I would have posted this last week, but I was in Bordeaux with some school friends. When we booked it, I realised it was also the Coronation weekend (maybe that’s why flights were so relatively cheap). I was a tiny bit sad to miss watching the Coronation on telly in the UK; I love plugging into the sense of history and national news when watching these things.
Anyway, my friends and I had a great time in Bordeaux, eating, drinking, sightseeing, going on a wine tour, naturellement. There’s plenty to do and it’s a great city – highly recommended for a mini-break.
On the work front, I’m just about to start a contract with The Cheltenham Trust as deputy head of marketing, communications and community engagement. The Cheltenham Trust runs a couple of venues and an art gallery and museum in the town as well as putting on several events. Apparently, they got 13,000 visitors to a Coronation celebration last Sunday so I can tell it’s going to be a busy year.
In other news
According to the Guardian, we have seen the same price growth in the past two years as we did in the preceding 13 years. No wonder each time I leave Tesco, I leave in despair at having spent tens of ££ on just a few items. Even cat food is now £5.40 for the bag I buy, where I swear it was two for £8 not so long ago.
The major media story – besides coverage of the Coronation – of the past month was the resignation on Friday 28 April of the BBC chairman Richard Sharp after a report found he had a conflict of interest, to say the least, after introducing former PM Boris Johnson to someone who provided Johnson with an £800,000 loan.
Of course, the appointment of Richard Sharp stank. We must still defend the BBC, though. We must defend the BBC from Tory cronies and from threats to its independence and funding. Today, I read in the Guardian that BBC board members must in future declare drinks with cabinet ministers. Quite right too.
The big media story of the moment is the phone hacking trial, which heard yesterday that phone hacking was so widespread at some papers, that editors were inevitably involved. I don’t know anyone (that I know of) who hacked a celebrity’s phone so can’t really comment. But if journalists are found to have broken the law, of course they should be held to account.
That’s it for May. See you in June, after my birthday. Literally, my favourite time of the year.
Lucy Rouse PR Blog 