This is principally the result of phone calls to all of last year’s co-ordinators to find who will take on the roles this year. There are also some general observations, but I’ll collate those later once we have more to organise.
Kamal and Kamaljit have not provided direct feedback, but we know they will be concentrating on fundraising, the UK Ashram and working in publicity. They will also be looking after Amma and the Swamis, both in the Palm Court Suite and in their house.
From Mike
Daniel. Hall
- Last year he supervised hall set up, helped run all aspects involved with the hall during the three days and helped with the pack up after Devi Bhava.
- He helped Kripa Prana, helped with Amma's room. He set up and took down the Panorama room. He received a lot of the deliveries on set up day and saw them off after Devi bhava. Through Kam and Kamal he was involved in and helped resolve a lot of the health and safety issues from AP and the council.
- He was very positive and is happy to supervise set up day and the pack up, help with logisitics through the programme and help with Devi bhava.
- One of the issues he highlighted on set up day was having jobs for people to do and maybe scheduling people to come for specific jobs.
Hillary Dining Room
- Hillary has supervised the taking of meal tickets, selling meal tickets and making a tally of every single meal served for ten years. This year due to health she did not do it and Lyndsey Spinks ( Vandita) took her place. Lyndsey is happy to do it again this year and Hillary is prepared to give help and advice but noted that Lyndsey will need helpers.
- This year Hillary will be Kripa Prana's helper to replace Bharati and Dinesh who are unsure whether they will be able to participate due to a long term course they are beginning in May.
Aine ( Vandita) Seva desk
Aine is expecting a baby in May so obviously is in no position to speculate about the autumn visit. However she said she really enjoyed doing it last year and would be very happy to help whoever did it this year if it worked out. She recommended Asha as her replacement.
I rang Asha who indicated she would certainly be happy to help and will come to meetings. She said David Byrne was very helpful and the year before Stephen Baker. Aine also recommended a couple of other people.
Tom - Hall setup
Tom was actively involved in all issues connected with the hall and understudying and assisting Kamal. He is happy to assist in whatever way in necessary this year.
Bharati - Kripa Prana assistance
As indicated she won't be doing this this year and is waiting to see what she can do once ahe knows her availablity. The same goes for Dinesh.
Mike - Greeting.
Setting up the welcome table on set up day.
Co-ordinating a team of greeters in the Palm Court throughout the visit. Liaising with the token queue co-ordinators Shalini and John and with Kamini and Vagini, as well as the AP Security team and the fire officers.
Planning and co-ordinating the queue for Devi Bhava in the Palm Court and West Hall.
I will try and arrange for replacements.
From Yamunah
i have spoken to Ian, Ashvin from Transport, who will come back with their feed back. they are happy to continue with the transport.
Have also spoken to Dr Anoop, he is happy to continue as well. the feed back in short was, the AP and the council had different views, but was willing to take the Drs view, to avoid complications, Dr Anoop is happy to come along to any of those meetings which need discussions to know their requirement and to explain what is practical from Drs point of view.
I am happy to continue the prasad team along with Shakti and Jega. i shall give the feed back in due course.
yet to speak to Suleika and Leena , but i am sure both will be happy to do the same job and may have some feed back from last year. ( out of town) so please wait for the reply.
From Stuart
Shyamala
- Shyamala is happy to continue this year.[presumably not with stage decoration???]
- Her experience was good. There were no complaints.
- She suggests that it is very important to have more stewards guiding people, especially newcomers, once they have received their darshan tokens. Some who did this got easily distracted from the job. Many were left not knowing what to do and Shyamala/Ray don’t have the time to do it.
- Helpers not needed. Shyamala and Ray can handle it alright.
Stuart
• I would prefer to hand over the lead to someone else for the next visit but will be very willing to help. How about Ian MacWhinnie taking it on or Huw/Mary Robson?
• The outreach team - which interviewed people to get their feedback and personal information - did very well. This was a great innovation thanks to Tom J. Harriet Devine and a few others did a great interviewing job.
• The other innovation was to use the UK Activities table as a sign up area. Visitors could indicate their interest in receiving more information on: satsangs; retreats; IAM; Community work; the eNews. A lot of interest was shown and much personal information – including email addresses - was collected and passed on to those having a stake in the subjects.
• The UK Activities area could have been a lot more attractive and welcoming.
Suggestions for the UK ACTIVITIES table 2010
• The UK Activities area/tables embrace, by definition, all UK activities, so it would be good if everyone could contribute their ideas. The key issues are: what image do we wish to portray of what we are doing? What should we be trying to do with the area? Suggested that we have a discussion/email exchange on this around June/July, possibly sooner.
• It would be better if we started planning for the area in July to allow time – bearing in mind the holiday period – to consider: key questions (see above); how the area is to be designed and by whom; how it is to be made very welcoming; screens, displays, banners; literature; feedback interviews; announcements; in what way we can supply the puja queue with information; recruitment of helpers.
• Perhaps we should recruit 6 people to continue the interviewing work in 2010. There are a lot of people to interview.
• Rather than use the banners supplied by the tour staff it is suggested we use more prominent banners displaying UK ACTIVITIES in large print above the tables and a list of such activities down the side. So these banners to be suspended above and to the side of the table(s).
• It would be good to have a number of our own display stands and albums that tell a story with photos and with the minimum of text. These will need to be purchased unless someone can donate them.
• The tables/area could be made more prominent.
There were no particular issues regarding AP staff.
Suggestions for the 2010 programme as a whole
• The large entrance hall should be made more welcoming with at least one very large suspended banner expressing WELCOME TO AMMA’S PROGRAMME and many AMMA photos spread around.
• A carefully thought out set of signs throughout this vast complex. A signs team should tour the hall 3 months before the visit, a plan should be drawn up and preserved on a hard drive.
• All stalls/tables to have a prominent notice explaining what they offer.
• The compilation of a set of Frequently Asked Questions with suggested answers which can be passed to all Coordinators and others meeting visitors in the hall.
• All stalls/tables in the hall to have information on UK Activities (e.g. a UK Activities leaflet).
• A national review team (say 5 or 6) should be formed to speak to all coordinators after the Visit and put forward proposals. The process of reviewing the Visit should begin as soon as possible within 2 weeks of the end of the European tour. Attention should be focused particularly on areas likely to generate problems: Health and Safety; the contract with AP; relations with AP and the Council; hall set up; clear up; catering; cleaning.
Kamini and Vagini
- - Happy to continue next year
- - K and V were very upset that they had not been consulted on a variety of key issues. It is suggested that the hall set up organisers take the time to have a detailed discussion with K & V
- - Decisions were made affecting stewarding without consulting Kamini and Vagini.
Puja and Devi Bhava
- - someone needs to walk around with the fire marshals before people are let in the hall.
- - chairs were set up incorrectly before people let in. Stewards should be consulted by hall set up team.
- - much better communication is needed between hall set up team, the stewards and AP
- - K & V had to spend time telling people not to sleep in the hall. That is not their job. If people lie down it reduces the hall’s capacity. That is why AP closed the doors. Need for a strong team to go around the hall to tell people sleeping on the floor to get up; there is a need for a carpeted area behind the tent where people can sleep.
- - AP to train up our hall set up staff
- - Get feedback straight after the European tour
- - hall set up: K & V should take part in the meeting
- - if there is overspill for the puja we have to have a plan for putting people somewhere.
- - you need a separate group of people (not the stewards) to clear people away from the fire exits. This is very important.
- - Evacuation of the hall. No children should be in the hall during hall set up. It was because children were in the hall after the end of the morning programme that AP would not allow preparations for the evening programme to go ahead. - Be more sensitive to AP staff needs. We were not being very professional. 2 female AP staff were almost in tears because we had contravened H&S rules and the AP staff feared that their jobs were in jeopardy.
- - people not to stand out in the cold
- - Kamini and Vagini were told there would be a ramp available for wheel chair users for Devi Bhava but the organisers changed their minds without telling K and V. It is not possible for K&V or anyone else to lift the wheel chairs on to the stage.
- Merkala (Bhajans) has not responded to messages I have left her.
from Eleanor
Tony H. Reception
Generally good, but was concerned with the number of people on the desk who were strangers. Tony lost personal property (VERY MIFFED!)
Suggested more knowledge about scheduling (?), clearly designated area for lost property
Rohini, Reception
Also generally good, liked being in Main Hall, but required more clarity about role of reception and possible overlap with other areas
Sue Vimala, Children’s area
Good – liked being in the Main Hall & felt she was busier because of this, parents could find the Area easily. Liked being carpeted & was very happy with all provisions made for her. However, did not like dining area having bare floor – did not feel comfortable there. Also felt massage area/marquee too big & had lots of wasted space. Objected to hall being closed without notice [the massage area was only that large as we hoped to put the tour staff in there, and it wasn’t big enough for that.]
Eleanor, Accommodation
- Good – loved being in the Main Hall. Needed more help setting up Portakabins & Scout Hut and none was available. But for Irene from Ireland would have really struggled because of the cleaning at Scout Hut. A steepish learning curve because took over at short notice but Pat and Neil were great. Misunderstanding about whether we or Reception gave hotel details.
- Not having official badges presented problems with people coming to me for Accommodation wristbands because they couldn’t get in & out of the Hall. Also needed own laptop to take payments online which Neil has promised to bring next year. (Thanks to Andrew for helping set up forms and internet payments – don’t know how we would have coped without that payment option). Transport was a problem because there was only 1 minibus and we promised a shuttle service which never materialised properly. People were sitting round waiting for a lift for long periods. I was going up to Hut in the morning and bringing people to AP
- Will amend booking forms with more information. Want really clear instructions on how to pay on website. Will have receipt book for cash payments and exchange rates for euros. More maps and bus details getting back & forth from Scout Hut to AP
- We can hire Scout Hut minibus very cheaply & then could have it for our own use!
- Assisted by Pat O’Grady and Neil Sudhakar
from Devi
Zaphira -
Last year she made sandwiches/wraps. She is keen to make waffles this year. However she mentioned that this will only be possible if Amma’s visit is during the half term holidays as she might be working otherwise.
Enrico - Kitchen cleaning
He would like to help if he is around but not sure of his movements come visit time. Too early for him to decide or commit.
Gayathri -
She has 3 young children the youngest being only a few months old, would really like to stay away from the kitchen if possible. However she did very kindly offer to help if we are stuck for cooks.
Martin -
I am still waiting to hear from him. I have left a message on his phone.
Aunty Raji -
Is away on holidays. In her feedback soon after the visit she had mentioned that she has her own team to help her with the snacks and is happy to do the same this
year.
Devi -
- In the past it has always been a big problem trying to find local people to do seva in the kitchen - cook or clean. Despite discussing and arranging a suitable rota with volunteers wanting to cook it does not work. They either do not turn up at all or have changed their mind to do seva somewhere else. It is the overseas sevaites (especially the Irish contingent last year) who saved the day for us. Finding reliable volunteers for the western kitchen has always proved difficult.
- It is crucial that the required shopping for the set up day (food for the staff when they arrive) and the first day of the visit is available when we arrive. Despite providing the shopping list in good time, last year the availability of the required items was a disaster. Not even the basics were available and I had to send out Sri to purchase items like yoghurt, salt, lemon juice, washing up liquid etc just to see us through the first day.
- Poor Arun as always was trying to make the best of the situation – all he could say was “your order is not here yet”. He had no idea where the person who was supposed to do the shopping was as he was not contactable. As far as I am aware the list for the entire visit is given well in time. I am not sure why we were not provided with what we wanted when we arrived (excluding some perishables) and why the shopping is put off on the day of the visit. This problem may relate just to the staff/western cooking department. I can understand that some shopping has to be done every day but these have got to be unexpected requisitions.
- It is important that this is not repeated as it unnecessary stress and anxiety. It is a waste of time and money along with having to deal with disgruntled staff and also discouraged volunteers who turn up and cannot do anything because we are not organised and are not properly equipped with ingredients, utensils, knives etc. We seriously need to consider having our supply of pots, pans, chopping boards, knives etc.
- In these trying conditions, AMMA gave us Eoin who worked his socks off for the entire visit and kept the kitchen ticking along.
Health and Safety –
- if the venue is asking us to stick to the rules they should be providing us with the necessary goods – like a decent mops, brushes, brooms etc. These were like gold. There has to be a designated team just to ensure the adherence to H&S issues. The cooks are already under pressure with the cooking and the last thing they want is to stop cooking and sweep/mop the floor!
- The western food was not advertised properly to the public. The idea of serving the western food in the same area as the Indian meal needs to be reconsidered. There was much left-overs which had to be recycled the next day or the inevitable wastage.
- The western food cannot be sold as a set menu like the Indian meal. It does not work! How can you charge £5/ for a bowl of soup and a slice bread? We want to make money but cannot be seen to be ripping off devotees. Given a fair choice people will spend the money willingly.
- Food brings in the biggest revenue for us, but somehow its efficient running and management is overlooked as in the past, but I believe we can organize ourselves better for the next visit.
Feedback on darshan tokens from Shiyamala
- The most common problem faced by those issuing Darshan Tokens on Devi Bhava night was the numerous amout of people appearing all of a sudden, especially in groups of 5 or more, with the Orange (or whatever colour that was valid on the day) sticker stuck on their clothes marked ‘SEVA’ Bhavani too found this very odd since Co-ordinators for each department had already been issued with Darshan Tokens for the number of volunteers who would be working in their respective areas.
- It was never an issue to be doubted, as we had no way of proving that there was a total misuse of these coloured stickers and there was also a strong possibility that stickers were being re-used. We also found that when these volunteers turned up to exchange their stickers for a Darshan Token they were quite insistent and were very demanding saying that we should give them the token immediately as they had to return to their so called ‘SEVA’ This on the other hand meant that the normal Token queue was held up and then we were forced to find excuses to keep the public happy.
- It is my view that a strict and routine method should be worked out to streamline the issue of Darshan Tokens to volunteers doing ‘SEVA’
- The other issue is something we face year after year due to shortage of volunteers to do Stewarding. First timers coming to see AMMA often look a bit lost after receiving a Darshan Token in their hands. Very often we find that there are no Stewards to either point them in the right direction or to update them as to what they should do next. Token issuers can help them if the queue has about 10 people or less. But when the queue is longer it is impossible to talk to them as the queue gets held up and Bhavani is not the happiest person at this point. It is impossible to promise that we have adequate Stewards to cover all areas at all times, but there should be, if possible, atleast 2 or 3 Stewards to direct people after they receive tokens to eliminate queue stagnation. This is only necessary during the first hour or hour and a half after Token issuing has commenced. When the rush dies down, Token issuers can deal with the questions.
from Sri
Elaine Heller – “May I help?” –
Apparently did not to this seva in 2009. However I did try to call her but have not heard back.
Tony Fernandez – “Trouble Shooting” –
As he has already indicated in meetings Tony has been advised by his doctor to take things easy. As a result he wants to step back for this year and concentrate on his health. Tony indicated that probably he would (depending on how the situation is) consider getting involved next year on a much lesser level than previously and slowly get back into his normal role either in what he has done previously and some other seva.
Eoin – “Kitchen Co-ordinator” –
We are all aware Eoin was a superstar this year in the kitchen and has already sent a detailed feedback. He is more than happy to help out again in the kitchen provided it does not clash with the Dublin leg of the visit. His main issues in brief are:
o Set up day – Suggests that a dedicated team deal with food and meal for set up team and the arriving staff. This will allow the cooking staff to get set up for the 1st day of the visit.
o Catering and kitchen – Eoin suggests that we have a great team but that it would work better if a Co-ordinator for each of the following:
• Serving area - looking after the needs 'upstairs' (in the serving area/cafe/snackbar/tidy up area/staff area
• Cooking area – dealing with the needs of downstairs the kitchen/ stores and dishwashing/washing up
• Veggie chopping for the western kitchen
• Kitchen conveyance – dealing with food and dishes from the kitchen to the serving area and vice versa
• Cleaning Co-ordinator for the serving area and kitchen to conform with H&S requirements
o Ensure constant supply of electrics. Loss of earnings in the café this year
o Seva desk – Need to consult and agree with seva desk co-ordinators to ensure that the requests are able to be satisfied as occasionally they could not provide the necessary volunteers.
o Kitchen needs - basic and essential equipment that were available previously were not made available this year by AP. Need to ensure that the kitchen staff are provided and equipped with these to work efficiently. Suggests that the western kitchen acquire these by purchasing or sponsorship.
o Communication and flow of information between co-ordinators is important.
o A central means of communicating with AP would be helpful. Dealing with electrics, opening of freezer doors
o H&S issues - issues in the indian kitchen. Mice in the western kitchen. Pigeons in the hall.
o Devi Bhava – Lack of chairs for the eating area. Need to make sure that we have a contingency plan to deal with unexpected numbers and that AP are able to provide chairs on request.
Rajesh – “Stores” -
Reckons that in general it worked well but need to consider the following:
Ensure that all shopping lists are available well in advance of the visit (at least one week)
Not efficient doing many trips to C&C in a day
Need a van and a driver at the disposal of the store
Martin – “Juice Bar” –
Unable to contact
from Aparna
Parimala - cloakroom
This remains a pleasant but not arduous task. Pleasant because you get to meet so many interesting people and not arduous because there are longish periods where things are very quiet and you can contemplate, read or chat to a friend. This year a very kind devotee played his saxophone for us in the early hours of the morning!
2009 was a rather different experience compared to 2008. Because the main hall was some distance away it felt like the cloakroom was a bit in the wilderness. Nevertheless from the second evening onwards we had regular volunteers covering the cloakroom which enabled us to sit with Amma, give Prasad, Stargaze and even do Arathi. So we may have ended up with more “quality time” with Amma than if we had been in the hall all the time.
This year there was no input from Alexander Palace staff so Marie Annick and I did shifts so that she started the day and I finished. This worked well. Very few bags and coats come in before 9am so next year we recommend that the cloakroom opens from 9am. The only time the cloakroom was closed during the programme was at the culmination of Devi Bhava. Most people had no problem with this. Only one very anxious person was fearful that they would miss their flight because of our tardiness in re-opening.
Unfortunately the cloakroom was not used as much as it was last year. It seemed that people were allowed to take large bags into the hall for the first two days so there was no necessity to take things to the cloakroom. The availability of coat racks inside the hall also did not help our cause.
Our signage was very inadequate and I have to take responsibility for that.
Next year if we use the same large hall there may be a case for using a part of the main hall as a cloakroom, if we can get coat racks.
If we have to use the same cloakroom then we have to have much better signs, stating also that all proceeds go to Amma.
Also “meet and greet” staff and security staff should be reminded to mention the cloakroom and encourage people in that direction. This happened only on Day 3 of the programme.
Despite the notices that baggage would not be kept overnight 2 people did leave their bags overnight. These were put outside the room and kept in safekeeping by the security staff, much to the amusement and delight of one of the bag owners. The other was not amused.
No property went missing.
Monies were given to Swamini Amma as per Dr Aru’s instructions.
The total was £464 over the three days.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to do this seva.
Aum Namasivayah
Parimala
from Shalini
Shalini - greeting
Set-up day:
- Arrived early and there was nothing to do as such, despite seeming like there was an awful lot that needed to be done. Seemed to be a lot of sitting round a round table to keep on track of the schedule and plan the next best move. Did not seem the best use of time.
- After rolling out carpets I helped prepare the tour staff dining area, which apart from the initial panic and a few technical hiccups, went well. By the time evening dawned, i felt incredibly saddened by the volume of questions I was receiving all along the lines of "is there anything for the staff to eat?" It was set-up day after all, and local volunteers were hungry, whether for solids, water or tea, there was a distinct feeling in the air, that care had not been taken in this area.
PR & Media
- Dispatching of leaflets was a process in disarray, and took about a last-minute fortnight to figure out. It got sorted in the end, but this should be organised and established early on in the year. Key areas to clarify are who does Shanker-ji post leaflets to, how do those requests filter through, and who within the local team of volunteers will be tasked with bulk posting, outside of what Shanker-ji does.
- Contacting Cultural/Ethnic Media - need to work on this sooner this year, but I can iron out the essentials with Aparna.
- Leafleting London worked well, and even reached out to other non-standard areas via personal contact and requests for help.
Greeting & Stewarding:
- Worked very closely with Kamini & Vagini this year in the set-up and overall build-up to the visit. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary pressure placed on them and their schedules.
- During the visit, Stewards and Greeters were pulled in different directions due to last minute plans or changes, this did create havoc, especially in the hours when i fell sick and needed to rush home. I stayed on an extra 3-5 hours whilst being violently ill because our resources were so stretched. This should not be the case, and especially not on Day 2 when the space is normally more calm.
- Feedback from my team of Greeters was positive.
Visit Day 1:
- From the moment Geeta/Bhavani arrived to the seconds before Amma was due to appear, it was tense and speculative. There was much disappointment about "why can't the UK JUST get organised". OK, there are two sides to both stories, but it seemed appalling in that moment that the room MIGHT have been empty at the time Amma could have arrived because of AP procedures. There was also many complaints flying past me about how we got the end timing wrong for Day 1 and the impact that could have. Visitors were also quite tense with the ensuing queuing situation, although we as a team, handled it well.
Devi Bhava:
Devi Bhava just starting and I went to tackle the 500 odd freezing people outside, and got them, rather singlehandedly, organised into queues (one for elderly, and families, the other for the younger and healthier). I agreed the in-out process with AP, liaised with AP Security, and had many a Amma Volunteer (mainly men, I must add) come out and tell me how it could be done better or might not work, without actually helping. I spent 5 hours plus outside with the queues, cajoling, laughing, being authoritative, getting stressed and smiling again until the last person went in. I brought in people from my greeting team to help distribute Holy Water and get Chai sorted. eventually, what was a tense and difficult situation actually became quite soothing and enjoyable, even as it started to rain.
whatever we do or don't do this year, we need to prepare for this situation arising, and have a dignified approach to deal with it which is aligned with the values of Seva, to serve Ammas arms.
I will be playing my role in all these areas again for 2010.
from Kannan
* With agreement from Martin, Kannan hopes to run a joint smoothie bar this year, however much of the in-decision over this, rests on whether Starbucks will take on the coffee shop, the whole visit or both. He thinks AYUDH is most likely to progress with the Smoothie Bar, as it is not a good use of time or planning to wait "and see what happens" with Starbucks. He stressed though, that he needs to speak with Martin from the juice bar before any formal agreement is made. Smoothis bar will look to include smoothies, waffles, crepes and the like.
* A main area of feedback was the sense of exclusion many people felt during the preparation for the 2009 visit. He hopes we will come together in a more collaborative, information sharing and open minded way for the 2010 visit.
*Clear lines of responsibility are also required. At the time of our conversation, The Clares had just sent out another email saying they were still involved in PR & Media, Rooms in AP - how far afield does their role of "Fundraising" stretch, what do they see as being covered, and how do we reach a mutual agreement for FOA-UK? (I'm sure this is a question in everyones mind).
* He also requested that if we do take a power package from AP that we make sure it covers the needs of the visit. As we all know, the cafe lost their power supply many times during the visit, which directly impacts revenue, which impacts funds for humanitarian activities. Although we need to be cost savvy, we also need to balance this with being prepared to pay for bigger benefits.
from Dhananjaya (Robin Dale)
Worked in transport, but this year will take on stage decoration wtih a friend of his.