#KillultaghRunning

We visited family and friends in England during February half term.  I was surprised at how many people commented on my lack of blogs…and I’m touched that anyone noticed!

Why the silence?  It’s been busier than last year here in 2020…

The boys are hugely enjoying school and go to various energetic activities afterwards most days too.  This is great on so many levels!!  Good for keeping them active, good for buying us a bit more time to work, and great for encouraging their friendships to grow and develop.

As for the grown ups in the house, work has been keeping us out of mischief.

Sellars Legal continues to take instructions in advising on privacy policies and GDPR compliance, drafting terms & conditions, working on trade mark infringements, negotiating commercial contracts… and more.

At my side of the office my (increasingly untidy) desk accommodates piles of papers relating to copywriting, website editing, proofreading, event planning, medicolegal research… and more.

Also, I’m now halfway through my one year Boardroom Apprenticeship with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, and it is quite the journey.

The Boardroom Apprentice programme gives people like me the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to join a board, through focussed training and a board placement.  It is designed to encourage diversity on boards, so that they can be more representative of the public they serve.

On the first Friday of every month, 49 or so apprentices have come together to hear from local experts on governance, finance, co-production, communication, asking questions, teamwork.  Our tutors give us tips on how to be effective non-executive directors on public or third sector boards, and we host a range of Chairs and Chief Executives over lunch so that we can learn from their experience too.

When we’re not in the classroom, we’re free to attend board and committee meetings at our host organisation (each hosts only one apprentice – there’s a lot of support for the project here in Northern Ireland with 49 boards involved this year).  We give our time voluntarily, but the rewards are great!

I’ve made new friends, learnt a great deal, benefitted from networking opportunities, and got to know lots of outstanding people at the Ambulance Service and beyond.  My board are extremely welcoming – they patiently answer my questions, offer advice and include me at special events.

If you’re in Northern Ireland, and you’re wondering how to channel your passion for giving back to your community, this could well be the programme for you!  Keep an eye on the Boardroom Apprentice webpage, it’ll be updated with details of the 2020 host boards and application process soon: https://strictlyboardroom.com/apprentice/

I’ve just remembered the title of this post, and it’s the reason for the lack of blogs!  I’ve been trying to get better at getting my trainers on and going running.  It’s very easy, working from home, to spend all day inside save for the school run (which, thankfully, is a walk rather than a car journey).

At weekends I run with a friend from the next village and, during the week, I make myself go out and tackle some of the local hills*, sometimes with the ‘encouragement’ of the boys on their bikes.

This means that instead of directing my mutterings at you, I’ve been thinking about them as I run, when I’m not listening to music or interesting podcasts**.

Running regularly and keeping going can be hard (as I’m not always keen, if I’m honest) and there’s the issue of the unpredictable weather too***! But there are beautiful views, lovely old buildings, and time and space for listening, thinking or chatting.   There’s a life lesson in there, of course, and I don’t need to spell it out.

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* MOUNTAINOUS country lanes
** All recommendations for running soundracks gratefully received
*** Obviously the real reason for me doing all this exercise is so that I can continue indulging in the epic foodstuffs we all enjoy here!