There is no purple in my diary, but in my attempt to step up my blogs I said I wanted to blog about key moments and that included the staff team. This week I could feel the breath of the staff team as if it were collectively a long distance runner, or that of a cross country runner, or at times a sprinter, hurdler and then that of a relay team. I’ve no idea where the metaphors are coming from, but it was the ‘in and out of the breath’ that felt palpable during a week. The staff team are managing our first national tour, additional creative projects, applications for funds as well as working on the design of our programme of work for the next five years. Computers pound ensuring compliance as a charity, our NPO requirements in terms of monitoring, evaluation and Julie’s Bicycle. Every desks has a list that never ends, as well as cake, biscuits, nuts and coffee.
But to explain what these tasks involve, as sometimes the projects sparkle and we could all overlook the staff teams back at the office that make it all happen.
So what does the national tour involve – yes its booking the tour, organising with venues, negotiating rates, venue size, technical requirements and challenges. There is the thinking through of audiences, school packs and accessibility (which in itself is huge). Managing a tour also involves the staff team organising all the accommodation, travel, and petty cash. Ensuring the creative team and venues have everything they could possibly need and that everyone is happy. The lists get ticked and then they fill up again. The staff team are ever vigilant to ensure no balls are dropped and the Key Change tour goes as smoothly as possible.
Applications to fund the work – this is like trekking up a landslip at times, and this week, as with every other, the computers have been taking a pounding and brains were imploding. But what does writing an application involve. We have the ideas/projects in mind, then there is the pulling together of the facts, need and impact to evidence and argue for. Budget setting, word counts, and balancing risk and ambition. And the time and space to complete them!
We have 15 freelance artists about to go out the doors to deliver projects, tours and conferences. Every actor, director and member of the creative team/s need to be happy, have scripts, knowledge of issues and rehearsal schedules, rooms need to be booked and nice coffee on hand.
It was our administrator’s birthday this week, and as with tradition a cake was made, a song sang and gifts given. But we also decided to go for lunch together. Now its rare that you get the staff team to stop, take a breath, breathe and chat about other things, other than the long lists that sit on desks, pens that itch to tick off tasks but this week we did. We stopped, ate, laughed and then returned to our desks. You could hear everyone re-join the run, walking first, then stepping up the pace, then to a jog, some running faster than others, some in a relay (helping taking the strain), some tripping and then picking up hurdles and then you could hear the moment when everyone was running together, as one, in harmony.
The staff team are four (which includes me) but if you take me out of this, they are three, and these three women I have the upmost respect for.
