Just once in a while I get a job that allows me to build a mental picture of what the day or the location will be like. This happened when I got an invitation to do some work in Whitehall.
I had visions of marble halls and wood-panelled rooms with Sir Humphrey Appleby from “Yes Minister” ruling the roost down the corridors of power. But how wrong could I be!
I won’t say which department we were working for, but the training was held in a basement area underneath the Ministry of Defence.
The room had ventilation ducting hanging from the ceiling. The dingy windowless room was furnished with green metal filing cabinets and desks that appeared to have come from the 1950s or maybe earlier. Boxes of stationery and general clutter added to the generally depressing environment.
I can’t reveal anything about the reason for the web writing course but I can say that it was a very rewarding and worthwhile day and related to a national headline news incident. And no, Sir Humphrey didn’t put his head around the door!