黑洞社区

A fog descends on the Lighthouse

It started with an innocent remark. Don Baldry made it at a meeting of the national council of the Lighthouse Club, the construction industry鈥檚 national charity. All he said was that the books of the London branch, which he represented, had never been checked by headquarters. This statement, no doubt magnified by repetition, eventually led Richard Cockerton, a fellow member, to fire off a group email demanding to know why no audit had taken place. This merely exacerbated an already confusing situation as he failed to copy in Baldry 鈥� an omission that Baldry swiftly found out about and took exception to, feeling that it implicated him in any wrongdoing (not that he had implied any wrongdoing in the first place, you understand).

What鈥檚 more, the 75-year-old Baldry, who鈥檚 married to Thames Gateway Development Corporation chair Lorraine, later explained to 黑洞社区 that his comment was the result of a misunderstanding, owing to the fact that he had left his hearing aid at home. Meanwhile, the national office decided that the accounts were in fine fettle all along, Cockerton says he is confident there has been no 鈥渇inancial impropriety at the branch鈥�, and Baldry seems to have calmed down. A phrase involving storms and teacups springs athletically to mind.

Heckled by a bulldozer

I hear that Murray Coleman, the bulldozer-like Bovis boss, was in a foul mood at the 鈥淏ovis Guv鈥檔ors Club鈥�, a networking event for the company鈥檚 employees. Apparently, a stand-up comedian was halfway through his act when Coleman decided he had heard enough and stopped him mid-flow. Our mole informs us that the comedian was being a bit 鈥渆dgy鈥� and wasn鈥檛 best pleased with the interruption, but that Coleman was just bored of him and decided enough was enough.

Let鈥檚 not go mad ...

Members of staff at Davis Langdon鈥檚 London office were treated to an unusual Christmas gift this year 鈥� an energy-saving light bulb. The presents were part of a plan by the Foresight group, the company鈥檚 youth wing, to encourage employees to save energy. Staff thought the gifts were a better idea than Foresight鈥檚 other wheeze 鈥� the removal of everybody鈥檚 personal waste paper basket in favour of communal recycling bins. They don鈥檛 like having to walk further to dispose of their rubbish. Clearly, energy saving isn鈥檛 just for light bulbs at Davis Langdon...

Five years to go ...

There was plenty of sparring at last week鈥檚 London assembly session looking at the likely legacy of the 2012 Olympic. Neale Coleman, the mayor鈥檚 Olympic representative, got all hot and bothered following a slanging match with an assembly member over plans for Crystal Palace. And Seb Coe was told to shut up and get on with it after banging on about his organising committee鈥檚 responsibilities for too long. Things weren鈥檛 helped when Coe folded his arms resolutely and refused to utter a single word on the Olympic budget. I wonder why that was?

Cheek and chivalry

Galliford Try director Bob Merriman had a surprise recently when a fire alarm at a hotel he was staying in went off in the middle of the night. Standing outside, Merriman and his pals found themselves sharing the courtyard with the Cheeky Girls, clad only in skimpy nightdresses. With Lembit Opik nowhere in sight, the gents were only too glad to offer their jackets to the distressed damsels.