Mary Reid

It's a real privilege to see a workshop version of a new drama. MeWe, the local youth theatre company that brought us 'And then they came for me', has been developing their own contribution to the debate around the abolition of the slave trade.

'Equiano's Cup' looks at the impact of slavery on young people today, by examining the breakup of family and the cycle of behavioural patterns that can underpin it. At the core of the play is a reading of the chilling speech by Willie Lynch supposedly written in 1712. (Incidently, the authenticity of the speech has been questioned, but the contents have the mark of veracity)

I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves; and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little list of differences, and think about them. On top of my list is "Age", the second is "Color" or shade, there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, South, have fine hair or coarse hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action- but before that I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than adulation; respect or admiration.

The play will probably be performed during Black History Month in October - I look forward to seeing the finished version.

I was at another School Council on Friday, this time at Fern Hill in North Kingston. First I sat in on a very well structured School Council meeting.

After that, some more Year 5 and 6 pupils joined us to ask me about my role. Then they got down to business and talked about how the area where they live could be improved. I jotted down a lot of very good ideas and will now relay them on to the council officers and others.

The children would like more play equipment for the 8 to 12 year age range - they felt that the playgrounds in the parks catered for younger children. They also had some thoughts about cycle lanes, as well as graffiti.

The activity centre for older people at Devon Way has attracted 100 members since it was opened just before Christmas. One of the huge advantages of having it in the same building as the youth centre is that it is possible to bring young and old together.

On Friday, children from Lovelace School next door and St Philips joined the regulars for an Easter Parade. And they all brought their hats!

I had the politically dangerous task of choosing winners from around 100 entries.

Meet Rev'd David Houghton, the new Priest in charge of the parish of St Andrew and St Mark in Surbiton.

He was licensed by the Bishop of Southwark this evening in a church packed with members of the two congregations at St Marks and St Andrews.

David has worked in a number of parishes and chaplaincies in the UK and across Europe, and he comes to Surbiton from the Anglican Church in Paris. With his dog, Zach.

Benjamin Costello (also known as the Chair of Kingston Arts Council) had written a choral fanfare specially for the occasion. He tells me that hidden within it is an enigma - now where did he get that idea from?

It's nearly the end of term, and Our Lady Immaculate Primary decided to celebrate Easter.

All the Key Stage 2 pupils crowded into the sanctuary in the church and told us the stories of Holy Week in songs and drama. I was so impressed by how clearly they spoke and the enthusiasm of their singing. It was all obviously well-rehearsed.

I thanked them afterwards and said that although we all enjoy Christmas, it is in fact Easter which is the most important Christian festival.

Today was  a very special day for the Community Action Partnership on the Cambridge Road Estates in Norbiton. If you haven't heard of the CAP then you don't live on the estates, because anyone who lives there will be very aware of all the ideas that it has nurtured and schemes it has developed.

So the latest initiative is the Community Advice Shop which I opened at lunchtime. It will offer drop-in advice sessions, with a number of different agencies on hand throughout the week - from Citizens Advice Bureau to Magic Roundabout.

Also ... free broadband is now on tap for anyone living in the 1200 or so homes on the estates. And although the publicity campaign hasn't started yet already 120 people have plugged into it. It's a wi-fi scheme that makes good use of the height of the buildings to network the whole area. This is Community Connected - a partnership of Kingston Voluntary Action, the Council and the Community Action Partnership.

Jim Daly, who died last week, was a Conservative councillor for Surbiton Hill from 1971 to 1990, and served as Deputy Leader of the Council. He was later installed as an Honorary Alderman of the Borough.

Jim was one of those people who was deeply respected by politicians of all parties, reknowned for his integrity and for his twinkly sense of humour. I also knew him as a keen supporter of the arts, and particularly because he served as President of Kingston Choral Society until a couple of years ago.

Today I was honoured to represent the Council, along with other councillors and officers, at his funeral at St Raphael's Church in Surbiton.

These are some of the members of the Malden and Coombe Social Club for the Blind. They invited me today to chair their AGM and then chat with them over a cup of tea and some birthday cake (and an excellent one, baked by the Chair, Diana Goodhew)

It is small groups like this, providing so much pleasure to their members, that make me proud to represent our Borough. The volunteers who provide transport, refreshments and arrange the programme must, of course, be thanked, but so must the members who welcome new people and make them feel at home.

I made the (understandable) mistake of thinking that the Malden and Coombe Library Circle was a book group, so I turned up ready to tell them about some of the books I had written as well as books I had read and enjoyed.

But it seems that this group enjoys a weekly speaker on a large variety of topics, from travel to local history, and not just on book related themes. They don't even meet in the library any more having moved to a hall at Christ Church when the New Malden Library was being refurbished some years ago.

They welcomed me as their honorary President and I chaired their AGM - we got it down to 20 minutes leaving plenty of time for friendly chatting.

St Mary's School Council, in the Parlour, learning from Harry Kempson about the Mace

Actually they started by having a meeting with Barry Allen, the Neighbourhood Services Manager for South of the Borough, because they wanted to discuss some local issues with him.

We then showed them round the Council Chamber and Parlour - they were full of bright questions - and finished by giving them fruit and juice (and some healthy baked crisps!)

Kingston marked the Abolition of the Slave Trade with a reflective service at Kingston Parish Church, beautifully put together by the Vicar Rev'd Jonathan Wilkes, and John Azah of Kingston Racial Equality Council.

The choir sang three of Tippett's light but fiendishly difficult Negro Spirituals. The historical perspective was provided by John Azah, by Neslyn Watson-Druee, the Chair of Kingston Primary Care Trust who was born in Jamaica, and by Susan Gardner of the Society of Friends (ie Quakers), an organisation that led the campaign for abolition in the 18th century. Rev'd Kevin Walker spoke about how the cultural interpretations with which we overlay stories about the past, and about our own present, can blur the truth.

We ended by singing 'Amazing Grace'. Not everyone who sang it would have been aware that this hymn was by John Newton, a former master of a slave-trading ship. He advised Wilberforce and encouraged him to stay in Parliament to work for the abolition of slavery.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

This is the first of a series of events planned throughout 2007 to mark this poignant anniversary.

Rosie Greaves (left in photo), the president of the Kingston branch of Soroptimist International invited me to their Annual Lunch yesterday, which was an event full of good conversation and food. You may not have heard of this organisation, but it is one for which I have the highest respect.  To quote from the website:

Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization for women in management and professions, working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.

Their strapline is: Women Working Together to Make a Difference.

I noticed, and in my short speech commented on the fact, that they work in partnership with the Anti-Slavery Society, which was particularly appropriate right now.

The guest speaker was Joan Smyth CBE (right in photo), a past President of Soroptimist International for Great Britian and Ireland, who is best known as Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission in Northern Ireland, and also served as Chair of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company Limited.

She also happened to be an old school friend of Rosie Greaves, so the conversations were light-hearted.

The unfolding drama of Bob Woolmer's death has been playing on my thoughts all week. Some reflections:

Kingston Jamaica has one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world, so there was real anxiety that the World Cup games could be spolit by violence. Sabina Park is close to the notorious downtown districts, and yet felt very safe when we were there. All bags were searched and we were all body scanned before going in. There were loads of police in the grounds and outside, supported by a huge army of ICC staff. As far as I know there has been no trouble at all at the stadium or nearby.

The Pegasus Hotel was a short walk from the British High Commission where we were staying. It is located in the prosperous New Kingston area which is normally a non-threatening place to be. Although I didn't go into the hotel, it must have had very high levels of security.  And yet - it seems that the reputation that Jamaica has meticulously built, for hosting a superb Opening Ceremony and well-organised matches, is being destroyed by a crime which appears to have happened behind the security screen.

The Ireland team were surprised to find themselves in the World Cup at all, and their draw with Zimbabwe (in the picture) gave them enormous confidence. The win over Pakistan was the high point for all the players. It's just so sad that it is now the subject of rumours about match-fixing.

So many people affected; so much anguish. At the risk of sounding facetious, which I'm not, I'm afraid it's just not cricket.

Ian Chang (left) is the leader of Kingston University Symphony Orchestra. He was also the soloist this evening in a performance of John Williams' music for Schindler's List.

On the right is a rising star, David Horden, who had won the concerto contest for the second year running. He fronted a concerto that was completely new to me, and by a composer I hadn't come across before, so it was a delightful discovery, full of great rhythms and jazzy themes. The piece was the T-Bone Concerto, by Johan D Meij, which had three movements, quirkily titled Rare, Medium and Well Done.

Between them is the charismatic Dr David Osbon, Head of Collegiate Music. He is always a delight to watch as he conducts with expansive gestures and huge enthusiasm. Each year he puts on a concert in aid of the Mayor's Charity, for which I'm so grateful. What he didn't appreciate was that he included one of my favourite pieces of music: Faure's Requiem. My only problem lies in keeping quiet during a performance as I'm dying to join in - if that's the right expression..... It speaks of serene ethereal beauty, and tells us that death can be gentle and welcoming.

If you can watch only one short piece about the Ending of the Slave Trade it should be this.

I don't think we've heard a rock band in the Council Chamber before, but today we heard two!

Signs to Nowhere (left) and The Fuzz (right)

The Music and Arts Service for schools in Kingston put on two shows to showcase some of the best performances by young people and to raise funds for my charity, Young Kingston. People missed some excellent acts in the first show, but the Chamber was packed for the second show.

There aren't many primary schools that can boast an orchestra - but Christ Church New Malden can, and they performed confidently in a number of styles.

We also enjoyed dance drama from the same school and from Tiffin Girls and St Matthews (below), plus some excellent solo intrument and vocal performances. I'm looking forward to seeing some of them again in Sparkle next month.

Children are citizens, not just citizens-in-the-making. They experience their environment in a different way from adults and they have pertinent views about how it can be improved. So encouraging children to be good citizens not only teaches them to exercise their rights, but also provides decision makers with invaluable information and advice.

Some time ago I met with the School Council at Lovelace School. They then emailed me a really sensible list of suggestions about improving the area around the school. Since then they have had meetings with our Neighbourhood Services Manager, Barry Allen, and with the Chair of the Neighbourhood, Cllr Sue Baker, and they are soon to meet with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team in the person of Sgt James Ellis.

I'm pleased that all three are committed to listening to children and taking them seriously.

So what has been the outcome? - well, the children have helped to design and position the youth shelter that will be erected in King Edward's Rec, they are designing an information board at the Hook Centre and they have put their case for improving the road markings outside the school. 

The School Council and I chatted about all this over muffins and fruit in the Parlour today. They now want to start campaigning for better play equipment in parks for disabled children.

After this very satisfying encounter I dropped into two of the schools that are linking with schools in Kingston Jamaica. I took several folders of letters and photos to Knollmead from St Peter Claver in Jamaica, and a very impressive CD to Fern Hill from St Anne's. Both schools this end can see enormous benefits from the links and are planning to integrate the contacts into the curriculum and use the correspondence to broaden literacy.

Presenting the Head Girl and Boy of St Annes with the book about Royal Kingston last week

Kingston University holds seven graduation ceremonies each year, but only one of them is held in the Royal Albert Hall. Which is how I came to be sitting in the Royal Box yesterday, celebrating with the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.

The Faculty includes Music, so it was entirely appropriate to find the University Orchestra, Big Band and Choir performing in that wonderful space. But one unexpected delight was the fanfare by the trumpeters of the Royal School of Military Music at Kneller Hall. Some of the soldiers study for degrees at Kingston University as part of their training.

The view from the Royal Box

1st Hook Guides came on a visit to the Guildhall in place of their usual meeting. I showed them round the Council Chamber, explained about how the Council works. Harry Kempson showed them the maces, and we all ended up having juice and fruit in the Mayor's Parlour.

I've now added some photos to my blogs about Jamaica.

This is the statue of Bob Marley, of course, that stands at the entrance to his home, which is now a museum dedicated to his memory. 

I was so pleased yesterday evening to be back in that gem of a concert hall, the Yehudi Menuhin Hall in Stoke D'Abernon. I went to hear the Cobham Band there last year and thought the acoustic and design were splendid.

This time we went to hear the Ember Choral Society performing Handel's Messiah. Ember Choral draws their membership from Kingston as well as the Dittons, but I hadn't heard them for some time.

They gave a confident performance, with a clarity of tone and precision that are sometimes missing in choral groups. We all stood, as tradition decrees, for the Hallelujah Chorus - and I was pleased because it doesn't always happen at performances of it these days.

I was pleased to note that the hall is just as sympathetic to voices as it is to brass instruments. Speaking of which there was an excellent trumpeter who sent that wonderful solo, which always gives me a tingle, soaring high above the seats where we were sitting.

This was one of the dozen colourful stalls that appeared in in Eden Walk yesterday. They were all set up by sixth fomers taking part in Young Enterprise, sponsored locally by Kingston Chamber of Commerce.

The young people create real companies and trade over a period of several months. They then produce annual reports and enter the competition first at local, then regional and national level. Around 24 teams are running locally this year.

I helped to judge the teams present for best product, best salesmanship and best stall, and give out some prizes, but these will have no bearing on the final judging in April.

We were all impressed by the bright ideas, enthusiasm and business sense of these young people. Good luck to them all!

After the Citizenship ceremony yesterday I found myself sharing a healthy brunch with 80 or so child care providers. They were using their precious weekends to attend Kingston's Early Years and Childcare Spring Conference at Antionette Hotel.

I missed the morning session but was able to hear an inspirational address by Matt Jardine, author of 'Mo and Lucy' which helps children to recognise that they make moral decisions all the time and that behaviour does not have to follow a pre-determined pattern.

I also dropped in on a workshop on risk assessment, which discussed the concern that too much emphasis on the risks inherent in children's play activities can reduce their capacity to learn and grow.

Taken at 10.52pm on a pretty basic digital camera.

I haven't had much practice at taking photos of an eclipse of the moon, so it's not perfect!

The last time I saw one was in the unpolluted atmosphere of La Palma in 2003. We lay out on sunbeds at midnight watching the whole drama unfold.

We welcomed more new British citizens today, including this young woman from the Seychelles. I chose this photo because it also shows Dennis Mulligan, the Superintendant Registrar, who usually conducts the ceremony.

A lot of people in the Borough have now heard of the Landirani Trust. It was set up only two years ago in Surbiton by Heather Palmer after a trip back to Malawi, where she had grown up. The country has tipped into extreme poverty especially in the villages, and she was determined to do something, so set up this new charity.

Landirani supports around 2000 orphaned children through six centres just north of the capital Lilongwe. Already they are building schools, providing food, crops and livestock, building wells, and giving clothes and bicycles. They are hoping to set up a mobile clinic in the near future.

I was invited to an exhibition of photos featuring the children and the project and was privileged to meet Heather, who is here in the photo. Several local schools have already adopted villages and children as projects that they can support, and one or two of the head teachers will be travelling out there soon to see for themselves and provide some skilled work.

In Malawi, if you take a gift to a friend you hand it over with the word 'landirani', meaning 'please receive' - a beautiful name for a very special organisation.