The newsletter for the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
Fellowship News AUTUMN / WINTER 2020
COVID-19 Update As you will be aware, our group network and home visiting service has been suspended since March and this suspension has recently been extended until the end of 2020 by the Board of Directors. We are working with our group leaders and befriending volunteers to make sure that all the necessary risk assessments are undertaken.
This is so we can make sure that when these services are able to re-open they are able to provide a safe environment for everybody involved. Fellowship Office is also open although with a reduced staff presence on site each day. You can see any COVID-19 updates online at www.csrf.org.uk
Changes to Our Governance This year, our national Annual General Meeting took place by post which provided an opportunity for all our current Company Members to engage with the voting process. The Board of Directors put forward two emergency special resolutions to amend the structure of our Company Member Register to be more reflective of what we do we do as a charity. We’re pleased to announce that the changes were carried with well over the required 75% majority. This means that now every group has the right to appoint a Company Member and there
are also places available to those volunteers who give their time to our befriending services.
You can help us with a donation We have been able to manage to keep the CSRF open throughout the lockdown period and maintain some level of services. But sadly due to the restrictions any of our usual fundraising activities have had to be suspended. Nathan is hoping to complete his triathlon in 2021. So if you can give a donation this year that will help to make a real difference to our income and help us to safeguard what we do in the future. You can donate online at www.csrf.org.uk or send it to us in the post using the form on Page 9.
Try your luck with our prize crossword and you could win one of five £25 M&S Vouchers – see page 14
Chief Executive’s Message
I
t seems like a lifetime since writing my last message just when we all went into lockdown. The last four to five months have seen all of us have to adapt to changes to how we live our lives and interact with others. None of these have been easy for any of us, but we have at least all done our best to help ensure the health and wellbeing of our friends and families. As we plan for the re-opening of our groups and home visiting service I want to re-assure anyone who might still be worried or concerned about going out that we will do our best to make sure we follow all the recommended safety guidelines. I hope that when our groups do re-open you, like me, will consider going along to a meeting, wearing your mask and reconnecting with friends who you may not have seen for a while. I am particularly pleased we have been able to remain open throughout the lockdown period to offer advice and guidance to those needing support and to provide befriending services via our Phone Buddy scheme. It would also be remiss of
The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
me not to acknowledge our wonderful weekly (now fortnightly) e-newsletters that are the work of our Marketing & Communications Officer Lily Roubians that have provided a huge amount of useful and interesting information. If you don’t currently receive our e-newsletters I would wholeheartedly encourage to so sign up. You can find out how in the news item on the page opposite. Although our 55th anniversary year has not turned out as expected it has nonetheless provided us with an opportunity to restate the importance of what we offer as a charity for former civil servants. Both our new Chair and Civil Service Champion have been very helpful in this respect and I have been working with them to help support a new dialogue with both Civil Service Human Resources and the Cabinet Office. It is expected that the charity sector will lose over £4 billion in fundraising income this year due to COVID-19 and we, like many other organisations, are already assessing the impact this will have on us to see what changes need to be made.
We will share these with you in the coming months but in the meantime you can make a big difference by making a donation (see page 9 for more details). In conclusion I’d like to thank our staff and Board of Directors for their support throughout the lockdown period. I would also like to thank our group leaders and volunteer befrienders for adapting so well to what has been a very challenging year. I hope you enjoy this issue and wish you all the best in the coming months. David Tickner, Chief Executive
Board of Directors vacancies
The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship Unit 11, Pepys House, Greenwich Quay, Clarence Road, LONDON SE8 3EY t: 020 8691 7411 e: enquiries@csrf.org.uk w: www.csrf.org.uk A charity registered in England and Wales No 255465 and in Scotland No SC039049 and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No 6297479 ©2020. Fellowship News is published by the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF). All rights reserved. The CSRF and the publishers declare that any publication of any advertisement does not carry their endorsement or sponsorship of the advertiser or their products unless so indicated. Contributions are invited and, whether or not accepted, submissions will be returned only is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or while in the publisher’s hands. Proof of receipt is no guarantee of appearance. In the absence of an agreement, the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic belongs to The CSRF. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including, but not limited to, any online service, database or part of the internet), or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of The CSRF. The CSRF accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any other opinions expressed herein. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official views of The CSRF.
Next year there will be some vacancies on our Board of Directors. The post of Board Director is a voluntary one and any prospective candidates should be subscribers to the CSRF, support our aims and objects and have some time to help contribute to
the running of the organisation. Board meetings are held four times a year. If you are interested in finding out more about the role you should contact the Chief Executive & Company Secretary at Fellowship Office by phone, email or post.
News
Although we’re not currently able to undertake home visits, our Phone Buddy Scheme saw an increase in demand during lockdown from both beneficiaries and prospective volunteers. This service is still fully operational and so if you’d like to receive a regular
friendship phone call then use the contact details below to call or email us for more information. Calls can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on your preference and we’ll endeavour to match you up with someone who has some shared interests.
Just call us to request the application form on 020 8691 7411 or email: befriending@csrf.org.uk
Cooking up some funds Those of you who receive our national e-newsletter will have seen our request for recipes during the lockdown period. We were thinking about producing a fundraising cookbook (focused on baking recipes) to sell to help raise funds next year. But this will depend on your interest. So if you’d like to share a recipe (s) for cakes, bread, cupcakes or any other baked produce then please send them to our resident baking maestro Jean Fisher using the contact details below. You can send your recipe in by email to jean.fisher@csrf.org.uk or by post to Fellowship Office (mark it ‘CSRF Cookbook’).
Sign up for our national e-newsletter
Throughout lockdown we have increased the use of our e-newsletter to provide useful information and advice of interest direct to your email inbox. Just send your name and email address to enquiries@ csrf.org.uk and we’ll add your name to our distribution list. Alternatively you can sign up using the form on the CSRF website, www.csrf.org.uk.
For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk
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News
Gift Aid If you pay tax then we can claim gift aid on your subscription. You may already have signed a gift aid declaration form but if not we can send you one to complete and return. You can check your status by emailing: enquiries@csrf.org.uk or calling us on 020 8691 7411.
Switch your annual subscription to Direct Debit For those of you who are currently paying an annual subscription by cheque you can help us streamline our administration (and avoid forgetting to renew) by switching to paying via direct debit. If you are interested in switching then please contact our office administrator Eileen Turner on 020 8691 7411 or email: enquiries@csrf.org.uk
Congratulations To the winners of our prize crossword draw in the Spring/ Summer issue. They were: E H Watson in Edinburgh, C Foster in Wirral, J Jones in Crowthorne, E Webster in Bangor and P Davies in Ponthir.
Good Deed Feed Living through lockdown showed that community spirit was alive and well around the country with neighbours and volunteers undertaking many good deeds such as collecting shopping or prescriptions. One ‘CSRF Specific’ good deed deserves mention as it involves one of our former team members, Martyn White. Martyn was our Communications Manager a few years ago before leaving to pursue his dream to open a fully vegan restaurant. Peachy Goat opened in Herne Hill in London at the beginning of this year just a few weeks before lockdown
Share your stories and experiences We launched a new editorial feature in the Spring/Summer edition of Fellowship News. Called ‘Talk to Us’ it encourages you to take a look back to your civil service careers and share your anecdotes with us (and others) via the ‘Stories’ section of the CSRF
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and rather than waste their kitchen supplies, Martyn and his business partners, Oliver and Luca Sechi, contacted us to offer some basic foodstuffs to some of our local beneficiaries. They kindly home delivered their supplies to members of our Catford & Lewisham group. For more information on Peachy Goat visit www.peachygoat. com or call 020 7967 7386 for reservations
website and in future issues of the newsletter. So if you’re interested in being interviewed or writing a feature for us, then you can contact us on 020 8691 7411 or email: lily.roubians@csrf.org.uk. You can read some of the stories and interviews later in this issue.
Signposting & Advice
Living with the new normal In times like these, we look to the charities that adapted to the challenging circumstances we are all in and the innovative ways they offered their support. Here are some that you should know are there for you when you need them
Cruse Bereavement Care
Areas covered: Bereavement support and advice
About: The leading national charity for
supporting bereaved people in the UK, Cruse was founded in 1959 in Richmond Upon Thames originally known as the charity ‘Cruse Clubs Counselling service for Widows and their families’. Through their freephone national helpline, website and email support, they offer support and advice so that anyone who has been bereaved can turn to them at any time and use their free confidential services.
Tel: 0808 808 1677 Email: info@cruse.org.uk URL: www.cruse.org.uk
For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk
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Signposting & Advice
MIND: The Mental Health Charity/ MIND Cymru Areas covered: mental health support, activities and advice
About: There to support anyone
experiencing a mental health problem, this organisation has over 1000 services and 60 years behind it. MIND offer advice and support alongside their campaigns for better understanding of mental health. They have an info line offering confidential help as well as award winning publications and helpful website certified by information standard.
Tel (Infoline): 0300 123 3393 or if you feel more comfortable texting over talking, you can text: 86463 Email: info@mind.org.uk. URL: www.mind.org.uk www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru/ (Mind Wales/ Available in Welsh)
Relatives and Residents Association
Playlist for Life Areas covered: Dementia services and support through music
Areas covered: Care – support and advice
About: Playlist for Life
believe that everyone should have a playlist, and through their work, they allow both those with dementia and their loved ones be connected to each other and their life’s most cherished moments through music. They understand how important it is to be able to do something for your loved one with dementia that creates a meaningful connection. They will teach you how to create the soundtrack of your life and that of your loved ones – and they make it easy each step of the way – making modern music platforms more accessible with their support and guidance.
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About: This is the national charity
for older people in care or needing care who are also there to support the loved ones seeking advice. Their free helpline is there to empower those navigating care today – and all the decisions and support/ advice that is needed to do so. They understand that this is a difficult thing to learn – and are there to support you if you have concerns about the care being received. They can even make calls or write on a caller’s behalf if that extra level of support is needed.
Tel: 0141 404 0683 Email: info@playlistforlife.org.uk URL: www.playlistforlife.org.uk
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Tel: 020 7359 8136 Email: info@relres.org URL: www.relres.org/
British Gymnastics Foundation Areas covered: Exercise for Older People, Seated Exercise, Dementia
About: Working with the passionate belief that gymnastics has
the ability to transform lives, the British Gymnastics Foundation launched a ‘Love to Move’ campaign for older people that is also dementia friendly with a seated gymnastics programme designed to change lives with their ‘Love to Move’ Booklet and Online videos. According to Age UK (in 2016), the programme had cognitive, physical and emotional benefits.
Friends Against Scams Areas covered: Staying scam aware as scams become more sophisticated
About: Friends Against Scams
Tel: 0345 1297129 Ext. 2315 Email: info@britishgymnasticsfoundation.org URL: https://britishgymnasticsfoundation.org/
is run by the National Trading Standards Scam Team who are here to prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering you with the information you need through their online learning – as well as keeping you up to date on the latest scams. They can also help you to sign up as a ‘Scam Marshal’: someone who has been targeted by scams and who is now standing up against them with the role of sharing your experiences of scams to help others spot them too.
Please Note: Friends Against Scams
Refuge – Help for Women and Children Areas covered: Domestic Abuse About: Refuge are there to support those who are experiencing/
have experienced violence and abuse (and you can hide/escape their website when you visit it if you need to). No matter what your experience is, they are there to support you with their specialist services to help you have safety and rebuild a safe life. They have expert staff that will support you to select the right option for you.
Tel: The National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 URL: www.refuge.org.uk/
is not a reporting/advice service, however, if you require advice on scams, please contact the Citizens Advice Helpline on: 0808 223 1133 URL: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk
Don’t forget
We provide signposting and advice to many beneficiaries throughout the year – so if you have a question on any subject relating to later life, give us a call and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction!
For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk
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Fundraising
Help us with a donation Register with Amazon Smile or Giveasyoulive We’ve got two great online portals that help us raise funds every time you shop online. Smile from Amazon and GiveasyouLive both provide us with a donation each time you shop via their respective websites and it costs you absolutely nothing at all!! Both sites are free to register on but don’t forget you will need to nominate us as your chosen charity before you start shopping. Find out more online at https://smile.amazon.co.uk or at www.giveasyoulive.com/join/csrf
Legacy Giving As we receive no government funding, we rely on the money we raise through regular subscriptions and donations to support and safeguard our work. By leaving us a legacy, however big or small, you would be helping to make an important contribution to that. Our legal helpline partners McClures Solicitors can advise you on all aspects of writing a will or undertaking a will review and this includes how to leave a legacy. You can contact them on 0800 852 1999.
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It has been estimated that the charity sector will lose £3 billion in fundraising this year due to the pandemic. We have not been able to run our annual fundraising campaign, so we are appealing to all of you to help us with a donation. We receive no
funds from central government all the money we raise through fundraising goes directly to support the range of services we provide to beneficiaries. You can donate online at www.csrf.org.uk or complete the form on the page opposite.
CSRF Notelets for sale The price per set is £5 (and the cost includes p&p) and each set includes one of each of the winning pictures as a notelet (blank inside for any message) with envelopes. You can use the form on page 13 to place your order (all cheques need to be made payable to ‘The CSRF’) OR you can order online via the Shop section of our website at www.csrf.org.uk Pic: One of our 5 winning pictures – Sheffield Park in Sussex by Mrs M Trayor}
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DONATION/SWITCH MY SUB FORM Please use this form to make a donation, order some notelets or if you are responding to the ‘Switch my Sub’ voluntary offer. The ‘Switch my Sub’ option only applies to those subscribers who are Life Members.
General Donation
CSRF Notelets (£5 per set)
Indicate the number of sets you want
Return the completed form including your donation to: The CSRF, Unit 11, Pepys House, Greenwich Quay, Clarence Road, LONDON SE8 3EY Cheques should be made payable to ‘The CSRF’. Alternatively you can make a donation online at www.csrf.org.uk
Please accept my gift of:
Switch My Sub
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How would you like us to acknowledge your donation? By Post By Email I do not wish to receive an acknowledgement
If you are a Life Member who wishes to voluntarily switch their subscription to annual, please tick the box below and fill in your details and return the form with your cheque. Switch my Sub
We are extremely grateful for all donations we receive; you can help us save money by ticking the box to opt not to receive an acknowledgment
Name: Address:
Post Code: Tel Number: Email: Alternatively you could sign up to make a regular donation to support our ongoing work via direct debit. Please pay the sum of £
each month/year (delete as appropriate) Starting on (date)
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until further notice
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Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay The CSRF Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with the CSRF and if so, details will be passed to my Bank/Building Society. A full copy of the Direct Debit guarantee will be provided in the pack you receive on signing up.
Make your gift worth a quarter more at no extra cost to you! If you are a UK taxpayer The CSRF can reclaim the tax you’ve paid on your donation. Please tick the Gift Aid declaration box below I want to Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your SelfAssessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. Please notify us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address 9 or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.
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Memories of science Civil Service scientist David Bradley PhD BSc CChem MARR FRSC looks back on his career.... Sixty-five years ago, I graduated with making fuel for Magnox reactors a degree in ‘Special Chemistry’ from were being developed. In 1957 a London University. With the prospect reactor at Windscale that generated of National Service to contend with, plutonium caught fire potentially I couldn`t contemplate a career releasing radioactive particles into let alone imagine that one the atmosphere; fortunately day I would become a most of the particles Civil Servant. My ‘call were captured in the up’ wasn`t to be, I filters, notwithstanding The incident made was offered a job in that egress of me realise that research with the radioactive iodine nuclear had both UK Atomic Energy that necessitated in benefits and Authority. I jumped large amounts of milk at the opportunity being thrown away. I a downside which brought me into wasn`t involved in the the exciting but secretive inquiry that followed, but world of the atom. I joined the the incident made me realise AEA Industrial Group at Springfields that ‘nuclear’ had both benefits and in Lancashire where methods of a downside. I wanted to know more 10
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about the risks and how to manage what I believed to be a valuable source of clean energy. In 1959 the UKAEA agreed to keep my job open whilst giving me opportunity to fulfil my ambition. I returned to University to study the effects of radiation on organic materials, this later related to studies in the treatment of cancers. My wife to be typed my thesis. I was awarded a PhD in 1964. By this time, my job with the Atomic Energy Authority had been re-located to Dounreay in the North of Scotland….no place for a single lad who had just met the girl who in February 1965 would become his wife. Once again, I had a career choice to make.
I continued lecturing at a Polytechnic, but this was becoming an unfulfilling experience, no research facilities. I was then offered a three year contract at Lucas Heights in Australia, nuclear research and a wonderful opportunity; but it was not to be, with everything in place a ‘motorway madness’ crash on the M1 on November 5th 1965 in which my wife, who was expecting our first child, was injured consequentially losing our first baby, delayed acceptance of this offer. And a re-think! I trundled along happy that my wife was pregnant again. Then a friend from university spoke to me about the Harold Wilson “White Hot Technological Revolution.” I applied for the job advertised when I was appointed to the post of Senior Scientific Officer, one of three scientists and engineers responsible for advising the DTI Regional Director on the technical issues of projects intended to bring jobs and prosperity to the Northern Region. I became an established Civil Servant with security and status. Notwithstanding the initial problems of finding a house and settling in to a part of Britain that to my wife “seemed like the Moon,” my experience over the next eight years gave me the confidence (if not the frustration) to deal with the very difficult personal circumstances that Beth and I were later to face. The job was all I could have wished for. Assisted by five highly motivated Industrial Liaison Officers and competent administrative support, I was able me to keep in touch with technical developments in universities and colleges throughout the Region and introduce their innovative ideas into the Region’s industries. Various schemes led to diverse employment opportunity although the numbers employed were often below expectation. I spent time on committees, giving talks to various institutions, reporting on incidents, collecting information for government statistics, and arranging visits by Ministers and other dignitaries. On one occasion I was asked to find something different for a visiting Minister to do; I decided that I would arrange
for him to see something of the the formality. After retirement, my beautiful Northern countryside experience as a regulator and my before visiting a Fluorspar mine in time with the DTI enabled me to Teesdale. My ‘recce’ went well, that continue to challenge government is until I got to mine where, dressed thinking over the efficacy of in oil skins, I went underground into proposals to dispose of radioactive the limestone where the miners waste to a deep earth geological of fluorspar did their work. disposal facility, a GDF. I got very wet on the No luck so far however vertical man rider. I was since MPs have voted in trepidation when I to include disposal in I can presume that in arrived at Newcastle the National Strategic these difficult days of Airport to say goodbye COVID-19 the Scientific Infrastructure Project. to the Minister. I If any reader has Civil Servant has needn`t have worried…. ideas, I would welcome re-established he did get wet but said debate. its value that his visit was the most If I reflect on my thirty interesting that he had ever years or so as a servant made. This was not a 9-5 job, of government, I can say that something different every day. I felt the happiest times were when I proud of my social involvement. worked from Newcastle. My work Beth and I made many friends in with the UKAEA and the NII was Whickham where we lived enabling totally absorbing but lacked the us to raise our three children in an togetherness and social fulfilment exciting and beautiful environment. of my job in the Northern Region. I Later our youngest son returned cannot know how the Civil Service to Newcastle to study medicine has changed over the past 30 and now works as a consultant years ago, but I can presume that Paediatrician. Our first son worked in these difficult days of ‘Covid as a biologist with the NHS and our 19’ the Scientific Civil Servant has daughter became an administrator re-established its value. When with the Royal College of Surgeons. the current Pandemic is over, the A family of Civil Servants. problems of global climate change, A change in administration in the unrestricted population growth and early seventies left me in Limbo; austerity will need to be addressed. the grant-work was stopped and Perhaps, once again the Scientific the ILOs re-purposed. After some Civil Service will still be there to soul searching and a couple of support the decision-making process. weeks at staff college, I agreed to join the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate in Liverpool; not my first choice but convenient in view of personal difficulties through ill-health then being experienced in my extended family. The atmosphere in Liverpool was so much different; highly technical and formal. I had become a small cog in a more complex machine. I loved the job if not RIGHT: David in his laboratory 11
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The Extraordinary tale of the flying fish Just before lockdown Marketing & Communications Officer Lily Roubians spoke to Greenwich Riverside group member Lois Stevens, who shared a memory she had of applying to work in Whitehall at a time when something fishy was going on. Lois joined the Civil Service as an Information Officer, having worked in the electrical appliance industry for several years. This was beginning to decline in the UK at that time as Japan gained dominance in the manufacturing of electrical goods. As a result of this, Lois was in search of the next phase of her career and found an advert to work as a writer on a magazine about food in Whitehall. Lois got the job and in due course arrived in an office at No.2 Whitehall, where she was introduced to the senior officer who would be her line manager. ‘I have some bad news’ he said to Lois. The senior officer then began to tell her that he was sorry to report that the magazine she had applied to work for would no longer be going into production – they had decided that it was not the right time and that it was better not to go ahead with the magazine at all. Of course, Lois was not expecting to hear this when she arrived for the job that now no longer existed – but that was the least surprising event to happen when she arrived in Whitehall.
Britain’s decision to fish onslaught. As as far as join the EEC had begun Having fled the fish we’re aware it was a series of conflicts (and that department), not a department between the huge Lois quite soon began of defence against UK fishing industry what she looks back and European law on as a ‘nice job’ flying fish and policy makers that working in fair trading became known as the Cod where she was a part of Wars. It just so happened that some significant work. Lois very soon after as had Lois sat before was one of the workers on the the senior officer in what was meant consumer credit act – and worked in to be a perfectly normal ‘meet and this department for over five years, greet’ – wet fish were being hurled at until Margaret Thatcher came into the building in protest. power and transformed her parent There was such a storm of fish department into something else (Lois upon them that Lois and the staff didn’t say what exactly, but as far as working in Whitehall Place had we’re aware it was not a department to escape out the back entrance and of defence against flying fish – but all the way around the you never know). Nigerian Embassy! After this, Lois moved more into Although Lois luckily did not get the world of publishing within the hit with any more Cabinet Office and became the surprises (quite editor of The Civil Service Yearbook. literally), she She said that this was a ‘very recalls that quite interesting job’ and that she worked a few members there until she had to leave the of staff were not Service due to ill health because so lucky and did of bronchitis. not manage to Pic: Lois at the Housecraft Exhibition dodge the wet in Nottingham, 4/5 July 1980
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Puzzles
Prize Crossword Test your little grey cells with our crossword and the first five winning solutions we draw will win a £25 M&S Voucher.
SIX OF THE BEST Solve these anagrams, each is the name of a country
ANGRY ME NICE LAD EATING RAN MAIN OAR LIZARDS NEWT RUBS ALE
Across
1 Deluge (6) 5 People who persuade by flattery (8) 9 Defensive outpost (8) 10 Plant of the lily family (6) 11 At variance with the obvious (12) 13 Domestic (4) 14 Restarting play in football (5,3) 17 Animal struck by vehicle (8) 18 Abstruse (4) 20 Living in a previous state (3,9) 23 Sweet-talk (6) 24 Intermittently (2,3,3) 25 Mineral used for making fireproof articles (8) 26 Plant disease (3-3)
Down
2 “Cool!” (4) 3 Having no limits (9) 4 Pretense (6) 5 Offering good wishes (15) 6 Fabric with elaborately woven pattern (8) 7 Mammal with fox-like face (5) 8 Prolongation of sound by reflection (10) 12 National holidays to support work (6,4) 15 Midweek (9) 16 Persistent in doing anything (8) 19 Pertaining to interior part of country (6) 21 Run off to the chapel (5) 22 ___-American (4)
How to enter: Send your completed crossword along with your name and address to: Prize Crossword, The CSRF, Unit 11, Pepys House, Greenwich Quay, Clarence Rd, London SE8 3EY no later than 27th November 2020. The winners will be the first five correctly completed crosswords drawn after the deadline. The Judge’s decision is final, winners will be notified by post.
SPRING/SUMMER Puzzle SolutionS
Anagrams Budapest Bratislava Stockholm Copenhagen Istanbul Belgrade
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View from the chair Now a Vice President, Peter Jones CB served as Chairman of the CSRF from 1994 to 2000 and was very much involved with the growth and development of the organization. During lockdown he chatted to Chief Executive David Tickner. How did you first get involved and hear about the CSRF? The first I heard of the CSRF was from a talk at a pre-retirement course by the then General Secretary (Chief Executive today) but did not pursue it when I eventually retired. About eighteen months later I had a telephone call from the Cabinet Office out of the blue which I asked if I would be interested and willing to become the next Honorary National Chairman of the CSRF. My predecessor (who happened to be an old friend from the Inland Revenue) had made a sudden and early resignation having been tempted away by the offer of six months advising an African country on the administration of its tax system. I had thought I might do some voluntary work in a good cause in retirement and this sounded interesting, so I accepted. At the time you became Chairman what were the challenges the CSRF faced? When I became Chairman in 1994 the CSRF was still at its peak with more than 100,000 subscribing members and around 500 local groups forming some 100 Branches. But the signs of change were already appearing. For many years a substantial number of those who retired each year became subscribers but from the midnineties that
number fell sharply, partly because the Civil Service was smaller and there were fewer people retiring each year but mainly because the proportion that became subscribers was dropping. What do you think contributed to the CSRF’s successful initial growth? It is difficult for me to comment on this since I must rely on what I have been told by people who were there and what is recorded in the history of the CSRF. But I think three things were particularly significant. First, the 1960s were exactly the right time for an initiative of this sort. Second it had good support from the Civil Service (chiefly the Treasury). Third, and above all, it had a band of extremely enthusiastic and energetic volunteers to work hard shaping the organisation and stumping the country to carry the message and enthuse everyone: people like Philip Wolstenholme, Gerry Gerrard, John Vetch and Ron Hayward all of whom I was privileged to meet when I became Chairman. Is there a CSRF or Civil Service event that sticks in your mind from when you
were Chairman? One of the best memories of my time as Chairman (and many years after) is of all the wonderful and dedicated people my wife and I met at the conferences that were then held each year and on our visits to Branches up and down the country. I also have good memories of the work that the members of the Committee of Management (Board of Directors today) and I did together. But the event that perhaps epitomises all this was the successful five-day national holiday held in May 1998 at Harcourt Sands holiday centre on the Isle of Wight as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the CSRF. This was attended by over 500 people from 42 Branches together with most of the CSRF staff. What are your hopes for the legacy and the future of the CSRF? Quite simply the CSRF should continue to carry on the valuable work its volunteers do with the support of the staff and, though it may be exceedingly difficult, to seize any opportunity to expand the scope of its activities. And never to forget the legacy of its founders. TOP: Peter (second from left) at the CSRF’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2015; LEFT: The 1998 Fellowship Holiday on the Isle of Wight
A longer version of this interview can be read online at www.csrf.org.uk (in the Stories section) 14
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ta lk TO us
Literary Loves Our former National Treasurer and now Vice President Jenny Rowe CB is an active member of our online book club. She found time to talk to our Marketing & Communications Officer Lily Roubians during the lockdown about her favourite books and love of reading. What do books mean to you? Has being a part of the CSRF Book Club changed your experience of reading? I have always liked reading books for relaxation. I like the variety of books recommended by the Book Club, many of which I would otherwise not have read. What was the first book that you can remember having a significant impact on you? As a young child I used to love the Enid Blyton Famous Five books and the Malory Towers books.
Join our Book Club If you’d like to get involved with our online book club it’s easy to register. Just email your interest to: bookclub@csrf.org.uk and we’ll send you this year’s reading list.
Where did your love of reading come from? My Mum, who used to read a lot. She used to take me and my brother to the library each week to choose books. What inspired you to take part in the book club, and what were your expectations at that time? Our Chief Executive (David Tickner) encouraged me! And I thought it was worth a try. How has it gone on to meet/ change those expectations - what does it feel like to be a part of the CSRF Book Club now? I find it interesting to have to write a review of the book I have read as opposed to discussing it in person with others. Has the book club ever introduced you to a type of book you hadn’t read before and has it ever impacted your genre preferences? Oh yes. I don’t think it has changed my genre preferences, but it has introduced me to new authors. What are your all-time favourite authors/books since your first ever favourite book? That is difficult as I enjoy many kinds of books. I have very much
enjoyed the first two Hilary Mantel books about Thomas Cromwell and have started The Mirror and The Light; I enjoy many of the classic crime writers such as the Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy L Sayers. Do you have an all-time favourite book from the CSRF Book Club? I very much enjoyed Warlight by Michael Ondaatje - a book full of nuance where much is not what it might seem. Desert Island pick: You can only read one book for the rest of your life, what is that book and why? Please may I cheat and take the series by Anthony Powell under the heading: A Dance to the Music of Time. Finally, what is a book that you wish everyone would read and why? This is difficult – there are so many, but one is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is a war novel with a real difference. And I found The Cellist of Sarajevo, about a more recent conflict. It is a powerful book.
Read more stories online at www.csrf.org.uk/Blog/stories For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk
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