Author: Deborah Castellanos
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Challenging a Council Tax Band
I remember sitting in a drafty community hall back in the nineties, watching a perfectly good neighbourhood improvement group fall apart because nobody understood the basics of their own local levies. They were so busy arguing over the colour of… Continue reading
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Booking a Hall and What It Costs
I remember standing in the drafty vestibule of the St. Jude’s annex back in ’94, staring at a stack of laminated forms that looked more like tax audits than booking requests. The air smelled of floor wax and damp wool,… Continue reading
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The Hour After Everyone Leaves
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in the nineties, watching a lovely group of neighbours slowly fall apart because they’d spent all their energy on a summer fête and absolutely nothing on the paperwork. They had the… Continue reading
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Insurance for a Group That Owns Nothing
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’98, watching a lovely group of neighbours dissolve into tears because a small mishap during a summer fete had left them personally liable for a broken window. They had all… Continue reading
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A Year of Talks People Attend
I once sat in a draughty village hall, watching a lovely woman try to explain a complex, three-year strategic vision for a local heritage group to four confused pensioners. She had dozens of glossy brochures, but she didn’t have a… Continue reading
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Children’s Activities That Need One Adult
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall in 1994, watching a well-meaning volunteer try to manage forty sugar-rushed toddlers with nothing but a handful of coloring books and a broken spirit. She had spent her entire small grant on… Continue reading
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Getting Repairs Done in a Rented House
I remember sitting in a drafty community hall back in ’94, listening to a young tenant explain how she was terrified to mention the black mould to her landlord for fear of an eviction notice. Most people will tell you… Continue reading
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A Complaints Process for Six Volunteers
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall back in ’94, clutching a lukewarm cup of tea while a local resident spent twenty minutes shouting about the placement of a new flowerbed. It wasn’t just about the petunias; it was… Continue reading
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Starting a History Society
I spent thirty-one years in local government watching people trip over their own feet because they thought they needed a massive grant and a museum building to make a difference. They get so caught up in the grandiosity of it… Continue reading
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Judging a Competition Without a Row
I remember sitting in a drafty church hall in 1994, watching a perfectly good neighborhood beautification project fall apart simply because the organizers thought they needed a professional marketing firm to announce a flower-bed contest. They spent their entire tiny… Continue reading
