WELCOME
It was a sad start to 2011 for me. Last month, I attended the funeral of Home Office
press officer Nick Logan. He was a bright spark with real enthusiasm and will truly be
missed.
It’s events like this that put things into perspective. One woman who is turning tragedy
into positive action is Baroness Helen Newlove. Read about her new role as champion
for active, safer communities on page 6. Someone else in a new post this year is Dame
Helen Ghosh, who is the first female Permanent Secretary in the Home Office’s 228year history. Turn to page 4 for our exclusive interview.
There’s also a new look for Inside Track for 2011. All your favourites are still here,
including a delicious recipe for Shrove Tuesday on page 15. So much for that healthy
eating new year’s resolution eh!
Helena Markovic, editor
helena.markovic@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
NEWS
Beautiful donations
Help victims of domestic violence by donating your unwanted beauty products. Staff
network Home Office Women (HOW) is collecting toiletries, such as shampoo and
hairbrushes, for the ‘give and make up’ campaign, that gives everyday essentials to
women and children affected by domestic violence.
Donations can be dropped off at HOW events or be sent to regional HOW
representatives. Home Office Women has adopted Refuge, Women’s Aid and Broken
Rainbow as their charities this year.
Refuge and Womens Aid jointly run the national domestic violence helpline and Broken
Rainbow the LGBT equivolent. Both helplines receive Home Office funding. Through the
employee assistance programme, staff affected by domestic violence can call CIC in
confidence on freephone 0800 917 7395.
To contact HOW email homeofficewomen@ homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk Visit the domestic
violence pages on Horizon for more details. For more on the campaign visit
www.giveandmakeup.com
Thorny issue
UK Border Agency officers hope to come up smelling of roses this Valentine’s day in a
crackdown on illegal imports.
Staff at Heathrow are working with experts to sniff out stems grown without a licence.
Last year, nine rose shipments were detained for checks at Heathrow airport.
Jane Chadwick, detection manager in the freight division at Heathrow, said: ‘We work
closely with the plant variety right holders in the run-up to 14 February as we need their
expertise to identify illegal shipments.’
Breeders of high quality roses must register their varieties under Community Plant
Variety Rights. Anyone caught trying to bring in ‘counterfeit’ blooms could face patents
court action or have their flowers destroyed.
THE GIRLS ARE BACK IN TOWN
A popular campaign to raise the profile of lesbian and bisexual women in the Home
Office is back.
Actor Sophie Ward and comedian Rhona Cameron pose alongside Spectrum members
in a comic strip style poster.
The campaign by the staff network was praised by Stonewall for addressing the lack of
visible gay and bisexual women in the workplace.
The leading charity also named the department as its employer of the year for 2011.
Stonewall put the Home Office at the top of its workplace equality index, ahead of
private, public and third sector organisations. It makes the department the first in
Whitehall to top the index and recognises the Home Office’s drive to create an
environment in which people feel they can be open about their sexuality.
Paul Bradley, Spectrum chair, said: ‘I hope that through the award, and the poster
campaign, we encourage more people to be empowered to be themselves at work in a
safe and supportive environment.’
CLICK Visit the diversity strategy and Spectrum pages on Horizon.
WATCH a video of the department’s reaction to being named employer of the year 2011
on the Horizon video player.
NEWS IN BRIEF
CHOCKIE CHARGE
A drug smuggler was caught with £80k– worth of cocaine in chocolate boxes at
Heathrow airport
NO DRUG-DRIVING
Police could soon test for drug-drivers as Home Office asks manufacturers for prototype
devices
PROOF FOR ENTRY
2MS staff should apply for a new security clearance and pass four weeks before the old
ones expire
SHIPSHAPE
Eight cruise ship smugglers were jailed for attempting to smuggle £1.4m of cocaine
inside body suits at Dover
IT’S AN HONOUR
Ten Home Office staff were recognised in this year’s New Year honours list
HELP TO VICTIMS
Eight forces are trialling a new approach for handling complaints of antisocial behaviour
to protect the vulnerable
Month in numbers
400m - the estimated number of bicycles in the world
Source: didyouknow.org
6.4 - calories burned per minute by passionate kissing
Source: The Art of Kissing by William Case
45 - Percentage of waking hours average UK adult spends watching TV or surfing the
internet
Source: Ofcom
1am - time licensed venues could stay open to celebrate the Royal Wedding
Source: Home Office
ALL IN A DAME’S WORK
Dame Helen Ghosh, the new permanent secretary, talks to Helena
Markovic about the importance of team work for the challenges
that lie ahead
If Dame Helen Ghosh wasn’t the department’s new Permanent Secretary, she’d like to
be listening to Radio 4 while making marmalade. ‘But I don’t think I’d be paid to do that,’
she smiles. It’s hard to believe for a woman who’s in the record books as the first female
Permanent Secretary in the Home Office’s 228-year history.
‘It feels as though we are getting to a better place for senior women in the civil service,’
says Helen. ‘There was a moment at DEFRA [Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs] when I was the only female Permanent Secretary of a significant
government department, but now there are seven or eight of us.’
Helen has rarely felt her gender to be an issue. ‘You must be flexible with your career at
the different stages of your life. When you want a high profile job, you have to be
organised and, at times, willing to make sacrifices.’
She adds: ‘The civil service is a good employer in terms of opportunities for flexible
working and fair approaches to promotion. I took advantage of part-time working when I
needed to and did not feel it held my career back.’
Good connections
With Theresa May as Home Secretary, it seems women really are making this
department their own. Helen may be a newcomer to the Home Office, but she certainly
knows her way around Whitehall. Not only is she au fait with the local bus routes,
choosing public transport over an official car, she is very ‘well- connected’ after more
than 30 years in government.
It’s this art of networking that’s already seen her making connections across the
department. On her fourth day in post, Helen was meeting staff at Heathrow Terminal 3
and Harmondsworth immigration removal centre. She plans to visit other areas of the
department across the country. ‘There is no substitute for speaking to people face to
face,’ she says.
Time for team
The idea of the department as a ‘single team’ is something that appeals to her. ‘I like
leaders who delegate and empower their staff,’ she says. ‘I like an atmosphere where
everyone can feel confident about challenging and making creative suggestions for
improvement.’
Helen is excited about the new Home Office Supervisory Board, chaired by the Home
Secretary, and believes the experience of the non-executive members will improve
decision- making and performance. She’s passionate about ‘balancing policy decisions
with delivery at the front line’ and wants staff to see the links between the policy areas –
working together where possible. ‘But it’s not a competition,’ she says – one of her
favourite phrases. Helen is determined to drive things forward. ‘I am a great believer in
changing with pace. Change is challenging, so we need to move as swiftly as we can so
people can envisage the future department and their place in it. Uncertainty is probably
the most stressful circumstance for most people.’
Letting go
Helen believes the challenges ahead will also require people who are willing to let go. ‘In
Whitehall we rather like the “I’m from government and I can tell you what to do” way of
thinking. It is more challenging to let go of power and say it’s for local people to decide
what their priorities are. The gains could be enormous, for example, in the effectiveness
of local policing.’
She’s grateful that she’s inherited a department where the basic systems, particularly
financial, work. She aims to keep this up. And, if her first few weeks are anything to go
by, steering the Home Office through a time of great change is one competition Helen is
determined to win. Oh, and her tip for winning with marmalade is to always cook the
oranges first!
CLICK Watch a video of the Permanent Secretary visiting Heathrow on Horizon
FACT FILE
Born: 21 Feb 1956
Education: Farnborough Hill Convent, Hampshire. St Hugh’s College and Hertford
College, Oxford
Family: Helen is married with one daughter and one son
Background: She held a series of posts in the Department of the Environment (1979 to
early 1990s). She was in the Cabinet Office efficiency unit from 1995 to 1997. She then
moved to the Government Office for London as director for East London regeneration.
She moved back to Whitehall in 1999, working for the Department of the Environment,
Transport and the Regions; Department for Work and Pensions, and the Cabinet Office.
She became director general of corporate services for HM Revenue & Customs in 2003,
from where she moved to DEFRA as Permanent Secretary in 2005.
What inspires you? People like the head teacher of my children’s primary school who
was energetic and optimistic about children’s potential.
What keeps you sane? My train journey and cycle ride to and from work. It gives me
time to de-stress and process ideas.
What are your hobbies? Just being at home with the family is my favourite hobby. I
also have an allotment and I love watching ballet.
Last film you saw? Toy Story 3 at the cinema. On DVD it was When Harry Met Sally –
one of my favourite films.
Last CD you bought? The Baseballs – a German group that do Elvis-style versions of
pop songs by artists such as Robbie Williams and the Pussycat Dolls. Very entertaining.
Last book you read? I love classic detective stories. The last one I read was The
Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin.
Who would play you in the film of your life? Juliet Stevenson
CAMPAIGN SUPERNOVA
Baroness Helen Newlove is the leading light of a community
programme which is turning the buzz phrase of Big Society into
positive action
It takes immense human spirit to alchemize tragedy into a force for good. But that’s what
Baroness Helen Newlove is doing to great effect, in her role as champion for active,
safer communities.
The catalyst for her quest came in 2007. Helen and her family had moved to leafy
Fearnhead, Warrington, four years earlier, to be closer to her increasingly frail parents.
Perturbed by the delinquent behaviour that plagued the neighbourhood, the mother of
three would attend community meetings on the subject, but was constantly frustrated
that angry words never morphed into action. ‘At one meeting I said “Somebody will be
murdered before they do anything”,’ she remembers. Helen never imagined that victim
would be her husband.
Personal mission
Garry Newlove, 47, was kicked to death while challenging drunken youths who were
vandalising the family’s car outside their home. Helen, who
once aspired to be a barrister, has always been armed with a strong sense of injustice,
and the horrific incident was, for her, a call to action. ‘You can either sit down and let
your life be ruined, or you can actually challenge the situation and help others.’
Helen chose the latter. The following year she founded the Newlove Warrington
campaign, which sought to bring a sense of community to her home town and make it a
safer place.
Boosted by the scheme’s success, she’s now taking her quest nationwide in her new
role as champion for active, safer communities. Her aim is to get residents, local
governments, businesses and police to tackle antisocial behaviour together.
Betty’s Garden
‘Voluntary mentoring is a big part of it,’ explains Helen. ‘Last week I visited a 77-year-old
lady who started a scheme on the estate she lives on, and the local kids just love her.
She’s like a grandmother. It’s not rocket science – she just teaches them baking and
other skills. They’ve devoted a garden to her – Betty’s Garden – and there’s no graffiti or
anything like that now.’
Helen is adamant that, in order for change to be profound and enduring, it needs to be
organic. ‘Antisocial behaviour is a quality- of-life crime, not a “broken leg syndrome”,’ she
says. ‘It comes from internal damage that has no scar, and is therefore difficult to see.
I’m looking for sustainable changes to society, not sticking- plaster solutions.’
Based on empowering individuals, her mission is a fine example of David Cameron’s Big
Society in action. ‘There’s no manual that the PM’s going to give us,’ she says. ‘We ARE
the Big Society. It’s about changing people’s outlook from “What’s in it for me?” to “What
can I put into where I live?” It’s about helping kids aspire to things, helping each other on
an inter- generational basis. Even saying “Hello” to one another. A nice place to live isn’t
much to ask.’
Force for change
Also a campaigner for crime victims’ rights, as well as chairwoman and founder of the
National Licensed Trade Association (Helen has strong feelings about the link between
alcohol abuse and antisocial behaviour), she has been too busy even to write her
maiden speech, having been made a peer by David Cameron in July last year. Now with
a voice in the House of Lords, she’s seizing on digital-age technology to make her
crusade as effective as possible. ‘Using our blogs, we’re building a map that helps
communities with problems identify another area with similar problems, and look at how
to overcome them,’ she explains. ‘It’s all about top-to-bottom sharing. I love the
challenge – and I’ll always be fighting.’
INSPIRING COMMUNITIES
Two stellar schemes Baroness Newlove has recently championed in Nottingham
The Schools Community Rangers scheme
Giving local children a sense of achievement and belonging, this initiative sees young
participants work with professionals such as police community support officers, street
wardens and park rangers on community projects in the area. ‘Through hands-on
experience, children learn social responsibility and active citizenship, and are made
aware of what they can do to protect their community,’ says Sarah Heesom, early
intervention projects manager at Nottingham city council. ‘The programme provides
children with new skills and confidence through work with a range of local partners.’
Aspley Community and Training Centre
A focal point for the community since it was built in 2001, hosting a theatre, cafe,
computer suite, playgroup and crèche, the centre now runs a voluntary training scheme
for youths with antisocial behaviour backgrounds. ‘It’s helped generate a strong
community spirit,’ says Allan Breeton, director of neighbourhood crime and justice for
Nottingham. ‘It’s contributed to a dramatic drop in crime and antisocial behaviour in the
Aspley ward over the last three years.’
OK COMPUTER
Computer whizzes help make government data more accessible
with user-friendly phone apps and websites
When Josh Pickett first heard about national ‘hack the government day’, he initially
misunderstood what it meant. ‘I assumed it was about teenagers trying to hack into
government systems,’ says the 15-year-old schoolboy from Manchester.
Once the penny dropped, he spent a few months developing his knowledge of computer
code in preparation for the joint Home Office and Ministry of Justice event last year. Josh
was the youngest of 10 IT whizzes given free rein for a morning to use government data
to develop tools and services to ‘help people feel safe and confident in their homes and
neighbourhoods’.
The ‘hackers’ showcased their ideas to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web and
currently the Prime Minister’s information adviser, plus 80-odd civil servants. The ‘How’s
My Town’ application was Josh’s contribution. ‘The idea was to bring together different
statistics about an area, such as crime levels and quality of schools and, using all the
data, to score a location out of 100,’ Josh explains. It allowed users to type in their
postcode and find out how their neighbourhood scored compared with other areas.
‘I wanted to create something that was positive and upbeat,’ says Josh, ‘and not simply
focus on crime. It might help people moving into a new area that they know nothing
about.’
Hacking it
Other talented computer programmers and designers will be back to ‘hack’ the
government again next month (March). The initiative is part of an ongoing transparency
drive to make more information available via www. data.gov.uk and contribute to making
government more open and accountable to the public.
Jennifer Rigby, head of information in the office of the chief information officer, said the
‘hackdays’ – run by Rewired State – are in the spirit of the government’s transparency
agenda. ‘The message we’re trying to get across is that any data that the government
uses isn’t “our data” – it’s not government or civil service data – it’s the public’s data.’
The Home Office is committed to making this information accessible, which will in turn
help the public evaluate whether services represent value for money.
Last month the department released street-level crime data for the first time so that the
public could see what’s happening on their streets. This is the beginning of work to make
crime and policing more transparent and fits with the government’s transparency
agenda.
Open access
To support this, the crime and policing group held a ‘brain- storming’ event last
December, enabling police forces to join up with IT developers to encourage local
engagement between communities and the police. Ideas included setting up a website
for the public to report crime and antisocial behaviour online, and the creation of data
hubs for community leaders, the police and other organisations, such as the fire service.
Rebecca Bradfield, in the crime and policing group, explains that the department wants
to ensure that the public has access to information that they can use, ‘whether it’s
holding their force to account, raising an issue at a local beat meeting, or taking an
active role in tackling crime and antisocial behaviour’.
CLICK www.data.gov.uk www.rewiredstate.org
TEAM OF THE MONTH
Team: North East Yorkshire and Humberside regional verification team
Location: Sheffield
Number of staff: 9
Leader: Ian Westwood
What work do you do?
We carry out verifications for UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff, where supporting
documentation, such as bank statements, utility bills and overseas educational
correspondence, raises suspicion.
What happens during a normal day?
We collect and analyse documents and, wherever anomalies are suspected, we liaise
with appropriate third parties, such as banks and utility companies.
What difference do you make?
The regional verification team has examined more than 12,000 pieces of supporting
documentation since it was set up in July 2009, and 60 per cent of these have proved to
be false.
As the team reviews all false supporting documents, patterns and trends can be
monitored. Packages have been shared with the Sheffield intelligence unit, enabling the
information to be developed and passed on to crime teams around the UK.
The region has seen significant improvements to bank and utility fraud team response
times for verifying documents. This is at no extra cost to UKBA, improving caseworkers’
targets and contributing to robust refusal.
About 76 per cent of points- based system applications that the team has passed on to
local immigration teams have resulted in the removal from the UK of people attempting
to gain leave to remain by deception.
What would make life easier?
The only change I would have liked to have seen is for the 14-year indefinite leave to
remain workstream to have stayed here in Sheffield (it was moved to Liverpool). The
high number of false documents was well monitored by the team. We identified
numerous patterns and trends that led to successful police- led operations.
How would you rate your teamwork?
The work ethic is first class, and the ability and experience of the verification officers has
grown and continues to improve.
ME AND MY TEAM IAN WESTWOOD Team manager
The team — which has grown from one to nine members of staff since 2009 — acts as a
go-between for caseworkers and third parties, obtaining verification to support refusals
and removals or prosecutions. Statistics captured from a six-month pilot looking at
supporting documentation revealed high-level abuse in regards to bank statement
falsification. Given the results, I was able to persuade senior management to implement
a central team to monitor and act on this evidence.
Since then, vigilance across UKBA has increased. The exercises that target particular
workstreams have allowed the team to monitor trends and abuse. The team has also
promoted its services not only internally but also with external third parties, building
sound relationships.
GOING UNDERGROUND
Stephen Wright has set himself a crazy challenge – running the
entire length of the London Underground network – raising
money for charity and finding hidden pockets of the capital along
the way …
If you’re someone who finds your commute cramped and fraught with delays, Stephen
Wright’s challenge could be right up your street. The keen marathon runner, from the
resources and planning unit in the financial and commercial group, has been networking,
but in rather an unusual way. The 35 year old plans to bypass crowded tube trains and
run the entire length of the London Underground, plus the Docklands Light Railway.
That’s a total of 400 miles and 418 stations, and the equivalent of running from London
to Edinburgh. Just a short jog then.
Running for love
Stephen is undertaking his mission to raise money for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal
death charity. It’s a charity close to his heart after his wife, Zoe, who had been due to
give birth to twins in 2007, suffered a late miscarriage. He is breaking the tube lines into
bite-sized overground runs to help him take into account different branches and to
manage the challenge of the central line – 49 stations and 60.1 miles between stations
above ground. Stephen also hopes to see some interesting city sights – and he’s keen to
hear your suggestions.
‘I’ve lived and worked in London for most of my life,’ he says. ‘But I have only used the
network as a means to an end. Now I want to be a tourist in my own city – to learn about
London’s people and places. If anybody has ideas of landmarks I should pass on my
runs – or indeed any places I should avoid – I’d love to hear them.’
Get on the map
Stephen is also looking for your help in other ways. Maybe you’d like to run part of the
route with him, offer him a cup of tea, or just show support? For example, you can
sponsor part of the run and have a tube stop named after you, which Stephen will
tranform into a ‘renamed’ map, featuring all his sponsors, when he completes the
challenge.
LOWDOWN ON THE LINES
Stephen’s covered 87 miles so far, raising more than £750. This includes three
completed tube lines end to end:
•Victoria Line: 16 miles, 15 stations. Underground average journey time is 38 minutes. It
took Stephen 2 hours 33 minutes.
•Bakerloo Line: 23 miles, 23 stations. Underground average journey time is 50 minutes.
It took Stephen 3 hours 56 minutes.
• Circle Line: 24 miles, 33 stations. Underground journey time is 1 hour 28 minutes.
Stephen did it in 4 hours 6 minutes over two runs.
Did you know?
You can apply for up to five days’ special leave to volunteer for a charity — you just have
to talk to your line manager and explain what you would like to do. Visit the volunteering
programme pages on Horizon to find out more.
CLICK You can offer suggestions and view Stephen’s progress on his blog
runningthetubelines.blogspot.com Find out more about Sands at www.uk-sands.org
AUTISM MATTERS
PJ Hughes talks about living with autism and helping TV stars
play their part in raising awareness
When people hear the word autism, what may first come to their minds is Dustin
Hoffman’s Oscar-winning performance as Raymond in the film Rain Man. For PJ
Hughes, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) in 1999, this stereotype is
frustrating, as it’s only true for a small proportion of those on the autistic spectrum.
‘Autism is a condition that affects the way an individual relates to the world around them,’
explains PJ, from UK Border Agency in Sheffield. ‘The nature of AS means it affects
everything I do, even though it is not always necessarily obvious.’
PJ was diagnosed at the relatively late age of 30, following a conversation his father had
with a professional in London. This answered a lot of questions. ‘While routine and
structures may be important for many, for somebody like myself, deviating from them
can be traumatic. I use coping strategies to keep this to a minimum. It means getting up
at the same time, getting the same bus to work and doing my work in the same way
each day. Even communication can be confusing – for example, asking someone on the
autistic spectrum to “take a seat” can invite an answer of “Where do you want me to take
it?”.’
Men behaving well
Since his diagnosis, PJ has worked to raise awareness of autism. As the North East
councillor for the National Autistic Society (NAS) in Sheffield he had a chance
conversation with Neil Morrissey from Men Behaving Badly. ‘I spoke to Neil a couple of
times. He was touring with the stage version of Rain Man and was keen to do as much
research as possible – which really showed in his performance.’
PJ nominated Neil as his Happiness Hero. This NAS campaign commends people who
have made a positive difference to raising awareness of autism.
Neil was delighted to be nominated, commenting: ‘As an actor, it’s hard to know if you
are creating an accurate portrayal. Meeting PJ was a real boost. By being more aware of
autism, we can all play our part in making a difference for people with the condition.’
Positive support
As part of his mission to raise awareness, as well as giving talks from a personal
perspective about autism, PJ also writes about the subject. His book, Reflections: Me
and Planet Weirdo, was published in 2007.
At work, PJ offers support to staff as the department’s Autism Buddy Network leader. ‘I
help anyone with queries about the autistic spectrum, whether that’s a colleague who
gets a diagnosis, or a relative.’ He also receives support himself from the charity Autism
Plus, which provides services to adults and children with autistic spectrum disorders. A
representative of Autism Plus meets with PJ and his line manager regularly.
One of his long-term ambitions is to work full- time in the disability field, particularly in
autism. ‘The nature of the condition means that we can do quite complex things because
only the “autistic nature” can push such things forward.’
PJ has already proved this to be the case as the first person to graduate with a
postgraduate certificate in Asperger’s syndrome from Sheffield Hallam University. A
course he says he found pretty straightforward!
➔ CLICK Visit the Disability Support network pages on Horizon. Find out more at
www.autism.org.uk
SIMON SAYS... Look forward
I write this at the start of the new year, which is always a time for optimism, as it gives us
the opportunity for a fresh start. This year will be different from the last. Many people will
have made resolutions to stop doing things that are bad, like smoking, or to do more
things that are good, such as exercise.
By the time you read this, the new year enthusiasm is likely to have faded a bit, so now
is the time many of us start to fail to live up to our resolutions.
It is therefore a good time to remind ourselves why we made the resolution in the first
place.
The same can be true whenever there is a change of government or home secretary.
We must be careful that we (the civil service) do not take our foot off the pedal and
continue to offer the coalition government the same high levels of commitment and
enthusiasm in the coming months as we did when they first arrived last May.
You can be assured that ministers will not have lost their enthusiasm for government
and will be counting on us to do the same.
Editor: This is Simon’s last column for us as he’s moving to another department. We
thank him for his support and wish him luck in his new role. Look out for a fresh face
next issue.
Raise a cup of number 32
In honour of my friend and colleague, Gary Brown, who passed away last May, I am
running 32 races this year. The ‘32’ represents the number corresponding to the drink
Gary had from the vending machine atwork–a32beinga cup of tea.
I met Gary on my first day at the Criminal Records Bureau in 2008. We struck up a
friendship straight away. Gary was very much a work-to- live character. We competed to
exceed our targets in work, and both enjoyed our time away from the office.
When I returned from a secondment to the Metropolitan Police, Gary had lost a lot of
weight and shortly afterwards was diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, Gary was too
unwell to attend my wedding last year and his presence was sadly missed. I next met up
with him when I returned from my honeymoon and we had a drink in one of his favourite
pubs in Liverpool, Ye Hole In Ye Wall. That was the last time I saw him.
I will miss Gary for his honest, forthright approach and as a person I could trust. From
his distinctive laugh to the turn of phrase he would use to comic effect, people in the
office still remember Gary fondly. I hope this challenge will help keep his memory alive.
My first race was a 14-mile run from Blundellsands to Birkdale up the Sefton coastal
path. I am raising money for St Rocco’s hospice in Warrington, where Gary spent his last
days.
You can view my progress and donate online by visiting www.everydayhero.
co.uk/joe_cornmell
Joe Cornmell, communications training officer, Criminal Records Bureau,
Liverpool
Easy riders
If anyone is interested in show jumping, I am setting up a UK border force show jumping
team to compete against other uniformed forces.
Please contact me.
Jacqueline Thoms, UK Border Agency jacqueline.thoms@homeoffice. gsi.gov.uk
Write on
Are you a poet – and you know it? Then why not enter the society of civil and public
service writers’ (SCPSW) poetry, short story, or travel writing competitions and win cash
prizes. The deadline is 28 February. The com- petitions are open only to SCPSW
members. For more details, visit www.scpsw.co.uk
Jenny Chamier Grove, SCPSW publicity officer
Glad tidings
Rather than stuffing myself watching telly this Christmas, I wanted to help put smiles on
other people’s faces. I volunteered at Forge drop-in centre in Scunthorpe for homeless
and disadvantaged people. I loved it. I really enjoyed meeting new people, hearing their
stories and making a difference on Christmas Day. I will be back next year.
Andrea Copham, Humberside immigration team, UK Border Agency
Charity fun
Around 20 of us from the procurement centre of excellence in Newport collected more
than £200 for Children in Need by donning fancy dress as part of a fundraising day
which also included a cyclathon, chest waxing, raffle, quiz and cake sale. Thank you to
everyone for their donations.
Gemma Parsons, Home Office procurement centre of excellence
Credit bunch
You’re keeping up the very high standard of Inside Track, which is a constant source of
inspiration (and ideas to ‘borrow’) here at the Ministry of Justice staff magazine, Insight.
Adrian Hallchurch, Editor Insight, Ministry of Justice
OPINION
I have experienced hearing difficulties since childhood, most probably as a result of
complications after contracting measles. I’ve done my best to cope with my hearing loss
at school, university, socially and at work, but it’s not always been easy. I had to give up
my teaching career when I could no longer hear the students at the back of the class.
Hearing loss can be very isolating. Many of the sounds others take for granted – music,
the punch line of a joke, a clock ticking or dialogue at the cinema and theatre – are
diluted or completely lost to the hearing impaired. Then, of course, there are times when
I sleep through my alarm or get the wrong end of the stick when trying to guess what
someone has said!
I have really appreciated the support the Royal National Institute for the Deaf has
provided along the way. That’s why I took part in a sponsored walk along part of the
Great Wall of China to give something back. I spent a year training and fundraising, with
many events, including some at Durham passport office, and thanks to supportive
colleagues and friends I raised more than £3,000.
There is still time to make a donation to my JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/
jane-elizabeth-thomas
Jane Thomas, Identity & Passport Service, Durham
OPEN TO QUESTION
Name Dean Fell
Job title Head of external communications, Identity & Passport Service (IPS)
Workplace 2MS
Describe yourself in half a dozen words I’m a super geek ... super geek ... I’m supergeeky!
Who were you before the HO? A communications consultant
What do your duties involve? Promoting and protecting the reputation of IPS
What’s the office vibe? Mostly manic, and great fun
Describe the view outside your window European grey sky
Who has been your best boss and why? Lesley McLeod, now at the British Bankers’
Association, because of her wildly creative PR. She is also professional, inspirationally
gifted, and as clever as a big bag of foxes
What was your most embarrassing work moment? Sitting in a meeting for an hour,
giving lots of comms advice, and then realising that I was in the wrong meeting
What one thing would improve your work life? An extra 10 minutes in each hour
What’s your job in a parallel universe? An inventor. In the universe where the tragedy
of prior invention didn’t occur, I’d be lauded wherever I went as the genius who thought
up cheese spread and blueberry soup
What keeps you sane? I’m sane?
What’s the last film you saw? Changeling (with Angelina Jolie)
What are you reading? If This is a Man by Primo Levi
What’s on the stereo? Seasick Steve
Tell us a secret The time of the bigwig is almost over. The littlewigs are coming
What’s next? Billionaire status
Voxpops
A month on from making – and breaking – those new year
resolutions, we asked staff in the UK Border Agency in Leeds what
was their guilty pleasure
My guilty pleasure is reading the Twilight series of books again and again!
Jo Travis, removals casework team
The film Stardust. It’s magical
Gary Tieni, removals casework team
My evil temptation after the new year is chocolate – I just can’t survive without it
Zenam Khan-Zafar, central appeals and litigation
Chocolate – and lots of it! And dancing to cheesy 80s music at home while no one is
watching Joanna Lovatt, asylum removals team I don’t feel guilty when enjoying any of
my pleasures
Scott Handley, removals casework team