The Churches Conservation Trust hold two annual 'Staff Away Days', one at Christmas to round up the year and one at another significant point in the year. This one coincided with the end of the financial year and the results of the CCT's restructuring due to government cuts to its core funding.
From my perspective the day was very useful, it gave me a good view of how I fit into the Trust, and how the All Saints Langport, Youth Project fits into the Trust's portfolio. The project might be the most important thing for my work at the moment, but its not the most important for the Regeneration Taskforce, or the CCT (the Regeneration Taskforce presented on two other projects in Bolton and Ipswich which have either been granted, or are currently raising millions of pounds for regeneration projects, by comparison, Langport is in the process of raising £25,000 ...)
The day was also a good milestone for making me think about where I'd like to be approximately 1 year from now, at the next Staff Away Day (which I hadn't really put much thought into before now). The conclusion that I came to (which might or might not be a conclusive conclusion) was that where I'd like to be is employed with money from the HLF bid to continue working on the Langport Project as a Project Assistant for the CCT. So the project has taken on a personal development panic as well as a professional development panic. Hooray!...
On a less reflective note, the day was also useful in that I got chatting to Neil, an archaeologist who is also Conservation Manager in the South West for the CCT. Neil has previous experience of working with young people, being the contact with Cathedral Camps* and leading a few youth-based CCT projects, so he may end up a very useful colleague within the Trust!
*I did a Cathedral Camp at Durham Cathedral when I was the tender, innocent age of 18, it was amazing. We got to sweep pigeon poo out of the huge west towers. Here is a picture of me being very cool in some overalls, aged 18.
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