These photographs from April 1986 were taken by staff members on my last day as Westminster Social Services Area 1 manager as I prepared to continue my working life in a freelance capacity.
Here I stand in my office in the former Victorian Paddington town hall,
and here I am signing a few documents. Through the window behind me can be seen the old St Mary’s Hospital, which like the town hall has been largely demolished and converted to Housing Association dwellings.
I doubt that any Social Services Departments can today afford the luxury of spacious accommodation for all staff, such as the splendid manager’s office, on the walls of which I was able to hang many family photographs,
Louisa came to see where I had been working. We stand in front of portraits of, clockwise from top left, Michael, Sam, Louisa, Auntie Gwen, Matthew, Dad, and Jessica. One of Becky is obscured by her sister’s head. The other two are of me running in a marathon and in a twenty mile race.
This brought to an end twelve enjoyable, if very difficult, years in post.
For the next 24 years I remained self employed. My major tasks were personal individual and couple counselling; consultation to helping agencies including Local Authorities; supervision (mentoring) of other professionals; group work, such as for training and support; and various chairmanships, including those of Adoption and Fostering panels; and the occasional Social Work task, such as preparation of assessment reports for a court.
I have already mentioned that my former Director of Social Services surprised me with a contract for one day a week across the board in my old Department. The Coping with Violence course featured earlier was one task from Westminster.
Jackie was simultaneously ironing and watching television on the afternoon of 2nd July 1987. It was then some years since we had last seen each other. The header picture of BBC News which was broadcast that day was a full face portrait something like this one
taken by my brother Chris. Despite the shock to my then ex-wife, I don’t think any items of clothing were burnt.
You may well ask where I am and what I am doing there. Well, I am in a side-street just off Oxford Street in Central London. So close were we to the main thoroughfare that the watchers in the window must have been in an outlet in Oxford Street.
During the morning notices fixed to the bath announced the event and the charity, Westminster Mencap, of which I was a Committee Member, for which donations were sought.
Volunteers poured in the various ingredients and stirred them into the consistency of porridge. It was a pleasantly warm viscous mixture into which the chosen victims lowered themselves for their allotted stints.
Two slang words for a prison sentence are in fact ‘stir’ and ‘porridge’, which fact you may or may not find interesting.
Most people dressed down for the performance. It was Chris’s brilliant idea that I should approach Moss Bros to ask them to donate an ex-hire morning suit, complete with topper, for the event. I therefore dressed up.
The system was each of us would spend ten minute periods, with a minute or two changing over. My temporary companion was Jane Reynolds, the then Director of the Association. That wasn’t particularly arduous, now was it?
Tubs of rather colder water were provided for a clean up afterwards. There was no shirking that.
Finally, my niece Fiona was on hand with a collecting box, hopefully relieving spectators of the money they had saved in the Selfridges sale on the other side of Oxford Street.
This Charity was one of those renting space in the Area 1 building. It also became a consultancy client of mine, so I regularly visited their rooms in the former Town Hall. It was not long before I joined the Committee which got me into the above fine mess.
What a hilarious event.
Thank you so much, Sherry
Wow ?
What awesome ? and delightful memories..
Those were some really happy times indeed…
And you had so much fun ? in that bathtub… of porridge
Thank you very much indeed, Nita
And You your a dashing handsome knight back there..
X 🙂
I had to laugh Derrick, sorry! So fun. ?☺️
You were meant to, John 🙂 Thanks a lot
Love the idea of you undertaking the challenge in wedding finery
Now that’s a scenario I hadn’t imagined… Derrick doing porridge! ?
🙂 Nice one, Sue. Thank you very much
Looks like an interesting time. You are about up to when I was born.
Thanks a lot, Mrs W. That was a good year, then
Thanks.
What did you do with the porridge afterwards?
I left it where it was 🙂 Thanks a lot, John
Good Heavens! All that porridge over you! It looks like fun, though. But I’m sure for me it would be big fun to watch not participate!
It was fun all round, Joycee. Thanks very much
What a colorful life you’ve had!
Thank you very much, Byung
Well, you looked better than the porridge/Speedo combo. *shudder*
I couldn’t not 🙂 Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome. 😀 That guy was pretty horrifying to look at.
Would you believe he was a consultant medic?
Speedo-wearing in public (even without the porridge) would seem to be a credibility risk for someone in that position.
Quite
Gross BUT Genius!
Thanks very much, Donna 🙂
What an idea for fundraising!
Thanks very much, Rosaliene
You were in it up to your neck. Hope you raised lots of money. Did it rekindle Jackie’s interest?
Thanks very much, Pat. We were not to meet again until 2008, so only she would know.
Good and wise answer. ?
Well, that was certainly different! It was very clever to wear formal attire that was not your own. Here, people get dunked in tanks of water, but I’ve never heard of sitting a tub of porridge before! I have the same questions as equipsblog.
As I have said to Pat, Jackie and I were not to meet again until 2008, so only she would know. Thanks a lot.
You seem game for most challenges – a wonderful attitude to have.
Thank you very much, Anne. I do like to give things a go
You can’t say life was boring.
Nope. Thanks a lot, Chrissy
HAHAHAHA! I snort-laughed loudly! 😀 A porridge bath! A fine mess, indeed! What a creative and fun fundraiser!!! 😀 And to be dressed formally for that bath…brilliant, Derrick!!! 😀
Interesting on the slang words for a prison sentence. I did not know this. I learn something new every day!
And I love seeing the family photos you had up in your office. So beautiful!
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…I will never look at porridge, soup, stew, or stewp in the same way again…ever. 😀 😛
I’m pleased to have such an influence on your culinary perceptions, Carolyn 🙂 X
HA! 😀
Oh, boy, what a post! To think of Jackie turning on the TV and seeing you in that outfit in a bathtub of oatmeal. Well, she must have a fine sense of humor to have let that one slip by. So clever of you to dress up rather than down! Hilarious.
Thank you so much, Jodie
I agree that dressing up was a good idea. The topper takes the cake, or rather the porridge.
Thanks very much, JoAnna
Oh, gosh! What a messy way to raise money. I expect Jackie was very surprised to see you in a tub of porridge.
Thanks very much, Laurie. I gather she was 🙂
The suit was a good idea, Derrick, but suit or not, I wouldn’t like to do this.
It was fun, Robbie. Thanks very much
You wouldn’t get an office like that now, you would be working from home.
Quite so, Andrew. Thanks a lot.
Those are wonderful photos and memories, Derrick! I can imagine Jackie’s surprise when she saw you on TV. 🙂
Thank you so much, Lavinia
I enjoyed these latest tales of your working days. ?
I’m pleased, AnneMarie. Much appreciated
Gosh, what a laugh!
Thanks a lot, Lindsey
That was an interesting event ? but for a good cause ?
Thank you very much, Ribana 🙂
Well done! It’s fun to be able to look back on memories of this together, when you were at that time apart.
Oh, and the time frame didn’t even register with me till I saw the photo of Fiona and thought, “That is a late 80s outfit if I ever saw one.” I graduated high school in 1988 and was probably wearing that exact outfit at some point during school – ha!
🙂