London - the good and the bad

To London with Simon Jones this week to meet up with some influential Old Mancs to discuss events and fundraising in the build-up to our big 500th birthday celebration for the school in 2015.

As someone who loves to walk the streets of London by day and night, I am ridiculously lucky with the weather on my visits.  I can't remember the last time I needed an umbrella.  Cool December days produce a great light in the capital, as seen here from the terrace of Somerset House:

A few brave tourists were enjoying a winter visit but they were outnumbered, I think, by Home Counties shoppers getting ahead with their Christmas present lists (note to self!)

London always seems to provide the unexpected - as a motorcyclist I was much taken with this TV-broadcasting-enabled Honda Pan European parked up outside the Royal Courts of Justice, complete with transmission aerial:

Of course, there are downsides to London, whether you visit or work there.  For me, and doubtless many others, it's the press of bodies and, even more, vehicles on the streets.  We had a sharp experience of this when rushing back by taxi to Euston to catch the last off-peak service out of town.  Our taxi got blocked in, we bailed out in Bloomsbury and only just caught the train after a frantic, undignified scramble to the station.

But memories are predominantly good ones.  And if you do have to work in London, how about having the office view of one of the old boys we visited, looking past HMS Belfast to Tower Bridge:

Just another week?

Plenty of variety this week. A great start, with a further donation of £78,000 from a regular benefactor (worth £100,000 to us with reclaimed tax under the Gift Aid scheme) - the sort of gift which encourages the MGS Trust trustees to be generous when looking at future grants based on the income generated from their invested Bursary Fund. Investment income in the current markets is a little difficult to predict, but we still recognise each £100,000 of gift value as likely to provide an additional bursary place for ever.

If you are an Old Mancunian or ex-member of staff, you should receive your New Year copy of The Old Mancunian next week. It's out a little later than usual, but offers the usual wide range of articles. If you qualify but aren't receiving one, it's because we don't have an up-to-date postal address for you - please send details including your years at school by email to oldboys 'at' mgs.org.

Unusually (see last blog) I was in London again this week for a couple of days. First, courtesy of an Old Manc season ticket holder, to a highly entertaining Intelligence Squared debate at Central Hall, Westminster on the motion 'Public Schools are a blight on this country'. Lots of Harrow-bashing (Barnaby Lenon, the Head, was opposing) and lots of reminders of how far away the MGS tradition is from that of the mainly southern, public boarding schools. The pros and cons of academic selection weren't mentioned at all.

Then to meet the Chief Executive of the Lords' Taverners to see if MGS and they can work together on improving our cricket and pavilion facilities with a view to our being able to offer cricket courses to local children throughout the summer holidays. Discussions to be continued, next time on site in Manchester.

The trips to London are a reminder of the extent to which this country is capital-centric. How few organisations have their national HQs outside the capital! At least my trips don't cost much in expenses - we buy discounted Charity Line rail tickets and my daughter provides me with a Finsbury Park boxroom to sleep in. It's not luxury, but it keeps our costs down!