Supporters of the St Margaret’s Institute, friends: thank you for inviting me to your very special birthday party.

I like birthday parties. And I specially like other people’s birthday parties. As my own family is growing I am getting practice at birthday parties for 2 yr olds, 4 yr olds and 6 yr olds. These are easy to enjoy. And then there are the birthdays with huge numbers attached: like my old school’s 450 years or Oxfordshire’s 1000 years. Equally easy to enjoy and everyone knows that the occasion is really a good excuse for a prolonged party. But a 118^th party? I haven’t been to one before. So this is not only special for you but a unique experience for me.

First, I have to congratulate you on your achievement. Not too many years ago the community centre was not as flourishing as it is now and its future in this building was under threat. Not today. Over the last 3 and a half years you have transformed this position. Now you stand on the brink of having raised the large sum of money to give you the 999 year lease. That is not far short of eternity by most human reckoning.

What an achievement! You have fund-raised, you have energised each other, you have worked together, you have found and developed a thriving community spirit and drawn people together in ways which you might not have expected to happen. You have responded to the needs of the community and accommodated them as they change. You can all be proud of what you have done and what you are still building up.

As Leader of the City Council I am particularly happy to be here today because I think SMI illustrates the sort of relationship between the city council and the local community that I believe is best for both sides and for us all. You do not want to be dependent on the council and, frankly, the council does not want, and cannot afford, to encourage dependency. You want over the long-term an economically strong and non-dependent community association that is able to adjust to the changing needs and composition of the local neighbourhood. The council wants to foster content  - why don’t I say happy - communities where people want to live, feel safe and feel able to express and develop themselves.

Four years ago you asked the council for help. We provided it – but in such a way that we did not attempt to take you over or tell you what to do or how to do it. We gave you, and St John’s, the financial confidence to do what you have done: raise funds and build the community spirit we see today.

It is that style of support, without becoming nanny, that I want the city council to foster more widely with our neighbourhoods and communities.

Now, back to you, and the next few months. I have seen your honours board recording those who have generously given to your funding appeal. You are not quite there yet, I am told – and I did notice that there are still some spaces on the honours board!  You know how important it is to reach your goal. 

I have two suggestions for your future activity – of course, once you have your 999 years lease firmly under your belt.

 One is about your history: I was impressed and intrigued to see the old honours board which you have in a cupboard showing the luminaries of the SS Phil and Jim and St Margaret’s Working Men’s Club. Today is their birthday, too. It would be fascinating to know more about the social history of this immediate area and the Working men’s Club and how it responded to the immense economic and social changes that have taken place around this old building.

My second suggestion is prompted by the 999 year period of the lease. I hope our descendants are still here enjoying a civilised life. But over the next 10 or 15 years we, humans, will determine the future climate of our planet for the next very long period and the degree of global warming that takes place. I wonder whether you might like to add to your community activities a Low Carbon objective. What about setting out to measure the ecological footprint of the neighbourhood and to reduce it? Not by adopting hair shirts, but by taking the practical simple measures that we can all do now with existing technology. I believe that you will find that this sort of collective activity will build community spirit in the way that you have already found happens in your drive to make this community association flourish.

I congratulate you and wish you well for a long and bright future. And I wish the St Margaret’s Institute a very Happy Birthday!

John Goddard

06/10/07