After my far too hectic Christmas/New Year thing I have at last had some space for my thoughts and time to reflect on how I feel about the Sapphire House decision. Check this Previous post for the good news and my thoughts are below.
For me the symbolic start of our campaign was the day we held our 24 hour candlelit vigil outside Sapphire House in November 2005. It was very uplifting to stand with my colleagues including many from other local departments. Even the local MPs came along on the day to offer support and talk to Sapphire House staff. This positive start was needed as there were many setbacks along the way and we had to try different and new angles to make ourselves noticed and get our voice heard.
When the U-Turn decision was finally announced 2 years later it was a relief to know that our campaigning had paid off and that the right decision had been made for everyone. Our experience shows that by standing together and being prepared for a long campaign it is possible to make a difference and I hope that friends and colleagues from other departments who are facing similar threats will gain inspiration from our success.
This is one of my favourite pictures from the day, I can't take the credit for the photograph though, it was taken by someone else ;-)
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