4 nights in Omagh

1] Thur night. Arr Omagh bus station. Walked to Omagh District Council. Heather welcomed me. Met the new Chairman, Frankie Donnelly, who’s pledged to reduce water use in toothcleaning and use the watersaving feature on his new shower fitting.

The Chair was on his way to a council meeting… He took 21 ASAP pledge cards to give to the meeting. I explained that the ASAP pledge cards are serious, and we need people to follow the instructions: Pledge ASAP and Pass It On… IF everyone plays their part, it could mean 21X14 pledge pass-ons = 294 pledges. BUT are we serious yet?

Elizabeth took pictures of me, Mayor and Ian Leitch, Omagh Council’s Sustainability/Environmental Health Officer. Ian kindly gave the Oul Bag a lift up a long hill to Bernie’s house. Gave him a card.

I saw Ian again 4 days later at Glencordial Farm and he beaming! and telling me he’d taken the pledge. Hurrayyyyyyyy!

We look forward to seeing some results here. There were good opening moves on ASAP last year in Omagh, with council staffer Maggie Cassidy pledging and passing on. And we need a big change of heart, right through the community, for our environment. Our planet. Our children’s future…

Lovely sunset chat, foodm wine and a wee chant with Bernie. We’re old friends.

2] Friday 9.30: Visit to Omagh Integrated Primary School, made very welcome by Caroline, Natasha and Nigel. Then the whole school, children [except P1+2 on Sports Day the wee darlins], teachers and chairman of the Board of Governors welcomed Baglady, and MLAs Ross Hussey, UUP and Barry McElduff Sinn Fein, a pal of Baglady’s after NEEDabag? in Trillick [see the film]

Holly, P3 and Paul, P4? said how they were going with their pledges, Ross and Barry jumped in perfectly on cue, it was short, sweet spontaneous and great fun, and I autographed hundreds of arms and bits of paper in the playground while the sun blazed…

This is not the first school where I’ve gone back to ask how people’s ASAP pledges are going. But I do know we all need LOTS of reminding to stick with even the most simple changes of habit. And we ALL need to lift our ASAP game. NI at present is in a very rubbishy condition. And Omagh Integrated have been promised a new school and it just doesn’t happen… Ross said he’d help.

Wish we’d filmed it. It was important, and lovely film material. I can just see how I’d have done it, but I’m flat out being a Baglady, AND a reporter for the GLObal TV SHOw.

There is bungling and waste going on in Omagh – like anywhere else, of course. In all of our lives. We’re using at least 4.9 times our share of global resources and a lot of us still don’t want to think about it. Cos it means we have to change.

Tomorrow’s blog: 3] Filming ASAP with Jacky; GASAP SASAP CASAP 4] Omagh rocks Flatlake…. and 5] Wayne Foord [QUB: Scenarios workshop with Transition Omagh