Baglady comes to Suffolk

Does anybody recognise this lady?  Perhaps not.  So let me introduce her as Shirley Lewis, veteran environmental campaigner from Northern Ireland.  If you are still drawing a blank, here's another photo that might help, especially for anyone who might have been in Bury St Edmunds today...when Shirley Lewis visited the town in her alter ego as Baglady.

Baglady is a well-known campaigner in Northern Ireland and works with schools and campaigners to promote the idea of living ASAP (as sustainably as possible), encouraging children and adults to take up pledges to do something positive about the environment.   Reducing waste is one of her key priorities and with the news of the huge anti-litter campaign that's currently taking place as well as the Seven Suffolk Streets project focusing on waste, she thought she'd visit the county to find out more.

And here she is making her grand entrance into Bury St Edmunds.

Of course with an outfit like that, it was no surprise that Baglady attracted quite a bit of attention during her official walkabout in the town centre, especially as it was market day.

She expected a few funny looks - and there were plenty - but as ever her personality shone through and she received a warm welcome from many local residents, including Sheila and Arthur from Thurston, who are regular listeners of BBC Radio Suffolk's Mark Murphy breakfast show and had heard her talking to Mark on his show earlier this morning.

And our local community officers were also pleased to have a chat. 

Apparently we'd missed the the Chief Constable by minutes, otherwise we could have got him in the shot too, which would have been great as Suffolk police are really behind the anti-litter campaign this year, aiming to tackle other anti-social behaviour such as grafitti and fly-tipping.

And with news of a  Baglady in town, it can't escape the attention of the local press.  It was fabulous that Laura and Roger from the Bury Free Press were keen to drop into the market for an interview. 

And that's how I left things, with Badlady going for a photoshoot with the photographer and a proposition to take him for coffee, while I disappeared out of the cold to write up this blogpost.

So now this is done, I'd better nip back out into the cold afternoon to see if I can retrieve Baglady from her official walkabout and find somewhere for a nice spot of lunch.

I think she'll be easy to spot, don't you? 

To find out more about the work of Baglady, aka Shirley Lewis, visit www.bagladyproductions.org.

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Souvenirs of London

Last week Mr A gave me one of his looks. He was in the middle of planning for his Open University seminar on Saturday, while I was planning a treat for me and the kids.

He lifted his eyes from his computer, glanced in my direction with that look, the one that comes with semi-disapproval mixed with disbelief.

"Are you mad?" he said.

Followed by.

"I can't believe...

you're taking the boys...

.... single-handedly to London!"

Yes LONDON

I suppose, the fact I struggle to cope with taking the children anywhere single-handedly added to the element of surprise.

"Why on earth London?" He asked, trying to get to the bottom of it all. After all, the journey isn't the most straightforward, involving two train rides with a very prompt changeover in Cambridge.

I'm not quite sure whether I reassured him.

"I'm off to see the Baglady," I said.

"So, you're going to take the kids to London to see a baglady". By now he was getting a tad concerned.

I can't blame him really. I have been demonstrating bouts of odd behaviour of late. He's still bemused that two weeks ago I navigated through Essex despite the fact my car has hardly experienced life outside of Bury St Edmunds.

Anyway he needn't worry.

I'm perfectly sane.

And it wasn't any old baglady I was off to see, it was THE Baglady, my friend Shirley, from Northern Ireland, who was in London, making her West End debut.

And here she is, the fabulous Baglady herself, parading her gorgeous outfit in Trafalgar Square.



After a couple of months of phone-chat and emails, it was a true delight to meet her properly and after a quick interview for her TV channel GLO TV, I stood back and watched her interact with passers-by. With a background in journalism, she's a true natural and it was a real pleasure witnessing how people came up to her to chat about rubbish, offering their commitment to support measures for ending world waste.

Regrettably we had to part company after a very brief meeting. While Baglady wandered off to Buckingham Palace, the boys and I followed our noses in the direction of a kids' art workshop.




And on a very hot day in the middle of Trafalgar Square ... we sat and made a couple of cardboard buses, which were duly placed on a newspaper map of the capital city itself.




Of course the boys insisted we brought the buses home. So after getting the 91 bus back to Kings Cross, the train to Cambridge and the second train back to Bury St Edmunds, to Mr A's relief, we arrived safely ...

...with our very unusual souvenirs completely intact.



So a grand day was had by all, the last fling of Summer before going Back to School.

Yes the first week of September is a biggie. Not only are the kids going back go school, but it's the start of the Big Tidy Up to Keep Britain Tidy.

And what fantastic timing eh! Couldn't be better. Not only is Baglady talking about Ending World Waste this Monday at Stanfords in Covent Garden, but Mrs Green is embarking on her inaugural Zero Waste Week at MyZeroWaste.com.

So whatever you're doing and wherever you are, please find a few minutes to pick up some litter, recycle it if possible, drop into Stanfords and pop over to support Mrs Green.

With so much to do, there's only one thing left to remember...

I mustn't forget to pick the kids up from school!

SIGH - no wonder Mr A was anxious about London. Who could blame him eh?

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Ending World Waste: A conversation with three environmentalists

If you're concerned about world waste and are about in London on Monday 1st September at 7.30pm, then get yourself down to Stanfords in Covent Garden, where you can meet three inspirational people who will be looking at different ways to help the environment.

Author David Smith, who wrote the powerful book If the world were a village, will explain about how much we waste and what's in the waste. Environmental scientist and the founder of Planet Earth website, Lionel Smith will discuss how to reduce litter in the environment and my lovely friend Shirley Lewis (aka Baglady) will inject her fun perspective on living ASAP (as sustainably as possible). David will also be available to sign copies of his book, which will be available to buy on the night.

I would love to have joined in the natter, but it's the beginning of term so will have my feet firmly in Suffolk. However, if you can get into London, you will no doubt find this an interesting event.

You never know, Baglady may even be wearing her trademark dress.


If you can't make it, don't worry, please just spread the word and pop back soon when over the next few weeks I'll be featuring an interview with Baglady herself.

If you can get along, please remember to book tickets in advance. Details are below:

TICKETS: The event is held at Stanfords, 12-14 LongAcre, Covent Garden [nearest tube Covent Garden or Leicester Square]. There is a small charge of £3 to cover expenses, and tickets should be bought in advance in-store: by phone: 020 7836 1321, by email: sales@stanfords.co.uk.

Find out more about the speakers at their respective websites:

David Smith: www.mapping.com
Lionel Smith: www.24hoursonplanetearth.com
Shirley Lewis, the Baglady: www.bagladyproductions.org

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