Live 07 - 24 November

Today we were heading to Live 07 – a special one-off event at the O2 (formerly known as the Millenium Dome).  We met the Scouts at Harrow on the Hill – and made our way to Green Park.  I was pleased that Transport for London’s charging scheme allowed us to take the Scouts on the Underground effectively for free (each leader being able to take up to 4 children) as it reduced the cost of the day.

We walked through Green Park, past Buckingham Palace, through St James Park to Westminster.  What surprised me is that about 90% of the Scouts had not been to London before – so it was all new to them!  I guess it’s a sad day when young people have a better idea of the global world (having travelled to America, Europe etc with their parents and school trips) but have no idea what’s right on their doorstep.  However, it’s a nice feeling when you can still identify things about London that others didn’t know – for example, the ships on the lampposts along the Mall are part of Nelson’s Armada.

 

The show itself was quite good. You could see the nerves showing – and there were sound gremlins – but above all that you could see that what was being attempted was going to be quite a challenge anyway.  It was a credit to all those who managed the show – I hope they were able to sort out the problems for the last show of the day.

For ourselves, we were “up in the gods” – the very last row.  However, far from being disappointed it meant we had a ledge behind us to put our coats and bags, making it all a little more comfortable!  I was glad that I had been allowed into the arena with my camera – I know normally they don’t allow such equipment (never realised I now have “professional” camera equipment!!) but I was glad for this one off that they let it through.  It meant that I could make use of the equipment to get better pictures – and therefore make better memories for my group.

Heading home we had a small additional challenge step when part of our group disappeared.  I guess the Lesson here is to make sure that everyone knows what is being asked of them – confirming what they heard.  We did all meet up and we got back to Harrow about 15 minutes later than we had said – so all parents were there waiting for their charges.