Mind the Prom

I am part of the Corporate Social Responsibility team at work and as part of that we have been doing a big push on making sure that everyone uses their company-allocated volunteering hours.

I must confess that I have been remiss in this myself, so was pleased to get a kick up the bum from a colleague who suggested that instead of a team meeting, we all go out chugging on behalf of Mind in Manchester. (Extras)

Talking to strangers in a non-work environment is already wayyyyy out of my comfort zone, so throw in the added frisson of then asking said strangers for money and you have a full blown anxiety attack just waiting to happen. However, I threw myself in with the comfort blanket of hitting the streets in pairs and via some train chicanery made it down to Manchester for the briefing. Fun fact #1: shaking your collection tin is illegal and would be considered soliciting! Fun fact #2: I had the best collection tin (extra).

What followed was a couple of very tiring, but fascinating hours as all sorts of people stopped by to drop some money in, share a story or two, shake our hands and even thank us for our efforts. As ever, it always felt like those that had the least to give, gave the most. I have a new-found respect for those collecting for charity as it is hard work and we also had to respect the turf rights of the homeless and Big Issue sellers as we didn’t want to impose on their territory and make their day any tougher than it already was.

I had to break away early as I needed to get back north to sort The Eldest for her prom and get the wee ones to cricket in good time. As luck would have it, the trains were much kinder on the return and I was back in time to see my my beautiful daughter in her finery for her big evening. Naturally, I am biased, but I think she looked amazing and the light reflecting from her dress and sparkling around the room like a mirror ball is testament to where she currently finds herself mentally; radiating light. 

As if that wasn’t enough, the week ended perfectly with a trip to the cricket club for the wee ones Dynamo session (highly recommended as a great introduction to cricket for your own wee ones) and a well-earned pint and burger in the sunshine with my parents who came up to watch too. We were even joined by my former in-laws for a while and I think it was the first time that they had spoken with my parents properly since my most recent divorce. It was good to see them.

Glorious way to finish up a fantastic day and set us up for the weekend where I will shortly become the proud owner of a certified adult as The Eldest turns 18.

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Have a great weekend everyone!