Sal Brinton

the Art Exhibition at Beechen Grove

Tonight saw the opening of an art exhibition at Beechen Grove Church. The curator of the exhibition, Matt Penny, asked artists to follow the theme of Freedom, and he asked anyone interested to submit work. He told me that he'd had a fantastic response, and I have to agree.

The exhibition is a real treat. It is a complete mixture of levels of skills, including works from professional artists and some from those with learning difficulties. The breadth of those works displayed from traditional watercolours through to very modern abstract art made it all the more charming and accessible. My favourites were a stunningly beautiful banner on display in the church,  an abstract by Neil Wax, and  Myrtle Patterson's illustration of the Wild Side of Watford.

The exhibition is on tomorrow and Friday (1-2 April), in the main church, so do go and visit if you can.

Cllr Mary Connolly and Sal with the Carpenders Park canvassing team

Tuesday morning was alternately very bright and clear, followed by rain squalls, but, undaunted, we set out to canvass in Carpenders Park. Now we are canvassing morning, afternoon and evening it really feels as though the election is under way, even if Gordon hasn't called it! Hopefully he'll drum up the courage in the next few days.

Last Saturday evening , and for the second evening running, the Watford Colosseum was filled with people from all over Watford. Christians Across Watford had arranged for the Adoramus Choir and Orchestra  to perform their wonderful Easter Concert, ably assisted by some Watford musicians and school choirs.

The children from Kingsway Junior, Berrygrove and St Anthony's Primary Schools sang beautifully, and the soloists throughout the evening were outstanding.

The music took us through from Palm Sunday through to the Resurrection on Easter Day, in a series of pieces of music, classical, hymns and more modern pieces, with some pictures and words alongside too.

It was a memorable evening, and a thought provoking three hours as we started Holy Week.  Thanks to them all, especially to Jack Watson for setting it up and making the concert happen.

If you want to find out more about the concert, go to http://www.shop.christiansacrosswatford.org/Adoramus.html

The Mayor and Chairman's Audentior Awards are a highlight of the year in Watford, when the unsung heroes in the town are celebrated at a splendid evening at the Colosseum. This year was no exception, with really moving stories of the commitment and dedication of volunteers in our community. The volunteer of the year has been working for the Samaritans for over forty years, and typically, she refused to accept it just for herself but also for all the volunteers who work alongside her.

The other tradition is to entertain the guests with local music and dance. Last night we had elegant music from Watford Boys Grammar as we arrived, and then Parmiters School sang with real gusto. The young Irish dancers (who had come in at short notice) were exceptional.

Mayor Dorothy Thornhill and Cllr Keith Crout, Chairman of the Council, had another successful Awards evening, which showcased some of the best of Watford.

Lord Rennard launches the Watford Election HQ

It was a great pleasure to welcome Chris Rennard, Lib Dem campaigns guru and former Chief Executive of the Liberal Demcrats to Watford this evening to open our new election HQ on Imperial Way. The premises was overflowing with volunteers, and after Chris spoke to us, we relaxed with a glass of wine and some food. We raised some funds by auctioning the opportunity to name the riso printers in our print room - thanks Bernadette and Chris White for your winning bids, and I understand we now have "Nick" and "Vince" printing leaflets for us.

My particular thanks to our wonderful HQ team led by Sam, who are pictured here, and to Rajvi, our regional assistant organiser who couldn't stay as she had an important family event tonight. other key members of the team are Vera, Susan, Sue, Joe, David and Judith. Thanks to you all for  your hard work, much of which goes on behind the scenes. We couldn't do it without you!

Lord Rennard with the Watford Lib Dem HQ team

I went to the Watford and District Annual General Meeting of Arthritis Care today, at St Thomas's Langley Road. There were about 40 people there, and we heard about the various activities that they run - very well - across the area.

My own experience of Arthritis Care is the  Tai Chi for Arthritis classes that they run at Sacred Heart Church in Bushey. I saw a poster at my GPs surgery advertising the classes in the autumn, and went along (rather nervously), but after a term and a bit, I am now hooked! One of the problems of rheumatoid arthritis is that you can't do any sports that put pressure on your joints when the RA is active, and Tai Chi is just a perfect alternative. I certainly feel that I've stretched and moved all my joints by the end of  a class, but more importantly, I've also learned how to balance better. Our teacher, Steve Price, is very good at helping us all to push ourselves far enough, but not too far.

At the AGM today I talked to a number of fellow arthritis patients about our constant struggle with endless types of medication and our creaky joints. We laughed together over cups of tea and excellent cakes. The art group had a display of their work: two years ago some of them could barely hold paintbrushes, now they are producing accomplished work.

I came away from the AGM feeling that this is a group whose name sums up what they do: the care that the volunteers and members give each other provides real support for those living with arthritis (in whatever form). Marion, Valerie and John are the key officers who manage it all with a host of other volunteers. Thank you to all of them from this person living with RA who benefits from your  help!

Tonight was the first AGM of the new Abbots Langley Youth Project, ably chaired by Rev Margaret Davis. The project is truly a village-wide operation, with a  number of organisations and individuals coming together to provide a much needed activity for 13-19 year olds at the Community Centre.

Margaret, Wendy, Steve and Ian have managed to get two grants (with the help of local councillors Sara Bedford and Paul Goggins) to get the project going, and they are now seeking longer term funding now they are up and running.

The AGM heard that many of the youngsters who had been causing concern last year "hanging around" in the village were attending regularly. Some sessions now have 30+ young people attending, doing a wide range of activities, from cooking to painting mugs, street dancing and basket ball. Youth workers and volunteers were praised this evening for their dedication and energy. Long may the project thrive!

Paul Goggins taking carbon monoxide test at Abbots Langley Youth Project AGM

Afterwards John, one of the youth workers, gave Paul Goggins and me a chance to test the level of carbon monoxide in our blood. Given that neither of us has smoked  in many years, and this is designed to discourage the young, we weren't too anxious. Paul beat me, though, with a reading of 2 parts per million. Mine was 3. Who says we're not competitive! One of the posters on John's stand shows that for someone who smokes a packet a day, if they gave up they could afford a season ticket at their local team like the Hornets. That's probably likely to have more impact than adults just saying "don't smoke".

John showing Sal and Cllr Paul Goggins the material to help deter young people from smoking

Too often people just moan about young people hanging round in their area, and young people say there is nothing to do. Once again, Abbots Langley has shown that it is a community with real heart, prepared to put its energy where its mouth is. I look forward to next year's AGM, and hearing about the further growth of the youth project.

Spent a great hour with Elizabeth Rushton at West Herts College this morning, having an update on the College and its activities. The new building on the Hempstead Road is beginning to look really exciting, and will give students the chance to put their vocational training into effect practice in a state of the art centre when finished and ready for occupation this autumn.

Nick Clegg and Sal with Elizabeth Rushton and tourism students at West Herts College in 2008

I also saw the 14-16 prospectus for those pupils looking to get a good grounding in core skills and the skills for the trade that they want to follow after  later life, but for whom the straight academic route of GCSEs and A Levels is not right. I know at least one 14 year old who is hoping that they'll be accepted on one of these vocational courses, so that he can make his dream of becoming a paramedic a reality.

Courses like this will really help those who get turned off by school, whilst giving them the skills they need to follow a career path in the future. For many years politicians have been talking about how we can make the vocational route to employment better. Let's hope this is the beginning of a new attitude!

Artist Jeff Gibbons talking to Sal about his work

Cllr Tony Poole and I went to St Matthew's Church in Oxhey this evening to see an extraordinary exhibition by artist Jeff Gibbons. His theme was the Annunciation and the birth of language. The 26 large canvasses went round the church from the western door all the way round the church to the north side, where a very large panel stretched across the whole of the back of the church.

The theme of the birth of language was evident in the work through books, dialogue and texts written on the work. Sometimes faces emerged from a blurred part of a painting where they hadn't been evident before

Despite the size of pieces, there was considerable space in each of the panels, and a lightness and diversity of style and touch that is very thought provoking. The artist says in a note about the exhibition " Painting is a language which is inconclusive and all the better for it". This is helpful, because at first I found the work somewhat incomprehensible, but after a few minutes certain parts began to grow on  me, even if I didn't understand why.

The exhibition is worth a visit, and will be at St Matthew's until Maundy Thursday, the 1st of April.

two panels from the Art Exhibition

Watford Girls Grammar Government & Politics Society

I always enjoy meeting the members of the WGGS Government and Politics Society, and today was no exception. The Sixth Form are holding an election on 29 March, and posters for the four parties are already up all over the school.

In my talk I focused on how important this election will be: a real opportunity for reform and change. Our democracy needs to be re-energised, and the young women at the Watford Girls Grammar certainly seem to be aware of the issues.

Higher Education was important to a number of them, and we discussed the need for higher skills in our economy, and vocational versus academic courses. The Lib Dem view is that we need both, but many politicians still see a university course as a traditional academic subject, studied for three years away from home. They need to visit our new universities!

Discussing politics with a student

We also talked about taxes, poverty, inequality, early years education, Europe, and Afghanistan. Finally, we talked at some length about recycling, energy costs and what we need to do now in order to start to maximise the resources we have. I talked about the Lib Dem proposals to invest in thousands of jobs in the renewables sector: vital if we are to increase the amount of sustainable energy used in our country.