my delegates pack.
I am going to have something to eat and a light ale now and then get an early night in preperation for tomorrow.
I look forward to posting tomorrow night.
Gareth, if amanda or anyone else isnt happy with something I have written please can you delete it and ask for it not to be mentioned on my return. I hope I havent offended anyone or contravened section 14 of the scvs blogging act, not to mention any of the policies that lead to sackings!
See you all friday
Risca Legend
Hi Darren
Just in case you had not thought of it, write up your comments in MS Word first and then just cut and past them into the blog when you are online. I hope that is what you did anyway, as the thought of you wasting 9 pence a minute, while typing this into blogger would make me cringe. Also if you have an photos and you would like me to add them to a new post on the main page then email them to me on my work email address (could even email me your comments) and I will add them for you. Just in case you forgot my email address already its gareth_roberts@scvs.org.uk
"3 Wheels on my wagon and I'm still rolling along!"
I have had my Mother keeping her eye on the Manchester Evening News for sightings of the Risca Legend.....but you are obviously keeping a lower profile than imagined!
You have my full permission to continue to avoid and ignore Swansea's self-proclaimed dull "champion" of community transport.
Sounds like the whole event may be more interesting and informative than you anticipated and I'm sure you can find at least one soulmate to share a glass of light ale with. If not - visit a pub away from the Conference venue and you will, I'm sure, discover why Northerners are simply FAB!
Did Hannah relay my message to you that you could order a bus as long as it wasn't a white one?
That seemed a funnier statement when I said it at the time....several gins later in the aftermath of the SCVS AGM! Oh well, humungous hangover.......
Take care
Ali
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