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| Back row: Dr Nigel Chapman, Rachel Armitage, Cllr Margaret Handley. Middle: Miles Waghorn, Russ Blenkinsop, Me! Front: Cllr John Handley, Sarah-Marie Taylor. |
Last Friday, the Nottingham Roosevelt Memorial Travelling Scholarship held its annual Celebration Event at the Manners Arms in Knipton in the Vale of Belvoir. Last year's scholars, Rachel Armitage and Sarah-Marie Taylor, gave presentations about their travels across the States last year and two of this year's scholars, Miles Waghorn and myself, spoke about what we'd be doing. The third of this year's Roosevelt trio - Angelena - is currently studying bats in Malawi!
Rachel told how she travelled across 14
states to see how effectively the US improved voter registration among the young
and marginalised people in the USA. She studied first-hand the 2016
Presidential Elections bringing back good practice to Nottinghamshire. She is
now implementing some of her findings through her role at Nottingham City
Council and through her newly launched Chi Hack Night. Highlights of the trip
were meeting Congressman John Lewis who marched alongside Martin Luther King,
appearing on ITV News live from Washington, participating in eight Get the Vote
Out events and attending two Hilary Clinton speeches. Rachel said “I also experienced the kindness, generosity
and openness of American culture that ensured I was never without a pillow for
my head, a meal in my stomach and a friend to call on, no matter where I was.
Americans taught me how to eat gefilte fish at Shabbat dinner, when to wear my
‘rush cap’ at a baseball game, how to contra dance with two left feet, and to
look for the adventure in every day. I was welcomed into the homes of young
families, retired couples, single mothers and struggling students, at each
place experiencing the grand tour of the area or taking friendly advice on what
to see and do. I toured the Capitol Building in DC, saw the Liberty Bell in
Philadelphia, cheered at a college football game in Tennessee and followed a
Gay Pride parade through Gainesville, Florida. I loved every minute of the
crazy diversity of life on the road -
although I’m not sorry to see the back of those Greyhound busses”
Sarah told how she overcame her initial fears of
travelling alone to embark on a whirlwind 12 city tour visiting urban farms to research
urban agriculture and visiting primary schools to learn from organisations teaching
practical horticulture, for replication in schools in Nottinghamshire. The trip
included visiting Brooklyn Grange Urban Farm, located 11 stories up in New
York’s skyline that produces 40,000 lbs of produce a year selling to 25 local
restaurants, farms located in derelict
industrial sites that are open to anyone to pick their own produce and
interact with the space Rootdown LA , an urban project that works to empower
youths through horticulture in South Los Angeles that runs school based
workshops for young people teaching them skills in growing food and cookery. Sarah
said “. I would say the first week was the hardest and
spent with emotional highs and lows. However, the whole time my feelings went
from being excited, proud, passionate, inspired, and happy to exhausted,
homesick, lost and overwhelmed. But that’s the magic of it, no two seconds are
the same, emotions come and go like waves against the shore but one thing
that’s remained is a huge sense of achievement. No longer do I fear the
unknown, no longer do I take the easy option or stay within my comfort zone and
I certainly feel a new ‘can do’ attitude.”
Then it was mine and Miles' turns - I did my usual waffle and ended up insulting the Chairman of the County Council's wife by thanking Barnsley for perennially keeping Nottingham off the bottom of the GCSE English league tables (she was from Barnsley) and probably spent a little too long talking about a man from Eastwood who wrote mucky books. Miles talked about his business, Tech Silver, which he runs from The Hive at Nottingham Trent University and how he will be investigating the uses of technology in America that support an ageing population staying in their homes rather than moving to supported living accommodation. Angelena sent us a voice-mail from Lilongwe too! The Chairman of the County Council, Cllr John Handley, also presented Miles and I with our Roosevelt Scholarship scrolls.
Then it was mine and Miles' turns - I did my usual waffle and ended up insulting the Chairman of the County Council's wife by thanking Barnsley for perennially keeping Nottingham off the bottom of the GCSE English league tables (she was from Barnsley) and probably spent a little too long talking about a man from Eastwood who wrote mucky books. Miles talked about his business, Tech Silver, which he runs from The Hive at Nottingham Trent University and how he will be investigating the uses of technology in America that support an ageing population staying in their homes rather than moving to supported living accommodation. Angelena sent us a voice-mail from Lilongwe too! The Chairman of the County Council, Cllr John Handley, also presented Miles and I with our Roosevelt Scholarship scrolls.
The Scholarship also recognised the services of three
retiring trustees including the Chairman, Dr Nigel Chapman, who is stepping down after three
years, Paul Balen - a trustee with over 30 years of Roosevelt board experience, including 15 years a chair, and John Town, who joined the board shortly after his daughter Katy was selected as a scholar in 2010. Thank you, chaps, for all your hard work. Now it's up to me (plus Miles and Angelena) to work hard over the few weeks and months to get the most out of our scholarships!
PS: Bon voyage, Miles - who departed for his trip today!