As a parent it makes you realise the immense challenge of living by your values – and not letting your selfishness get in the way of your child’s adventures. As Sting once wrote, ‘If you love someone set them free’.

I’m continuing with my expeditions of a different kind – ‘Thinking Thursdays’ on the London Underground – with some help from the good guys at the Public Relations Consultants Association – who are helping spread the word.

Wouldn’t it be good if you could take your team, or your client, on a lunchtime creative expedition?

Where from your doorstep you could go on a 60 minute journey to inspire new thoughts, insights or ideas – and also discover things you didn’t know about one of the world’s greatest cities – as well as being a fun thing to do.

And you’ll also be helping a charity campaign in the bargain.

Here’s a great chance to learn new creative thinking and problem solving skills.

‘Thinking Thursdays’ is a new campaign, supported by the Public Relations Consultants Association, where on consecutive Thursday lunchtimes during May – on May 16th, 23rd and 30^th – 60 minute-long conducted ‘creative thinking tours’ are being conducted on the London Underground. Yes, the London Underground.

Starting from your nearest central London Tube station, ‘Tubespiration’ expeditions for groups of up to 5 people are being led by myself.

You’ll receive your own Tubespiration Expedition pack – a  map pouch containing the new book ‘Tubespiration – how to get your next brilliant idea by using the London Underground as a creativity tool’, as well as mini-clipboard and IdeaCatcher sheets to capture your new ideas, insights and inspirations.

You will be able to use the tour to work on your live problems or challenges as well as pick up some great guidance, tips and techniques from using ‘Tubespiration’.

All profits from Thinking Thursdays are going to mental health charity ReThink Mental Illness.

The 60 minute tours are great training, team-building or entertainment opportunities and tours cost a minimum donation of £75 for up to five places. Cost excludes Tube ticket.

Places are limited and we have the following Tours available:

Thursday May 16  12 noon and 1.30pm
Thursday May 23  12 noon and 1.30pm
Thursday May 30  12 noon and 1.30pm

To book your Tour contact: andy@andygreencreativity.com

I define this soul as ‘doing the right thing’.

It obviously throws up the question what is meant by the ‘right’ thing, what defines ‘right’?

To answer this, I would establish the core question of, ‘Why is the Brand there? ‘What is its purpose on this planet?’

Which brings us to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations: what is its purpose?

My response to this is goes along the lines of: ‘its at the heart of advancing the collective interests of people engaged in public relations practice by raising professional standards’.

The ‘right’ thing is whatever accords and promotes this statement.

I’m also passionate about using role models as a tool to provide insight into complex questions; when faced with a major decision I simply run any challenge past them.

My universal, multi-purpose role model is a fictional character, the Captain played by Tom Hanks in the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’. When in doubt, I just ask: ‘What would the Captain in Saving Private Ryan do here?’

Inevitably, in any organization there is a conflict between the organization’s bureaucracy serving the interest of its constituency or self-serving its own interests. (You can call this the difference between ‘producer’ or ‘consumer socialism’ – who is the system looking after?)

I believe the Chartered Institute of Public Relations has been guilty of losing its ‘soul’.

Perhaps instigated by a decision seven years ago – or at least made much more evident, – to move into prestigious new office accommodation, the Institute in my eyes, lost sight of doing the ‘right’ thing.

Faced with the prospect of making itself feel better – while also, in fairness, offering better practical facilities, the lure of making the economics and figures stand up for the new ‘Palace’ become to over-ride other issues – including doing the ‘right thing’.

One example: I was invited to be a judge of a non-CIPR industry awards. I received phone calls saying I shouldn’t do it. It emerged that there were those within the Institute’s bureaucracy who felt these awards would be competition to, and undermine the economic interests of the Institute’s own professional awards programme.

My view was that the #1 goal of the Institute was to raise professional standards. These other awards were doing just that and should actually be encouraged, not discouraged. Therefore, the right thing would be to do the opposite of what I was being asked to do by my professional body. They had, in my view, ‘lost their Soul’. (And I believe the Captain in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ would agree with me.)

There are other instances I could recount where I was witnessing a failure by my Institute to do the ‘right’ thing.

Fortunately, things have changed. The Institute is now doing things different, although it still has further in its journey to travel. (I am delighted to be attending the Excellence Awards, being short-listed in two awards, yet I still think, and have made my views known, that £197 is too steep a ticket price for the awards event. Again, I think the Captain might agree with me)

We face the prospects of an excellent CIPR Presidential election campaign; the fact there is an election taking place demonstrates democracy in action (which is the best system for advancing the collective interests of a group of people – and please, make sure you do vote.)

We have two candidates, both of whom I have immense respect for, with a genuine interest in advancing the cause of raising professional standards within the profession.

It is a tough call, but I will be casting my vote for Stephen Waddington.

More importantly, I just hope the election provides the opportunity of examining why our professional body is here, and what are the ‘right’ things it should be doing.

If we can have a healthy constructive debate within our profession, about what it is, where it is going, and crucially where it should be going, I believe it will enrich the Institute in its quest to rediscover its true ‘Brand Soul’ – that will be the true winner of this election.

Absolutely delighted to be nominated for the Outstanding Public Relations Professional of the Year – People’s Choice Award
The award, run by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), aims to pay tribute to an outstanding professional performance made by an individual who has demonstrated exceptional skill, knowledge and initiative.
I was nominated by my colleague at Working Word communications Dan Tyte. Also, in the running for the award are Lis Lewis-Jones FCIPR, and Rachel Miller MCIPR.
The winner of this category will be decided by a vote of members of the CIPR. Voting will commence at midday on Tuesday 28 May 2013. Further details here.
Hope as many colleagues in the Institute vote as possible, and if they feel I’m worthy of the award then would be a great honour.
The winner will be announced on the the evening of the Excellence Awards on June 3 where I will also keeping my fingers crossed for recognition for the work done as part of the Bully-Banks campaign team in the award’s Best Low Budget Campaign category.

Commuters are being urged to switch off their mobile phones or stop playing computer games on your journey to work for just one day each week and join in with ‘Thinking Thursdays’ – to tackle hyper-attention where people spend less time thinking.

‘Thinking Thursdays’ aim to combat the growing problem of hyper-attention, where people spend less time thinking deep thoughts, have lower boredom thresholds, and need higher levels of stimulation.

To help commuters spot the ideas and opportunities around them better, Thinking Thursdays will feature special ‘Tubespiration!’ creative thinking training tours on the London Underground.

The ‘Tubespiration! tours are designed to enable people to take advantage of the down-time in their daily schedule, and preserve a precious opportunity for thinking – instead of being absorbed by computers or listening to headphones.

The ‘Tubespiration’ tours are being led by leading creative thinking expert Andy Green starting from outside Mornington Crescent station, London – regarded as the most creatively inspiring Tube station on the London Underground – at 12 noon and 2pm on Thursday April 18

Tubespiration! tours will also take place at the same times on Thursday on May 16th, 23rd, and 30th.

Tour costs are just £10 with all profits going to the mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness and include a special ‘Tubespiration! Expedition’ kit with creative thinking guide, mini-clipboard, idea catcher sheets, and map case.

Top tips for Thinking Thursdays include:
• Switch off your headphones or computer games and set your mind free
• Don’t be afraid of being alone with your thoughts. Silence can be golden – start enjoying and savouring mental solitude.
• Think of your problem or challenge as a question. Explore using different words, ways of stating the question to help you look at things differently
• Use things around you to stimulate new thoughts or inspire you
• Remember to capture your thoughts and ideas

Further details on Thinking Thursdays and Tubespiration tours are available from: www.tubespiration.com and www.flexiblethinkingforum.com

Tour guide and founder of the Flexible Thinking Forum Andy Green said: “Just one day a week using Tubespiration! to celebrate Thinking Thursdays could enrich your life and restore good thinking habits to help you see more opportunities around you. You can make your next trip to work an inspirational journey.”
ENDS
For further details please contact Andy Green of the Flexible Thinking Forum on 07815 884 525 or email andy@andygreencreativity.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Hyper attention
Hyper attention describes a cognitive thinking style created by a generational shift in youngsters, having shorter attention span, needing high levels of stimulation, with low boredom thresholds. According to N. Katherine Hayles, “Hyper attention is characterized by switching focus rapidly among different tasks, preferring multiple information streams, seeking a high level of stimulation, and having a low tolerance for boredom.”

Mornington Crescent
The London Underground Northern Line station could be regarded as the most creatively inspiring station on the network.

Indie pop band penned a song ‘Mornington Crescent’ claiming they had fallen in love with the station.

Novelist Robert Rankin uses Mornington Crescent as the home of the Ministry of Serendipity, a fictional agency which aims to uphold the British Empire ruling the world by working with aliens. (He claimed this explained why the station was only open on weekdays and closed for ‘repairs’ for much of the 1990s because of the top secret work being done there!)

Mornington Crescent’ inspired an eponymous BBC Radio 4 panel game featured in the comedy radio show ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a clue’. A fitting tribute to the programme came when Mornington Crescent station reopened in 1998 after six years of closure for lift repairs. The show’s team performed an opening ceremony. There is also a memorial plaque at the station to the late satirist Willie Rushton, one of the show’s longest-serving panelists.
The panel game consisted of each team member announcing in turn a landmark or street, most often a Tube station.  The evident aim was to be the first to pronounce ‘Mornington Crescent’, amidst previous humorous banter and discussion about the rules or legality of each move, or the strategy being adopted. The truth however, is that there are no rules to the game; the station naming and intense debate about the rules were actually fabrication; it gave the impression of a game of skill and strategy, with long-winded, complex rules and strategies, but was in reality, a parody. So, in the game ‘Mornington Crescent’ there are no rules – yet people act as if there are – a fitting starting point venue for Tubespiration! tours.

Jo Moore was an adviser to the then UK Transport Minister Stephen Byers. She advised Labour MP’s during the height of the events of September 11th to immediately issue any bad news which would be buried in the fall out from the day’s tragic events.

To be honest, here are not many seasoned public practitioners who, hand on heart, would not admit to the validity of the advice. Unfortunately for Ms. Moore, the tone, language and timing of the email fell into the wrong hands proving disastrous for the careers’ of her and her boss.
Whenever discussing the ethical dimension of public relations’ work it is never long before the pejorative description of public relations activity as ‘spin’ is used. Using the word ‘spin’ implies that If only the world did not have these nasty public relations people, who introduce ‘spin’ in an otherwise innocent, pure communication, then the world would be a better place.
Call a PR person a ‘spin doctor’ (or ‘masters of rotational medicine’ as Welsh politician Rhodri Morgan once put it) and you get practitioners apologizing and attempt to distance themselves by saying, “I don’t do spin”.
Absolute nonsense!
Everyone spins. It is in inherent in communications.
Let us deconstruct what ‘spin’ is. It actually consists of three strategies.
Imagine your were the Head of Comms for the White Star shipping Line in 1912.
You can overstate the significance of something in its context: ‘700 people survived Titanic’s maiden voyage’.
You can emphasise the bigger context: ‘The sinking of ‘Titanic’ was a tragedy, but we must learn from this tragic episode and improve shipping safety for the future.’
You can cover your activity with something else: ‘What about the growing number of tragic accidents and deaths caused by new fangled modes of transport, such as the motor car and airplanes….’
In my creativity classes I do an exercise where someone in the group identifies a word that ‘everyone will know’.
I then get the group individually to write down the first five words they associate with that word.
Inevitably, in groups of more than three people, you never get people writing down the same five words. In fact, you never get one word the same.
The reason: we all view the world within a unique paradigm, a psychological frame, rather like a picture frame that boxes our world view. It is where the phrase ‘outside the box thinking’ comes from.
So, even in every day words, some people will see the same thing in either a bigger or smaller context. There is an inherent mis-match between two people’s perception of the same thing.
Here is an example to demonstrate how all of us ‘spin’ in every day life.
When my eldest daughter was just two years old and while out walking with her grandfather she asked to be carried. Feeling that she could walk a bit further, he encouraged to walk on.
A few steps further, my daughter then changed her request for ‘a cuddle’. And achieved her objective! (She could have also minimized the significance of the request with a “Can you just carry me for 5 yards?”)
If a two year old uses ‘spin’ – then we all do. It is an inherent part of communications. To say ‘you don’t do spin’ is patent nonsense.
A far healthier, constructive and practical response for our profession would be to be transparent and work to promote greater sophistication – so that we can create better, more discerning consumers of communications, to minimize the potential for their being vulnerable to any manipulation or exploitation.
By having sustainable integrity and being transparent at the heart of your thinking and doing provides an effective policing against the abuses of ‘spin’. Maintaining a false premise of spin denial will just perpetuate the debate – and continue to damage our profession.
Over the next few days as the news of Margaret Thatcher’s death, the tributes to her pour in, the story of her funeral arrangements, then a backlash story about what she stood for, then a backlash against the backlash story, and then the funeral, will dominate the media headlines.

It will provide public relations communicators the opportunity do a ‘Jo Moore’ and issue news stories that will subsumed, drowned by the torrent of Thatcher stories, while others will vehemently deny they do spin, with just a tiny minority acknowledging that spin is inherent in communications and we need to become better consumers of messages to avoid, or minimise being manipulated and exploited.

Are you off to a Jo Moore Fest’? Or going into spin denial? Or doing something practical to help our society be healthier viz by understanding the reality of spin?

Do visit www.yourideasbank.org.uk

A key part of its working is the ‘Barry Kucha’ events. Here are details of the forthcoming event on April 15th in Barry.

Seven inspirational local heroes from Atlantic rower John Haskell to Barry’s own arts dynamo Dot Connell, to a local optician who revolutionised eye treatment in the NHS are coming together to share their stories to inspire and entertain others in the second Barry Kucha evening taking place on Monday April 15th at 6.30pm in the Glamorgan Suite in the Memorial Hall, Barry.

The free event is held quarterly and features seven speakers – each speaking for just seven minutes – to inspire others to think of ideas to help make Barry yet better.

The event supports the work of the Barry IdeasBank – believed to be the first in the UK – which offers a commercially and politically independent web site at www.yourideasbank.org.uk where anyone can submit ideas, add to, or vote on other people’s suggestions.

The speakers include:
• Ted Arbuthnot – how Barry helped revolutionize NHS eye care
• Stas Asprou – celebrating his father, John Aspou’s 50 year hairdressing legacy to Barry
• Dot Connell – bringing the arts to Barry.
• Hannah Fitt – thinking globally, acting locally
• John Haskell – rowing the Atlantic and many more adventures.
• Chris Jennings – my granddad – a FA Cup Final hero in 1923
• Simon Martin – Barry’s international beer expert

Further details at the Facebook site Barry Kucha

The last Barry Kucha event attracted over 70 people.

The event is being organised by local creativity expert Andy Green, on behalf of the Flexible Thinking Forum – a not-for-profit social enterprise. The pioneering and innovative nature of the project has been recognised by support for the project from social enterprise charity UnLtd.and the Royal Society for Arts, Commerce and Manufacturing.

Organisers are hoping it will become a world-class example of what is called ‘crowdsourcing’ and ‘open source innovation’. The event is also supporting World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21 to promote new ways of thinking and doing.

“All of us have ideas have how we can make where we live yet better.” said Andy Green of the Flexible Thinking Forum. “Our seven speakers all have great personal stories to share to provide both an entertaining and inspiring evening.”

By learning these skills you will be able to go beyond being just a communicator of news and be able to tell powerful brand stories to transform the impact of your communications.
Make it happen. Change your life now.
The Big Brand Theory is now being offered as a one day training course by the Public relations Consultants Association in London on Thursday March 28.
Further details here:
http://www.prca.org.uk/pr-training-b-g-brand-theory-london

These seem to symbolise how public relations theory has lived and operated in the same pace as the concept of ‘brand’ yet have spent their lives either oblivious of one another, or relegating each other to a very specific niche handle.

The concept of ‘Brand’ and its central role as a communications vehicle has failed to be fully adopted by the public relations industry. Instead they use vague concepts of ‘corporate reputation’ and ‘image’.

There is a fundamental need to reframe their paradigm of ‘brand’: a brand is often wrongly defined as a badge to mark a certain product or service. (And that was its original definition.)

The term is also used to describe a category of management: ‘Brand Managers’ typically look after a range of brand promotional activities (sometimes including public relations as a subset of its activities.)

If however, we define in what I call a ‘Big Brand Theory’ where a ‘Brand’ is the sum of the cognitive representation about an individual, product or organization – or in non-psycho speak – the sum of emotions, perceptions, and expectations held by others about an entity. (Or to put it even more colloquially, a Brand is the ‘the boxes in other people’s heads holding all the perceptions about you’.)

Does this not then equate to, or even subsume terms currently used by public relations such as ‘corporate reputation’ and ‘image’. Is ‘Brand’ a better catch-all term for these concepts?

The mistake I feel many public relations practitioners make in dealing with the concept of ‘brand’ is to see it as either a label, or a corporate ID or a sub-branch of marketing, and a concept within the individual or organization, rather than a concept that sits externally to the entity.

I would suggest the marketing industry has played a significant role in minimalizing the intellectual concept of brand, defining it as a sub set of marketing. (The American Marketing Association for example, defines a brand as: “A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller. If used for the firm as a whole, the preferred term is trade name.”)

Public relations has also seemingly been happy to play along with this subjugation.

Public Relations embraced the concept of reputation management as one way of defining its role and value to business management. In the early 1990’s the Institute of Public Relations adopted the statement: ‘Pubic Relations is about reputation, created by what you do, what you say and what others say about you.’ To popularize the concept at the time to promote its message I even produced the first official IPR T-Shirt bearing the new slogan.

Many public relations use ‘reputation’ as a cornerstone of public relations activity. I would liken the concept of ‘reputation’ to a gas; it’s there, but it is nebulous, hard to see, or indeed to measure or manage.

On the one hand we have a concept like ‘reputation’ which is like a gas, on the other we have we have a concept of Brand, where we can establish a number of core parameters that provide a coherent body to manage, and indeed is like a suitcase with wheels – it is distinctive, measurable, and we can go places with it.

Is it about time many of the public relations start connecting their suitcase to the available wheel by embracing ‘Brand’ in its widest definition.

The Big Brand Theory is now being offered as a one day training course by the Public relations Consultants Association in London on Thursday March 28.
Further details here:
http://www.prca.org.uk/pr-training-b-g-brand-theory-london

Firstly, neuroscience evidence shows that people absorb, understand information better if it is communicated within the structure of a story. The art of story-telling is being recognised as a key skill in effective communications.

By creating a narrative within which information can be contextualised creates a vehicle for people to understand the past, present and future for any data. The medium of story-telling  also harnesses emotional dimensions within a situation.

Exposition is a story-teller’s technique of deepening an audience’s understanding and engagement with characters through the telling and development of the story, through the choices made by the character, and describing any changes in the character’s environment.

Public relations professional with their expertise in writing and telling news stories are ideally placed to capitalise on the growing importance of Brand story-telling and Brand Exposition within communications.

Secondly, there will be greater appreciation of the distinction between ‘characterization’ and ‘character’.

While studying on a film scriptwriting course I had an epiphany when I came across the distinction between ‘characterization’ and ‘character’; within the mechanics of story-telling characterization describes the surface detail of an actor within the narrative. In brand terms this can include certain elements of a Brand’s iconography and style.

(Note; a Brand ≠ logo. Two of the world’s best know brands – the Mafia and Al Qaeda do not have a logo.)

A ‘character’ however, is defined by the choices it makes. Whatever choices are made defines the character. Real-world choices truly define who you are – and what you are not.

The prime influence on Brand character – the real qualities of when it says ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – are its actions. Public Relations counsel rooted in understanding a context and an environment is ideally suited to advising an individual or organization on how its choices will impact on its Brand.

Thirdly, within the concept of Brand public relations needs to wake up to the potential of Brand Content, or as is increasingly being known as ‘Content Marketing’. Most businesses are moving to a Freemium Business model, where Content asset created, owned or stored by the business is provided free in order to create a relationship which can be migrated to a premium income-generating customer.

Content – ideas, IP, editorial, information, entertainment is a crucial asset for 21st century businesses.

The traditional skills set of public relations – strength in the written word in explaining, creating conversations and in brand story telling are suited for the task of Content Marketing. Content Marketing provides tremendous opportunities for public relations professionals. Any new definitions of public relations practice needs to embrace it.

Fourthly, there is now recognition that ‘Values’ are a key element of communications. I define a Value as something you do even when it hurts. Your Values underpin and drive your behaviours, guiding when to say ‘Yes’ and when to say ‘No’.

Again, public relations in practice has been the poor relation in terms of being attendant to, but often not at the heart of corporate or culture change programmes within organizations.

By identifying Brand Values as an integral part of what makes up a Brand, and how these impact on existing and potential communications is an area which should in my view, be under the domain of public relations counsel, and not some ‘change management consultant’ – usually from the human relations domain.

Fifthly, a crucial part of an effective brand is its icons – the images that come to mind when you mention its name. In my talks I use the example of New York City and ask delegates what is the picture in their heads? The reason I use ‘New York City’ is that it is one of the world’s most icon-rich brands. (Try it with a group of people and see all the different responses you get.)

I believe icons act like coat pegs in managing your understanding and comprehension. If you don’t have strong icons there is nothing to hang the rest of the communication upon. So, a crucial element of effective communications is ensuring you have powerful icons. The graphic design industry has led the way in creating graphic icons, but these icons can be people, buildings, places where you work, other famous brands you are associated with, things you have done, things you are planning to do.

As more people recognise the significance of the role icons play in communications, Icon management will play an increasingly important role in brand communications – with hopefully public relations at its heart.

Sixthly we can use the model of DNA in nature and apply this to ‘Brand’. Brand DNA consists of an infinite-way, multitude of elements, all in either a positive, neutral or negative state.

Is it about time many of the public relations professionals wake up to the opportunities presented by using Big Brand Theory by embrace ‘Brand’ in its widest definition.

The Big Brand Theory is now being offered as a one day training course by the Public relations Consultants Association in London on Thursday March 28.
Further details here:
http://www.prca.org.uk/pr-training-b-g-brand-theory-london

That’s the question I’m addressing by setting off  this week (March 8-17th 2013) on a study visit to the SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas, home of the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ campaign.

I will be examining how locations and brands could learn from the Texas town by exploiting their unusual assets, character or claims to fame.

I will investigate how creative branding and marketing can generate new jobs and boost the economy.

‘Keep Austin Weird’ originated in 2000 as a grassroots campaign to promote local pride and express anti-commercialisation.  Activities to date have included a festival celebrating Spam and promoting its urban bat population, America’s largest.  Austin hosts the annual SxSW Festival, the world’s most important music, film and emerging technology showcase.

The campaign’s popularity has inspired numerous other imitators as well as being a key strand in enabling Austin to be rated as one of the United States most creative cities.

To assist with my research I will be meeting up with Red Wassenich, the creator of the ‘Keep Austin Weird’, Joshua Long, the author of ‘Weird City’ along with representatives from the Austin Independent Business Alliance.

Looking ahead to his bizarre branding investigation places like my home town f Barry Island, face tough competition to create jobs, attract visitors, and create an enterprising culture. Austin has become internationally-famous for celebrating its ‘weirdness’. We need to learn what lessons it can offer for towns, tourist locations and brands.

Although the subject might appear flippant we live in an age when variance is seen as a bad thing. We are developing aversions to unplanned variability. This can be  metamorphized into antipathy to nonconforming and deviant. Infatuation with conformance severely hinders the quest for greater resilience and innovation in society.

Interestingly, in just a few UK case studies I have discovered a high latent potential for weirdness.

What would your home town be like?

Wales
1. An Englishman has the right, granted a 1,000 years ago, to shoot a Welshman from a distance of 12 yards using a longbow in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral on a Sunday’
2. There are four times as many sheep as people in Wales and has 15 per cent of the sheep in the European Union
3. In the 19th century nearly 14 per cent of the Welsh population had the surname ‘Jones’ and more than half the population were covered by only 10 surnames.
4. It has the longest train station name in the world
5. Sea weed – lava bread – is a local delicacy
Barry Island
1. It is not an island
2. It is home to the TV series ‘Being Human’ about a vampire, werewolf and ghost that share a house.
3. It is the birthplace of the Australian prime minister
4. The resort is also home to ‘Nessa’s Slots’ of award-winning TV comedy ‘Gavin & Stacey’
5. The place boasts its own vernacular including the popular catchphrase ‘What’s Occurrin’ meaning ‘What is happening?’

Weird things about Yorkshire

Yorkshire
1. Everything in Yorkshire is ‘best int’world’
2. Yorkshire Pudding can be eaten as a starter, main course or as a dessert.
3. The last place in England to burn a witch – Old Wife Green was burnt in Pocklington in 1630.
4. It has a brass band called the Black Dyke band.
5. The local version of chips is fried in beef dripping.

Wakefield
1. It is home to the ‘Mulberry Bush’ of the children’s nursery rhyme fame – which still exists, within the walls of Wakefield Prison.
2. It is the venue for the World Coal Carrying Championships.
3. It hosts an annual Rhubarb Festival
4. Was where the Pretenders’s classic song ‘Brass in Pocket’ was inspired, when Chrissie Hynde first overhead the phrase ‘any brass in pocket is mine’
5. The Wakefield Media Centre was Britain’s only moo-ing building