The House of Lords
Committee on the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy published a thoughtful report last week on the Legacy of the Games
and how well this measured up against the various targets set and promises
made as part of the Olympic bid process.
Chair of the Committee is Lord Toby Harris, a Labour Peer steeped in
London politics over many years.
Lord Toby did the usual round of media interviews about the report, and was widely quoted on one of the few areas where there appears to be a failure to achieve the promised beneficial legacy – there has been no significant increase in the number of younger people becoming active participants in sport.
Lord Toby was the perfect choice for his observation that “the reality is that there’s an obesity epidemic in this country …..”
Lord Toby did the usual round of media interviews about the report, and was widely quoted on one of the few areas where there appears to be a failure to achieve the promised beneficial legacy – there has been no significant increase in the number of younger people becoming active participants in sport.
Lord Toby was the perfect choice for his observation that “the reality is that there’s an obesity epidemic in this country …..”
STRICTLY NECESSARY?
Sir
Bruce Forsyth gets a lot of stick in some parts of the media for his
performances hosting Strictly Come Dancing, but he has difficult reading the
autocue and even when he manages it he is then saddled with a script that often
requires him to deliver utterly predictable jokes. He also has to manage a judging panel where
honest comment on the performances is at a premium, and where the audience
seems to believe it’s at a Christmas pantomime, with the increasingly camp
Craig Revel Horwood being treated like the Wicked Witch.
But surely spitting at the panel is a little over the top?
And was there a conspiracy to get rid of Fiona recently? Seems to me that the BBC can’t add up!
But surely spitting at the panel is a little over the top?
And was there a conspiracy to get rid of Fiona recently? Seems to me that the BBC can’t add up!
TRAVELLING IS NOT ALWAYS A PLEASURE
I
have never been much of a bus user but every now and then it seems the best,
sometimes the only, option. Last week my car needed repairing and the only sensible
way home after dropping the car at the garage was to use the bus. Sensible? Turned out to be anything but.
The bus I had to catch only runs once an hour (yes, outside the cities this is not unusual). It was cold, it was raining heavily. The bus station was under cover but there was nowhere warm and sheltered to wait. So I joined the queue. And we waited …. and waited. The bus ‘disappeared’ from the otherwise helpful electronic indicator board. The rain came down heavier and the wind blew stronger. I disappeared into a nearby café for a cup of tea and to warm up.
Just under an hour later I went outside to queue again. The bus just hadn’t turned up – the same people were still in the queue – just looking colder and more fed-up. Another long wait and the same thing happened – after half an hour I concluded that the bus just wasn’t going to turn up and so I caught a taxi home instead.
Most of the people using buses during the day do so because they have no alternative. The people in the queue were all elderly and many were disabled. Probably didn’t have a car. What a miserable time they had, waiting for over two hours with no warmth, no shelter and no information.
I find it hard to believe that a bus company can simply cancel services in this way – especially when they are only scheduled to run every hour. And I find it hard to believe that in this day and age an enclosed and warm shelter cannot be provided at a city centre bus station. A letter will be winging its way to my local council as soon as I have finished my Moan!
The bus I had to catch only runs once an hour (yes, outside the cities this is not unusual). It was cold, it was raining heavily. The bus station was under cover but there was nowhere warm and sheltered to wait. So I joined the queue. And we waited …. and waited. The bus ‘disappeared’ from the otherwise helpful electronic indicator board. The rain came down heavier and the wind blew stronger. I disappeared into a nearby café for a cup of tea and to warm up.
Just under an hour later I went outside to queue again. The bus just hadn’t turned up – the same people were still in the queue – just looking colder and more fed-up. Another long wait and the same thing happened – after half an hour I concluded that the bus just wasn’t going to turn up and so I caught a taxi home instead.
Most of the people using buses during the day do so because they have no alternative. The people in the queue were all elderly and many were disabled. Probably didn’t have a car. What a miserable time they had, waiting for over two hours with no warmth, no shelter and no information.
I find it hard to believe that a bus company can simply cancel services in this way – especially when they are only scheduled to run every hour. And I find it hard to believe that in this day and age an enclosed and warm shelter cannot be provided at a city centre bus station. A letter will be winging its way to my local council as soon as I have finished my Moan!
A HANDY TIP
FOR CYCLISTS
Although
I would class myself as a motorist, I do have a bicycle and I love using it
during the summer. I’m not one for
cycling on main roads unless it’s impossible to avoid, preferring to find
alternative and quieter routes wherever possible.
The recent spate of fatal accidents in London involving cyclists reinforces my view that the dangers of cycling in cities are ever-present and too high for my liking.
But here’s a tip for cyclists – offered in the spirit of wanting them to help themselves to be as safe as possible. Don’t be like the group of enthusiasts I saw on Sunday morning – cycling along a busy road on what was a murky, horrible day – misty and in persistent rain. And for a day like this they chose to wear black lycra suits – no doubt because that was the uniform of their cycling club.
Come on chaps – help yourselves and help other road users. Wear something that will help us see you. I even saw a dog wearing a high-visibility jacket - couldn't you have done something similar?
The recent spate of fatal accidents in London involving cyclists reinforces my view that the dangers of cycling in cities are ever-present and too high for my liking.
But here’s a tip for cyclists – offered in the spirit of wanting them to help themselves to be as safe as possible. Don’t be like the group of enthusiasts I saw on Sunday morning – cycling along a busy road on what was a murky, horrible day – misty and in persistent rain. And for a day like this they chose to wear black lycra suits – no doubt because that was the uniform of their cycling club.
Come on chaps – help yourselves and help other road users. Wear something that will help us see you. I even saw a dog wearing a high-visibility jacket - couldn't you have done something similar?
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