More than Writers

In the winter of   2024 I went to the ACW committee annual retreat. It was cold and misty and   there was much fumbling to find the keypad to open the door. But there was a buzz amongst us; almost like rebels, we were breaking away from the time-honoured norms of how the committee had always worked and doing things our way. Armed with baskets of, pasta and basil, we gathered in an Airbnb, with a new agenda. Rather than interminably rehashing the old discussions and controversies we needed a new path. Cradling hot chocolate in our hands we huddled in the warmest room. Our intuitive new chair was seeking intimacy to encourage inspiration and hopefully innovation. With dynamic new members of the team and an ‘out of the box’ approach it felt like anything was possible. As the weekend progressed it became clear the old could not continue. Over washing up and glasses of red wine ideas were explored and formulated.   I had arrived conscious that my own time on the committee was ...

  Photo by  Peter Glaser  on  Unsplash In the last few months, I’ve started playing football. Growing up as a girl in the 1980s, this simply wasn’t an option, even though I probably knew far more about the beautiful game than many of the boys.  We are the Brentford Empress Penguins (part of the brilliant Planet Penguin  football foundation). My oldest teammate is in her 80s; several have overcome serious illness in the last few years; many are – like me – thrilled to finally be able to play the sport we love. With time, we have settled into our favoured positions on the pitch, although our options are admittedly impacted more by pragmatism than physical prowess. I, for example, have found my natural home in an attacking position on the left wing. This role has been favoured by many greats of the game,  such as Christiano Ronaldo and David Beckham,  who were known for their speed and technical ability. I am not blessed with either. However, my left...