Great visit to Pinsent Masons today.  Their offices at Crown Place are impressive.  modern, glass, with a feel of business about it.  The welcoming from the front of house team was a great start.  Meeting Dave and James to discuss their fantastic new programme – SORTED – was inspirational.  Not seen those guys for a few years so great to catch-up.  A good opportunity to share Growing Talent as well and look at potential ways of working together.  The salted caramel biscuits were fab as well.

 

But what was really interesting and a great learning curve for me is how close East London is to the City with the vibrancy of the two worlds working side by side.  Having arrived early for our meeting – as usual for me – I went exploring locally.  Just round the corner was The Queen of Hoxton a venue for live music, food and meeting friends.  The outside walls were all black with bright graffiti like paintings!  Round the other corner was the construction works for  shiny new office blocks at Broadgate. Could you get more of a contrast!

 

Just down from Crown Place a wide walkway has been laid to turf with raised flower beds.  Adjacent to this was a restaurant with patio doors opening onto the turf – what a great place to sit and eat lunch, read or just get away from the office for a bit.  Whoever had the idea of using that space for turf – legend!

 

Now back at the office preparing for my visit to Basingstoke JobCentre tomorrow to firm up Growing Talent there.