Hello – I hope most of you have recovered from England’s inglorious exit from the World Cup.
I have to say (although I hate to admit it) we were beaten by a side that was better prepared, more imaginative and justifiably has a higher reputation on the big stage – exactly where we want Staffordshire to be. This links nicely to some of the visits I’ve been making around the county in the last week.
I had the pleasure of visiting Staffordshire Learning Technologies (SLT) at Hixon. SLT is a county council trading organisation supplying schools with their IT equipment. They have to be very customer focussed because schools could quite easily go elsewhere if they don’t deliver what is required.
So it is true testimony that they have virtually 100 per cent “buy-back”. They know how to optimise services to meet the customer’s requirements and have earned a reputation for excellent service. I was truly impressed by the work they are doing with some cutting-edge technologies.
On Monday I made my second visit to Shugborough and had a complete tour of the estate, including the walled garden, farm, mansion house and new Wild about Wildlife sculpture trail.
Shugborough really is the jewel in the crown of Staffordshire and it is clear this flagship cultural attraction is a leading light within the county’s important tourism sector.
The estate also has a critical role in establishing the council’s reputation for high quality front line services not only as a visitor attraction, but also as a major events venue and as an educational resource, with over 16,000 pupils taking part in hands-on educational tours this year.
Exciting plans for the future will see Staffordshire’s reputation further enhanced as Shugborough’s popularity in Staffordshire and beyond is increased.
Finally, back to where we began – Germany. Children from Silverdale Primary School’s schools choir have taken part in an exchange programme with youngsters from six other countries. The highlight was a hugely successful concert performance in the town of Aurich. A right result from an England international performance – Staffordshire 1, Germany 0 – if only our footballers could have achieved the same…. Ah well, there’s always Murray mania at Wimbledon to look forward to….