Duffy.

Duffy for NAPAC.
Apparently she won a load of awards at the BRITS last night. Good for her. Well done Duffy. Quite a few pop stars write songs that would seem to indicate that they know about abuse. I wish some of them would give napac a bit of support. Our freephone line is being deluged with calls and until we get the resources to expand we are restricted in how many people we can help. One thing that does my head in is when I read about some charities which not only pay massive salaries but even manage to make huge golden handshakes. I could hardly believe that Age Concern recently handed a former employee £800,000. Yes..........I repeat £800,000. That sort of money would run napac for the best part of 8 years. No wonder some people are wary of 'giving to charity'. Next time the local Age Concern rep knocks on my door I will have words. But I would clarify that much work done at local level by all sorts of charities, including Age Concern, is done voluntarily and with the very best of motives. But it also smacks of one of the many things wrong in this country. Those at the top taking the rest of us for a ride. Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO (Nat. Council for Voluntary Organisations) was on BBC news yesterday morning and he pointed out how it is generally the poor who give most to charity. He's right of course. In the same way the poor pay more tax, pay more for everything they also give more to charity. NOT that I am knocking the better off people who support NAPAC !!! (they know who they are) ...we just need a lot more like you. Of course if every person in this country who suffered childhood abuse was to donate a pound to NAPAC, that would be the end of our financial worries.
As I sit here blogging I am conscious that my colleagues (sitting just accross from me) are beavering away at our second Big Lottery application. They are working their guts out while I'm sitting here having fun. So ....time to get back to work. We recently advertised for some new supervisors for our Support Line volunteer team and we were stunned at the level and the quality of the interest shown. We've just had to spend a lot of time sorting through the many applications we received to decide on candidates to interview. Not a task any of us enjoyed because it showed that there are a lot of people out there looking for work. Well, we've selected who we feel are some excellent candidates and I will let you know how they get on.
In the meantime..........don't forget to order your CDs (mentioned in earlier blogs) and if you live anywhere near The Standard Venue in Blackhorse Road, E17 then get along there on Thursday 2nd April (late evening) to watch Secret Mission perform live. You won't regret it! See you there?
Pete

NAPAC Un-muted

I mentioned a CD a couple of blogs back that you really should get hold of. It's called NAPAC Un-muted and it is very special - especially as it makes money for NAPAC. We have a stack of them in the office so get your pen out, write a cheque for £12 to 'NAPAC' and pop in post to me here at the office. The CD will reach you by return and you will be very happy with it. And we will be very happy with your £12. That's a lot of money to us as we are a very lean, keen and efficient organisation, unlike the banks!

For more details of the CD visit www.napac.org.uk and scroll down.

On an equally light note it has come to my attention that I keep popping up on Paul O'Grady's 'Outtake TV'. I haven't actually seen it myself but I remember the occasion well. I was interviewed by BBC News 24 and at the end the interviewer (who was in a different studio and hence couldn't actually see me) said "Thanks Mr Blunkett". Blunkett was the then Home Secretary. I said something to the effect that I would accept the promotion and this apparently has tickled someone at Outtake TV to keep playing it..............or maybe we have a NAPAC supporter on the inside? We certainly didn't have a supporter on the inside when I did Wogan's Perfect Recall a few weeks back. They managed to cut all my mentions of NAPAC out of the programme...............which of course was the reason I was there......to get NAPAC mentioned. Never mind, you can't win them all. But I'll keep trying!
Keep going. Support NAPAC. Buy them CDs!!!
Pete

Out of Blog out of mind

I should have warned you that as addictive as my personality is to DOING things it is equally addictive to NOT doing things and I nearly forgot to blog this week. And this is my last day at work for a few days as I'm taking a little break.............so here's a very brief account of the last few days. Well the immediate last few days have been dominated by the weather. As you know it only takes a bit of snow (particularly here in the Soft South of England) for the country to grind to halt..........and NAPAC was no different. That's not entirely true. Helen managed to battle through the elements as did some of our wonderful volunteers but yours truly was content to be snowed in for a couple of days although the resultant housework I was instructed to undertake was far more irritating than battling the snow storms. But we all learn from our mistakes. I have now invested in a set of huskies and a slay............bring it on.
To more serious matters. Last week I visited Manchester Prison, Manchester Drug Service and Radio Key 103. All very different experiences but each, very productive. The lads I visited in the prison reminded me of why we are here.......to help one another. I won't go into their stuff , suffice to say they all suffered childhood abuse and ended up in the slammer as a direct result of their cruel upbringing. Let me emphasise - NAPAC does not visit child abusers.........just their victims. And the folk at the Drug Service and KEY 103 reminded me that there are a lot of good folk out there who want to help. Same with the prison officers in Manchester. They are a great bunch of people doing a difficult job with minimal resources but one by one they tell you that they know many of the people inside simply should not be there. Don't get me wrong. We're not soft on crime here at NAPAC but as one of our Trustees commented not so long ago........some people should be locked up for much longer BUT many more should not be there at all. Everyone, from Home Secretaries upwards seem to agree that prison, as a means of effective rehabilitation, just doesn't work and I will be writing to the current Home Secretary (and friend to NAPAC) Jacqui Smith to arrange a meeting. There is much work to be done in our prisons and given how much they cost us to run it's madness not to go there.

This is going to be a very brief blog because I'm about to dash for a train, but something else I did when I went to KEY 103 Radio was to hand over a few CDs by Secret Mission. The reporter there snapped them up and I think they will get some airtime quite soon. If you haven't got your Secret Mission album yet I suggest you visit their website without hesitation and buy one. The website is awesome.........as is the band. AND some of the profits from sales come to NAPAC. But apart from this it's perfectly true that it is guaranteed "you have never seen or heard anything like this band" We love 'em. Go to http://www.secretmissionband.com ...............now!

Stay warm. Keep the faith!
Support NAPAC.
Pete

NAPAC Unmuted!

I know it's only Monday but I just wanted to mention that if you haven't bought a copy of the fantastic CD 'NAPAC Un-muted' yet (and I know you haven't) then you need to get a copy as soon as possible. It's a great collection of songs from some well known artists and all the proceeds go to ...............NAPAC. Please look at the NAPAC website and place your order. Better still buy Alix Chapel's book at the same time.......book and CD were made for each other! Thanks.
Pete

NAPAC UN-MUTED SONGLIST

1 Billy’s Song by James K
2 Same Mistake by James Blunt
3 Turn the Light on Love by Dirk McCray
4 Right Tonight by James K
5 Remember Me by James K
6 Find me an Angel by Ben’s Brother
7 It Wouldn’t Take a Miracle by Dirk McCray
8 I Would Feel Whole by James K
9 House of Cards by Lahayna
10 Coming Home by Kevin Young
11 Secrets by Paul Barns & Sue Holland
12 Carry On by Ben’s brother
13 Nightmares by Damien McCarthy
14 Amazing by Seal
15 The River by James K

Welcome Mr. President

Well I warned you! Never give someone with an addictive personality something that they can easily get addicted to. I warned Barack about that when we chatted last November. I noticed in his first speech, after becoming President - Elect, that he kept saying "yes we can" and I thought, Oh boy, you've got a problem brother. So I told him not to do it during his inaugural speech and he took my advice. Also did you notice that he mentioned the importance of "nurturing our children"? Well I suggested that to him and was glad he took that advice too. I think he may prove quite a decent President - this week I am proudly wearing my stars and stripes badge to honour Bazza (as his friends like to call him) and the whole of the American people who have courageously elected him. He represents all our hopes for the future and I, for one, will pray for him everyday that he really does make the difference this world dearly needs. If you haven't watched his first speech as President I would urge you to do so. It is truly inspiring. As he stands before the Capitol buliding you may spot that he is wearing his napac badge though to the untrained eye it may appear to be the stars and stripes.

Talking of global happenings please remember our round-the-world biker Johnny Hall. I give below his blog details so you can see where he is in his brave quest to raise money for napac and the Lothlorien Centre in Scotland. Well done Johnny... we're thinking about you.

http://www.earthtrek.co.uk/

I am visiting Manchester Prison next week. I'll be talking to some of the prison officers and meeting up with a few of the prisoners. We get quite a few letters from people 'inside' and I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you to know that most of the prison population have suffered childhood abuse. That's not to say that napac is soft on crime. Quite the reverse. There are some people who need locking up (particulary child abusers) but I can't get Tony Blair's famous words out of my head "tough on crime and tough on the CAUSES of crime". Well the UK still locks up more people than just about any other European country but I'm yet to be convinced that we are being as tough on those "causes" as we should be. Come on Gordon get your finger out...........or I may have to have a word with Bazza about you!

Have a good weekend. It looks like it's going to be a wet one in London.

Pete

I can't believe I am actually doing this, blogging two weeks in a row. Mind you, our record breaking Atlantic rower, Oliver Dudley did a blog every day in between his 12 hours of daily rowing........so I shouldn't complain. He had nothing better to do of course and I suppose if I had ten foot waves crashing over my rowing boat in the middle of the ocean I would probably do a bit of blogging to keep my mind off things. Oli came to our Christmas party. It was fantastic to see him especially as he came bearing gifts. He brought us a lovely framed picture of La Mondiale (the boat!) and crew, a beautiful book about horses by Brough Scott (signed by Brough himself) and a copy of the Guniness Book of Records 2009 which features (pg110) a picture of La Mondiale and crew. Sadly it shows the side of the boat which didn't have the NAPAC logo so we're kicking ourselves about that but it was still a fantastic achievement for NAPAC to be so closely associated with. And Oli raised a LOT of money for NAPAC into the bargain. Thanks Mate! And thanks for the question and answer session. Everyone at the party was enthralled by your ocean tales and I hope we can organise another evening just to listen to your account of this incredible record breaking journey.
Someone else who came to the party was local MP Simon Hughes (see the pics on the website). He gave out certificates to our wonderful Support Team volunteers and he has just confirmed that he would be delighted to become one of our patrons. That's good news for NAPAC as Simon is very well known, commands great respect from parliamentary colleagues (as well as the general public) and we are privileged to have him on board.....to keep up the nautical metaphors!
Those of you who know me well (the unlucky ones!) will testify that I like the sound of my own voice. Well I have to admit that I'm quite enjoying this blogging lark too BUT I must get back to work.......and to keeping an eye on those girls (those responsible for getting me into all this). Those of you fortunate not to know me but wanting to have a look and a laugh can watch me be humiliated on 'Wogans Perfect Recall' on Channel 4 at 5pm next Thursday (29th Jan). I am swiftly knocked out of the TV quiz but at least I managed to mention NAPAC a few times and even El Tel himself seemed genuinely interested in what we do..................and now that I come to think about it, it was those girls (well, Helen) that got me into that fine mess too. Thanks a bunch!

I warned you!

I knew I wouldn't be a very good blogger. I was told as a child I would never be any blogging good to anyone. However, I am still here and pleased to announce that NAPAC has finally moved offices.............upstairs to the 4th floor. It's a bit cramped compared to downstairs but our volunteers like it and it will do us until we move into the Gerkin or the Shard of Glass depending on when the millions start flowing in!

It was such a shame that we had to close the support line over the Christmas and New Year period but the new offices are alarmed and securely locked, so to expect our people to get in would have been like asking them to break in to Fort Knox. But we are here now and happy.

We have great plans for NAPAC for 2009 and the only thing holding us back................is the lack of money. But we are working on that too. We just got past the first round of the Big Lottery application process and are keeping fingers crossed for that and we have a number of other smaller funders who have expressed a desire to support us in 2009. Bless them.

So keep watching this space (every few months mind) and I will endevour to to keep you updated.

God bless you and ............Happy New Year!
Pete