Colleagues at the Museums Association have been doing a worthwhile job, kick-starting the advocacy effort that will surely be a feature of life in the sector over the next year or so. Clearly, it’s a reaction to current circumstances. But it’s also timely: a chance for everyone to re-evaluate and think creatively about how to play to strengths. I think this is the silver lining in the clouds overhead: while the forces at play will bring some change that is unwelcome, an aggressive questioning of culture will also make change possible, and some organisations will turn that to their strategic advantage… It’s important we don’t look at advocacy as simply talking about cultural activity in an engaging way. Alignment with local priorities is certainly a necessary first step, but there is also a developmental step to be taken, focusing on where the crossover is, and playing to strengths in those areas. It is more dynamic than simply ‘aligning’ and talking well. This MA roadshow seems to be covering a lot of ground – I mean in the geographical sense. From Glasgow to Woking! It’s good to see this part of the sector gearing up to communicate in the right way, with the right people. Even if we do feel that our hand is being forced…

Time to sing the praises of the Howard Assembly Rooms, which has had an exciting, and I understand, successful first season. You have to admire the programming: I’ve seen The Unthanks, (twice!), a magnificent performance by Bassekou Kouyate, and last weekend, a great dance piece for children by Fevered Sleep. It’s great to see niche programming find a suitable venue in Leeds - and it’s interesting that it’s an offshoot of a parent opera company, a kind of Stealth Opera North. Leeds is better for it.

The new Cultural Strategy for the City of Hull, Right Place, Right People, Right Time, is now moving towards its official launch. Wafer Hadley has developed the strategy for One Hull and Hull City Council, based on a thorough programme of consultation. The strategy sets out clear priorities for the city between now and 2015, showing how culture can change lives in Hull, how it can change the way people think about the city, and how partnership working can be developed to reach these ends. We think the resulting strategy is powerful and clear, and we are very aware that such a satisfactory outcome would not have been possible without the dedication of key individuals at Hull City Council and the LSP.The story continues as Hull and East Yorkshire develops their initial proposals for the City of Culture 2013, an opportunity to showcase the ambition articulated in Right Place, Right People, Right Time.

For a small company with a new office to furnish, and an environmental conscience to consider, the availability of ‘pre-loved’ office essentials is a real find. We are now the proud owners of a stylish meeting table and chairs with a satisfyingly small carbon footprint. Thanks Re-Work!

Some excellent news for one of our clients this week: Bentley Park in Doncaster has achieved an HLF first-round pass, moving towards the planned major refurbishment of park and pavilion. Wafer Hadley has provided research and audience development planning for the project, and we know how valuable this investment could be to the people in the neighbourhood. Well done everyone!

Any of this sound familiar? A mania for quick profits sweeps the stock market, driven by investors in the City and smiled upon by Government. Confidence collapses, leading to a huge crash. Parliament makes a big show of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, and then ensures that those chiefly responsible get away scot free. There follows a decade of suspicion of the Establishment, fuelled by the Press, looking for corruption and greed in High Places. Not the present day, but the 1720s, which also saw a flourishing of art, and particularly satirical art: Beggar’s Opera, Gulliver’s Travels. So we’ve got that to look forward to.

The Local Government Association is urging Councils to avoid using “impenetrable jargon” to make sure their message gets through to residents. A list of 200 words to avoid are available here, which makes encouraging reading for champions of clear communication, particularly if you happen to be drafting a cultural strategy at the time, like I was. But everything depends on the audience, and that’s the only rule you really need. Who’s going to read it, and what do you want to happen? I love words, and I don’t want to start tearing them out of the dictionary, but I agree that you wouldn’t necessarily bring up “holistic governance” while standing in line for your lottery ticket. But if you are addressing colleagues, I think the rules change, and some of these 200 words are actually quite useful in getting ideas across. I’m not sure that “environmentally friendly” is an adequate synonym for “sustainable communities”, for instance. It’s horses for courses. Or is that “upstream course suitability for Stable communities”?

I’ve just started reading Ken Robinson’s newly published book ‘The Element - how finding your passion changes everything’. With his background in creativity and education, it looks to be highly pertinent to the evaluation of the Government funded ‘Find Your Talent’ programme that we and our partners SQW and Ipsos Mori are undertaking. With 10 very different pathfinders around the country testing ways to engage children and young people in culture, the next three years should give us some answers……And if you haven’t watched Sir Ken’s TED presentation, do - witty and inspiring.

A new year - winter sun on frosty branches and 360 days of new possibilities. Forget doom and gloom and watch this wonderful piece with conductor Benjamin Zander talking about classical music, passion and resolving to be a better human being.

It’s been a busy few months: and one of several landmarks to point at on the way is the opening of the new Connect gallery in Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, a project we’ve been closely associated with for about two years. The gallery is now up and running, open to its public, and by all accounts working very well. It’s fantastic to see the germs of ideas which came out of focus groups we ran back in 2006 being realised, in what is now an exciting, inclusive space to get to grips with visual art. We are thrilled - and it’s gratifying that there’s such a lot of interest within the sector in this project. Well done Nima, Mark, Claire, Christine, Bryn - and the many others.