Fordy on a Friday - Graham Ford's Blog...
March 2010
26 March 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
JUST about choked on my cornflakes this week when I read that Cheryl Cole topped a pole as the Most Inspirational Woman of the Decade.
A survey carried out by cosmetic treatment review website The Good Surgeon Guide, who interviewed 1,178 women, deemed Cheryl their biggest inspiration, closely followed by Dame Helen Mirren, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston.
Inspirational? Cheryl Cole? Well while her husband was cheating on her and she was taking him back the first time, my description would have been more like delusional. And yes she finally saw the light and showed him the door after the second time he was caught. But I am still baffled how the former Girls Aloud star came out ahead of a whole plethora of women who have achieved so much more. Sadly the word inspirational within the title possible tells a story. Women, these days, it seems are inspired to sing, find wealth, marry a footballer and live a glamorous lifestyle. Forget education; forget making a difference in the world it’s the fast track to fame and fortune. Has such reality programmes as Big Brother created a society where people are hell bent on enjoying their 15-minutes of fame.
I would rather look to achievement as an inspiration, take the various Olympic Gold Medal winners from Beijing, or perhaps yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur, people who have challenged themselves and shown others that they can achieve. I would even include the likes of Christine Bleakly from the One Show who recently water-skied across the English Channel, now that takes guts! Or what about successful author JK Rowling? She has inspired millions of children to experience the joy of reading. Or perhaps businesswoman Michelle Moan, she owns the Ultimo range! Women shaping their own path in life through their own hard work.
There are enough females in Hawick who also do their bit and hopefully inspire others around them, some excellent teachers who inspire some of their charges to choose a similar career. Teenagers about to embark on Borders Exploration Group adventures across the world, or perhaps members of the Creative Fashion team at Hawick High School, they will be travelling to New York in the next few weeks.
I am sorry Cheryl but when it comes to inspiration I don’t need to be dazzled by Simon Cowells’s bright white teeth, I would rather enjoy the smile of someone who has achieved real success. Lets hope the spotlight can soon shift away from the Geordie doormat, and real achievers are rewarded.
19 March 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
I have been flitting from meeting to meeting over the last few days. But I am glad to be involved in so many active groups at the moment.
On Monday evening I attended the Hawick Golf Club Council meeting where I am Match Secretary. There is a great deal of really exciting work taking place at the moment. One of the big events will be the Bill McLaren Celebrity Pro-am that is scheduled to be held over the Vertish Hill on Friday September 3rd. This event will raise money for the Bill McLaren Foundation, but it also has huge potential to help put Bill’s beloved golf course firmly on the map. I will keep people posted on the list of celebrities lined up to appear at this event.
On Tuesday night I was meeting with other members of the Summer Festival Committee as we continued our preparations for the Party on the pitch event. We have now settled on our line-up for the event and the various bands will now be approached and booked for Saturday August 21st. The event continues to develop and we are making further subtle changes this year that are sure to appeal to the crowd. I will announce the line-up here next week.
On Thursday night I met with the Hawick Pantomime Group committee as we begin our planning towards an exciting new concert that will be held as part of the Summer Festival celebrations. The concert entitled THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT will feature songs, routines and dances from various pantomimes over the last few years. I have also written several new scenes, including the Hawick version of the Paddy McGuinness game show Take Me Out, this is really funny and will compliment two other game show scenes also scheduled for the same night, namely Blind Date and Who wants to be a Millionaire. The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday August 19th and will be used to raise money for the Hawick Welcome Hosts who do such a great job of welcoming tourists to the town.
My busy week will come to a conclusion on Saturday afternoon when I will be making a pre-international speech to members and guests at the Border Club. I have been saving some of my best jokes for this speech, and I am looking forward to entertaining.
DRIVEN TO DESPAIR
Just when it looked like Hawick was free from traffic snarl ups the roadworks returned with a vengeance this week. The roundabout chaos near Morrisons is nothing short of shocking. The time spent waiting is crazy. I am also faced with a real test of my driving skills while making my way up Slitrig Crescent where there are no fewer that five separate roadwork sites. And to top it off the bridge linking Slitrig Crescent with Drumlanrig Square is also blocked off for more roadworks. I think the Hawick driving public has shown remarkable patience over the last few months, but enough is enough.
BESIDE THE SEA-SIDE
Last Sunday proved to be a very enjoyable start to the golf season. Along with three friends I spent the day playing the lovely Magdalene Fields Golf Course in Berwick. The weather proved kind to us, just a light shower to contend with over the final hole. The day was rounded off in style with a visit to the fish and chip shop. It is something akin to sacrilege to visit Berwick and not sample the fish and chips. My appetite has also been whetted for the golf season by the announcement that Tiger Woods is making his return from his self-imposed exile. Regardless of his off course exploits, I still think he is a wonderful golfer and I am thrilled he will be back to play at Augusta in the first Major tournament of the year. The US Masters along with the British Open are my two favourite golf tournaments of the year and I suspect that the US Masters this year could be one of the most dramatic tournaments for a long time. I can’t wait.
12 March 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
ACHIEVEMENT
I love people succeeding. And this season I have been hugely impressed with the impact new coach Gerry McGuinness has made on Hawick RFC. Over the years I have met and interviewed the former Wanderers Coach a number of times and was always illuminated by his passion for the sport. His knowledge was immense and I always felt that this would rub off on anyone he coaches.
While many people were rightly dispirited at the Greens being relegated from the Premiership last season, I always felt that a season in the lower division could actually be to the benefit of the side. The players have enjoyed that winning feeling once again this season and regardless of the tougher opposition next season when Hawick step back into the top flight, the one thing the Hawick players will have under their belt is new found confidence. They also have a great deal of confidence in McGuinness who’s coaching CV is impressive. For four or five seasons Hawick had been clinging by their fingernails in the Premiership and this led to that nervous feeling at the start of each campaign. But I think next season could be different.
While the Greens have benefited from a change of personnel at the helm, it seems Scotland are still in the doldrums. They appear to have bags of ability but for whatever reason as soon as they take to the field of play they seem to suffer from white line fever. Their meagre amount of tries scored in three matches shows little sign of changing over the final two games of the RBS Six Nations. I would love to be proved wrong. But you get the feeling its as much in the mind as in the ability because many of these players are playing week in week out for Glasgow and Edinburgh who are actually more than holding their own in the Magners League.
Another celebration of talent comes in the shape of Hawick Opera. This week they have been putting on the outstanding Copacabana and have once again showed they have an exceptional amount of talent in their ranks. Liam Caswell and Mandy Rayner have taken the lead roles in this show and grasped the opportunity with open arms. What is slightly disappointing is the crowd numbers on some of the nights. Such great work and talent deserves every support, and hopefully the lethargy that sometimes exists within the town can be shaken off and people begin to get behind some of the fabulous events and entertainment on offer.
I am also very excited this weekend as the golf season gets underway. My clubs have been in cold storage for several months while the rolling slopes of the Vertish have been hidden beneath the blanket of snow. But I love nothing better than a competitive game of golf. My first game will be taking place at the delightful Magdalene Field Golf Course at Berwick. I will let you know how I get on next week.
5 March 2010 - Email: fordy@hawickonline.co.uk
OVER the last few months I feel that I have been involved in a massive game of escape from the maze.
Sadly I never chose to play the game in the first place, and it seems there is no end in sight to this ridiculous game. Every day the escape route changes and every day my frustration continues to grow. What is worse is that everyone else in Hawick is playing the same game, and they also never chose to join it.
I would love to know who sat down and planned the rules of this game because they messed up big style.
Every day it seems a new part of Hawick is being dug up, every day I am sat aimlessly in my car watching the world go by. Eventually when I manage to escape one set of traffic lights I am met with another red light and another humungous queue of traffic. The local councillor really should be making some extreme noises to the responsible parties. It is a total shambles.
Our Councillors should also be making more of an effort to attract more jobs to the town but once again they appear muted. I hear so little about what the elected six are doing. But wait until the next round of local elections and they will be clambering over each other to blow their own trumpets. But the reality is quite simple Hawick is being sold short at the moment.
Lets hope that ahead of the tourist season the multitude of road works can cease and we can give our hard pressed local traders some boost by making Hawick a more welcoming place rather than a giant car park. Watch this space for an announcement regarding a massive entertainment evening later this year to raise funds for our fabulous and unique Welcome Hosts. How do I know this event will be good? Because I am organising it.