Essex Youth Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall

We leave the house shortly after five o'clock. The chairman of Essex County Council, Cllr Gerard McEwen, has very kindly invited Nick and myself, along with the other mayors and chairs in Essex, to a reception at the Cadogan Hall in London, with complimentary tickets for the concert there tonight, where the Essex Youth Orchestra is performing in celebration of its fiftieth birthday.

We have already attended an EYO concert, at St John's ARC in Harlow some weeks ago, so are delighted to support them again.

After a glass of wine and some peanuts and crisps, we take our seats in the gallery for the concert, with an excellent view of the orchestra. The programme starts with a piece called March of Celebration, by Essex student Harry O'Keeffe, who is still at secondary school in Upminster. It's an excellent composition by an obviously very talented home-grown musician.

The next piece is by Hindemith - Symphonic metamorphosis of themes by Carl Maria von Weber. I will confess that Hindemith isn't particularly my musical cup of team, but listen to a section of the piece and make up your own mind.

Then there's Richard Strauss's Horn Concerto No 1 in E flat, with soloist Stephen Stirling. I have an instinctive distrust of the French horn: any instrument you have to dismantle every five minutes to shake out the condensed spit has to be a little unnnatural. And I'm old enough to remember Flanders and Swann performing their famous song Ill Wind, set to a tune from Mozart's (rather more famous) Horn Concerto (sample track 11 here), about a man who buys a French horn and starts to play it, to the irritation of his neighbours. But it's well performed, by orchestra and soloist.

After the interval, we hear extracts from Prokofiev's ballet music for Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev uses music well to tell a story - probably his most famous work is of course Peter and the Wolf, known to many children throughout the generations and narrated at one time or another by almost every actor it's possible to think of. The ballet music for Romeo and Juliet tells the familiar story of the conflict between the Montague and Capulet families, the love of Romeo and Juliet across the family divide, the trouble that ensues, and the tragic end for both of them. It was already a familiar story when Shakespeare wrote his play, and every generation seems to have its film version - when I was a teenager it was the Zeffirelli version with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey; for my children's generation it was the Baz Luhrmann Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

Once again the talented young musicians of our county have acquitted themselves superbly. The concert finishes at about half past nine, and Nick and I are home around eleven, clutching our McDonalds meals from the Howard Way drive-thru and scoffing them while they're still warm.

Fairtrade

At the Town Show this Sunday, I'll be making an announcement about the work the community of Harlow has been doing to prepare its application for Fairtrade status for the town. We've all seen the growth of Fairtrade products in local supermarkets; the council and other organisations now have Fairtrade products available on their premises; and a local Fairtrade group has been working hard to promote Fairtrade more widely.

In the hour that I'm at home between an induction day at the Local Government Association (I've been re-elected to the Association's Scrutiny Panel, and as a substitute member on the LGA's Improvement Board) and setting out again for the evening, I manage - among a dozen other things - to record a quick radio interview for Ten-17 on Fairtrade.

The interview takes rather an unexpected turn. Instead of a fairly straightforward discussion about Fairtrade, the main topic the interviewer wants to know about is whether we shouldn't be doing more to support local farmers instead. I point out that there aren't local growers for coffee, bananas and many of the other products that bear the Fairtrade label. There's a growing trend for farmers' markets and farm shops which the council does encourage. And while there may be an argument to be had about support for local producers, it doesn't have to be a choice between that and trading fairly with people in some of the poorest countries on earth.

Private Foster

The thoughts of many Harlow residents at the moment must be with the parents, family and friends of Private Robert Foster from Harlow, who died in Afghanistan last week. It's hard to know how they must be feeling after such a terrible loss, but I am sure we all hope that Robert's record of service will be a source of some consolation to them at this difficult time. I'm sending a letter to Robert's parents today on behalf of the council, epxressing our condolences.

Window jewels

Today Kelly from the council, Louisa from Harlow Renaissance, and artists from Creative Space are turning a vacant local shop unit into a work of art as part of Harlow's 60th birthday celebrations.

Window Jewels is a free family art workshop taking place today at 7-9 Westgate, near Domino's Pizza. When I arrive just before eleven o'clock, children are already cutting, sticking, painting, printing and glittering, to create jewel shapes on paper and card. The children can take away their prints, but copies will also be used to make large fabric panels to hang in the window of the empty shop.

Local resident Joe helps me create my own jewel shape to contribute to the project.

Window Jewels is the first of several Window Works projects which will decorate empty retail units in the town centre in the coming months. The project will bring together professional artists and local amateur painting groups, schools, the college, young people and shoppers to create different artworks throughout the town centre.

It'll certainly make the town centre a lot more colourful while we wait for the regeneration plans to come to fruition.

Work-work balance

As I work from home (I have two part-time jobs based at home, as well as being a councillor, and Chairman this year), everything is in danger of getting very jumbled up if I'm not careful.

It's easy to get distracted by emails to do with other parts of my life - council email when I'm working at Job 1, Job 2 emails when I'm trying to get on top of my constituency casework (and vice versa), and that sort of thing. Not to mention the heaps of paper that litter the spare room at home.

Councillors have no secretarial support for their ward role, so for quite a few of us our homes become a sort of genizah (word of the day!). We also have to find our own ways of keeping up to date with everything we're asked to deal with, chasing responses to emails and phone calls and letters, and putting stuff where we can lay our hands on it when it crops up again in eighteen months' time.

So, especially as Chairman this year, with all the extra responsibilities that entails, I'm always looking out for tips and techniques that can help me get even more organised.

Last week I bought and installed Microsoft Office Professional 2007 on my computer. Annoyingly, one feature I used to use a lot in Office 97 - being able to File|Send To|Email - no longer works properly in the 2007 version (it just crashes MS Word, or Adobe Acrobat, or whatever program the the file is open in).

But the new Outlook is a revelation. Best of all is the ability to categorise your incoming emails. Instead of having 125 items in my email inbox (and that's just the ones requiring action! all the others are archived elsewhere), all mixed up and jostling for my attention, I now have nine different categories of email - Job 1, Job 2, my Ward, Chairman, Council, my Local Party, Local Government Association etc - all colour-coded and most flagged with reminders. I can sort my email into these categories, and shut all the other categories while I concentrate on the one I'm working on at the time.

I have only seven emails in my Chairman category at the moment, so that's not bad. Now if only I could do the same for my desk ...

Separate Tables

Anne sends me version 2 of the table plan for my Chairman's Lunch at the Town Show on Sunday. I move it about a bit and send her version 2a as a riposte.

Then Anne hears that the tables are rather smaller than we expected, so instead of seven tables of ten, we'll have to have eight tables of eight or nine. Anne will send me version 3 tomorrow.

Warning

The Spenceley family weekend doesn't get off to a good start, when Georgina's locker at the Sportcentre is raided during her gym session and she loses cash, phone, brand new DVDs and the clothes she'd just bought with her 21st birthday money. Fortunately she'd already removed her credit cards from her wallet and left them at home. Several other lockers were raided at the same time (boys' and girls') and one poor customer lost her car which was used as the getaway vehicle. Do be careful what you leave in gym lockers, everyone.

Clacton Air Show

The Chairman of Tendring District Council, Cllr Peter De-Vaux Balbirnie, has invited me - along with other Mayors and Chairs from Essex - to join him at the first day of the Clacton Air Show.

There's coffee on arrival at the Town Hall in Clacton at eleven o'clock, then at half past we all pile into a coach down to the VIP viewing area on the sea front. The weather hasn't cheered up at all; it's dull and drizzly, and we're told that this will cause delays with the show.

At about ten past twelve, there's a tremendous roar, and we step to the viewing platform to see two helicopters putting on a stunning performance of aerial acrobatics over the sea.

There's a cold buffet lunch in the VIP marquee, with wine, followed by about eight different sorts of dessert. I'm at a table with the Chairs of Uttlesford and Epping Forest Councils and their husbands, the Chairman of Colchester and his wife, and the Chairman of Basildon.

After lunch, we step outside again, and the show resumes. Fortunately the weather hasn't prevented some of the performers, including the wingwalkers, from giving a dazzling display. I have to leave at about half past four, but despite the rain the show is still in full swing and the planes are roaring overhead as we drive out of Clacton on the way home.

Football crazy

I've never been so glad to see the postman as I am at 11:05 this morning - the special delivery he's brought is my handbag (including purse, bank and credit cards, and keys) that I managed to leave hanging on a cubicle door in the ladies' toilets at Jersey Airport last Friday. At least I can leave the house today knowing that I will be able to let myself back in again!

I'm due at Ladyshot at noon, for the football fun day at the former Ladyshot Play Centre. It's been organised by Harlow Football Club - who now have a lease of the building - in partnership with Team Around Schools, the local police, EYS (the Education & Youth Service) and Harlow Council's Respect team. Sue from the council is there to greet me and introduce me to everyone.

The drizzling rain and muddy conditions haven't put off a good crop of young people - girls as well as boys - from playing football on the field behind the play centre. Inside, some of the girls are performing dances to music from a ghetto-blaster (do they still call them that, or am I showing my age?). After that, they organise skipping, with one at each end of the rope. One of the young men demonstrates his skills at vocal percussion, to considerable applause.

Local police officers and PCSOs are there, with colouring sheets, and even doing face painting. There are sandwiches, sausage rolls, crisps, fruit, and endless supplies of tea and coffee and soft drinks.

It's a great chance to chat with people from a range of organisations, from the council's new parenting officer to the Team Around School, EYS, Harlow Football Club, BAA Stansted and even the social inclusion manager from Spurs, who has come along for the day.

At about two o'clock, I present certificates for teamwork and organisational skills to the young people who have taken part in putting the day together. Once the certificates have been laminated, they will go in the young people's portfolios.

Everybody's saying what a great day it's been, and how keen we all are to see more days like this, and more opportunities for young people to spend their time positively.

Comment is free

If I've managed to twiddle the right knobs and pull the right lever, you should now be able to add comments on stories in this diary. Any comments are 'moderated' for legality, decency and so forth before arriving on screen - so please save me some work by keeping them clean and lawful!

Harlow Recreation Trust

As Chairman of the Council, one of the organisations on which I'm automatically given a place - along with about ten other councillors - is the Harlow Recreation Trust.

The Trust was established many years ago, in the early days of rate 'capping', with about £1 million of local taxpayers' money. Since then, it has given grants ranging in size from a few hundred pounds to - on one occasion - £300,000, to local organisations seeking funds for leisure and recreational activities.

For more than five years now, it's been recognised by all involved that the Trust doesn't really work as presently constituted. Since 2002, members have been discussing how to reform the Trust, and at tonight's meeting of the Trust we agree to reopen and develop that discussion further before the Trust's next AGM.

There are a number of applications on the table for us to consider. The Trust met on 1 August, while I was on holiday, and wasn't quorate so couldn't make any decisions on these applications - so this is a reconvened meeting, with a much better turnout, to confirm whether or not we wish to grant money to these organisations. We reach our conclusions, and the applicants will be written to with the outcome.

I'm home by a little after quarter past nine, in time to watch 45 minutes of Bruce Parry leaping around in South America on Tribe, and wish my group leader a happy birthday by writing a message on his Facebook Wall.

More progress on my project

When I accepted office as Chairman of the Council in May, I announced that my theme for the year would be a project about raising aspirations for Harlow's young people. As part of this, I've asked for a number of visits to be set up for me, so that I can hear from local schools, employers and others what their perceptions are of aspiration in Harlow, and how we can all help our young people aim higher.

Half past nine this morning therefore sees me in the bowels of the Water Gardens, getting lost in my search for the staff entrance to Asda. I eventually find my way to the right door, and people manager Alex is there to greet me. We spend an hour talking about Asda's experience as a local employer. Alex is clearly someone with a real heart for developing people and helping them achieve, and I very much hope he'll join my advisory group for the project.

I've got a couple of hours to nip back home and tackle some of the 150 or so emails in my inbox, before meeting Anne at the Civic Centre at two o'clock to review the guest list for my lunch at the Town Show on 2 September. (My previous assistant Joan, who was at the council on a temporary basis, left us last Friday). Then at half past two I'm at a meeting of the Harlow Fairtrade group to discuss arrangements for the Fairtrade tent at the Town Show, where I'll be carrying out a launch in the afternoon of the Show.

My next meeting isn't till four o'clock, so I take the opportunity to dash over to the nail bar in the Harvey Centre and get my infills done. (This may sound like a very expensive luxury, but it's the only way I've found of breaking my childhood habit of chewing the skin round my fingernails to ribbons - which doesn't look good when you're always shaking hands with people). This takes a few minutes longer than I've bargained for, so I'm nearly ten minutes late back at the Civic Centre, and shamefaced at my not very high-powered excuse.

My four o'clock meeting is with Lynn and Steve, to plan how we give Harlow residents an opportunity to use the council web site to take part in my 'aspirations' project. I agree to draft some questions that residents will be able to fill in online, and we'll also give people the opportunity to receive updates on the project by email. We agree to 'go live' with the web questionnaire in November.

Diary meeting

After spending a morning installing some new computer software I've bought, I'm in the Civic Centre this lunchtime for the Council's regular monthly book group - I'm the only councillor member, but though I'm busy I do try to get along as it's good to read something that isn't a committee agenda once in a while.

Julie from the Regeneration Unit has been working on the list of businesses I'll be visiting as part of my 'raising aspirations' project, so she takes the opportunity to update me on the schedule of visits.

Being in the Civic Centre is also a chance to meet Sue, the new member of staff working in the corporate administration team that provides support to senior councillors and officers.

The Town Show is rapidly approaching on the horizon, so Joan and Anne and I discuss the updated guest list for my lunch, the food and drink arrangements and all the other administrative arrangements. There's a lot to organise in the next couple of weeks. Then after that it'll be my Civic Dinner.

There are more invitations, tickets for events I've already confirmed, and other paperwork to sort out. I don't leave the Civic Centre until two o'clock, which means I'll have to do my paid work until late in the evening to make up the hours.

Gates Motability information day

I've been invited to launch the Gates Motability information day at the Gates Ford showroom on Edinburgh Way, by handing over the keys of a new car to a disabled customer.

I arrive just before 11:00, where I meet Maralyn and Adrian who are managing the communications for the event. The showroom is already busy with customers, and there's lots to see and find out about - not just adaptations to cars for disabled customers, but also advice from the Department of Work & Pensions on the various benefits and allowances that disabled people are entitled to, and a range of other advice and information stands.

Gowrings Mobility are here, showing their new design Ford Connect. I can't resist the chance to try sitting in the wheelchair that's strapped up behind the car, waiting to be pulled into the vehicle. I spend some time talking to Alphamarque who are displaying their disability aids and mobility products. And of course I take part in the handover of a Ford automatic to customer Alfred, who's clearly delighted with his new vehicle.

It's an excellent opportunity for residents with disabilities and their families to come and find out what's available to help make life easier, whether they are drivers or not.

Lunch with Harlow Stroke Support Group

I'm meeting Harlow Stroke Support Group for lunch at the Toby carvery near Harlow Town station.

I've never been there before - it's always been full whenever I've passed - but there's enough seating for us all, and the food is very good value.

Everyone enjoys themselves enormously, and we end with a chorus of Happy Birthday for one member who's celebrating her birthday today. It's great to know that people who've had a stroke have the opportunity to meet people, get out and about and have such a good time, thanks to Harlow Stroke Support Group.

Parents in the Park

Harlow Council's anti-social behaviour team has organised a parenting day in the Town Park, near the bandstand. The bouncy castles and colouring and sticking tents are evident, together with stands from various local groups and organisations, including the Integration Support Group, Education & Youth Services Ltd, the Foyer, Harlow Children's Centres, Harlow Education Consortium, and of course the council itself.

Everyone's eager to talk, from stallholders to mums - and the conversations are many and varied. I explain to one mum about the council's plans for renewing the Town Park; hear from EYS about the shortage of work placements for young people in the town; discuss funding issues with the Integration Support Group; and pick up a useful map of the new Children's Centres opening in Mark Hall School, Burnt Mill School, Sumners Leisure Centre, and Potter Street. I hand out some of my council business cards, to arrange meetings with people interested in my project on raising aspirations for young people in Harlow.

Mums, childminders and children are all clearly having a great time in the sunshine - and Ben, Patrick and Gill from the council are still busy as I leave just before noon.

Spice Master grand opening

Spice Master, the new Indian restaurant at the Pink Cottage on Commonside Road, has invited myself and Nick to its 'grand opening' evening. The restaurant will be organising regular charity evenings, of which this is the first, with tonight's charity being St Clare's Hospice.

We're welcomed by the restaurant's owners Raj Miah and his partner Abdul Karim, together with Senior Partners of the Spice Master Group Heron Miah and Dilwar Ali, and Spice Master representative Susy, and seated with an excellent view of the stage. We're joined by Julie Hewlett, the facilities manager at the hospice, and dinner is served. Paul Cantara is there to provide the live music - a range of familiar songs and tribute acts which keeps everybody entertained.

After everyone has eaten, there's an auction for four donated prizes - winning bids reach £100 in some cases, all for a worthy cause. Before Paul starts the second part of his act, we can announce that the evening has raised £1,500 for the hospice.

Visit to the Stroke Unit

I've mentioned before that my chosen charity for the year is Harlow Stroke Support Group, and organiser Jean Miley has suggested that it would be a good idea for us to go and visit the Stroke Unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital, so that I can see for myself how patients are cared for in the days and weeks after a stroke.

I'm delighted to be given the opportunity, so Jean and I meet outside A&E at 12:45, and walk down to the unit next to the maternity wards. (I remark to Jean on the way that I've not been there since my children were born in PAH over twenty years ago!).

Charge nurse Mike and lead stroke nurse Patsy are on hand to show me round the unit with Jean. The unit has 17 beds, and most patients stay up to four weeks after they've had their stroke. 150 Harlow residents each year have their first stroke, so the unit is certainly kept busy.

There are four four-bedded bays and one single-bedded side ward. I'm shown the gym where patients learn to regain their physical fitness, and the walk-in showers and toilets. There's also a lovely garden, with plants and furniture provided by patients, their relatives and fundraising by staff - and cared for by patients too (I meet one patient who spent yesterday trimming the grass).

The unit has dedicated speech and language therapists, with physiotherapy and occupational therapy staff too, as well as doctors and nurses. It's clear how much they value the work the stroke support group does, and how well the group works with the excellent team here at the hospital.

Jean is still writing applications to try to secure funding for the Harlow Stroke Support Group, following the failure of the group's lottery application. Let's hope there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Cultural Diversity Festival

There's just time for me to do the trolley dash through Sainsbury's - we only came back from our week in Belgium yesterday evening, and I need to re-stock - before the Cultural Diversity Festival opens at noon.

I arrive promptly at the Chinese Centre, where the stalls have been set up round the Chinese garden, and the Lion Dance is about to start. I spend some time at each stall - buying some earrings and ordering a lanyard for my council swipe card at one, and discussing the next stages of consultation about the Town Park at another.

I meet two researchers working for Essex County Council who will be asking children from minority ethnic groups in Harlow about their views on play in the town; with a great deal of patient help, make a paper lily; and have a long chat with Mimoza who runs the Integration Support Group. Anglia TV wants a few words with me on camera about the day, so I give a brief interview.

Kelly, Gill and Patrick from the council seem to be everywhere at once - making sure everything's running smoothly.

Finally, I'm inveigled into taking part in a project by the Wednesday Art Group (who meet, not surprisingly, on a Wednesday to do art - at the Baptist Church in Old Harlow) to create a diamond with lots of pieces, all coloured by different people, that characterise different parts of the town. I'm responsible for colouring the left hand half of a pot from the Gibberd Garden, some pebbles and shrubbery, and the back wheel of a bicycle!

The curried chicken, rice and spring rolls, provided by the Chinese community, are a welcome lunch; and the chilled can of Coke certainly goes down well on this, the hottest day of the year so far.

There's African drumming and dancing, and the steel band plays. Talking to the residents who've turned up to take part, it's clear that everyone's very positive indeed about the chance to learn about the various cultures that make up our town, and about the work the council is doing to bring everyone together.