Skills Trains and Drum Beats.

Gary Topp - Chief Executive, Yorkshire Culture
6th July 2007

Culture and sport are about creativity and energy. There is plenty of energy around at the moment concerned with the London 2012 Games and our task, as managers of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games is to involve and engage with as many partners as possible in the region to ensure that Yorkshire maximises the opportunity.

It is not every week, therefore, that ends with a partnership meeting in a carriage on Hull Trains and a mass drumming session with the regions sporting professionals. The teams at the Learning and Skills Council and Sport England really did come up trumps with these two ideas.

On Thursday a wide range of partners from the world of skills were invited on a trip to London to see the Games site first hand. The train left Hull with only a couple of us on board but at each stop Between Hull and Doncaster more people joined and we soon had a private carriage bustling with briefings and networking. This was an important beginning to the region’s 2012 skills activity and the fact that we saw the Games site up close, shared some stories and policies, and began to piece together project ideas made for a great day.

The following day, at Doncaster’s new Keep Moat stadium, the drums came out to play. At the beginning and end of a fascinating and inspirational morning with the region’s top sports development officers we were all invited to be part of a drumming workshop. We all sat in a circle, banging away to ‘I like apples, I like pears’, creating a great noise and jigging about. David Gents solo had less artistry than Steve Sawyer’s but no less passion and a goodtime was had by all.

Both sessions serve to remind us that fun and inspiration are important parts of getting the job done. Thanks to all involved.