It was the best of times ….it was the worst of times; it was a bash….but Andrew, Director of Staffordshire Buddies, was leaving. Upper House at Barlaston was the venue and it looked spectacular, particularly the arch of red balloons festooning the hot buffet supper. (Great job! Karl & Rod - Ed). Service users, members, volunteers, members of staff, representatives from statutory funding bodies, fellow professionals and their friends all came together to celebrate the time Andrew had spent with the organisation and to wish him well in the next phase of his life. In a carnival atmosphere, we enjoyed a delicious supper thanks to Rosie and her team. Thanks also to all those who contributed dishes for the night and to Brian and Mark who did the washing up afterwards.

The highlight of the evening came when Bob Lishman uttered those four magic words: “Andrew Colclough, This is Your Life! ” Over the following half-hour we listened, laughed and got lumps in our throats – all three at once when Maurice performed his adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “He is the very model of a modern Major General” for us.

Here is the first verse: