A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the CCHR Human Rights Award Banquet in East Grinstead [near Gatwick]. To be honest I had no idea I would receive my second award from the powerhouse that is CCHR.
I travelled from Birmingham with a trio of *Brummie beauties, two of them volunteers for CCHR. Thank you Sarah, Vicky and Sadie, you made me feel most welcome.
Upon arriving at the lavish banquet I met up with two warriors I had met previously in Los Angeles earlier this year, President CCHR International, Jan Eastgate, and Executive Director CCHR United Kingdom, Margaret McNair.
I also met with Brian Daniels, the man with the voice of a radio talk show host. Brian and I had only previously spoken over the phone so it was great to finally meet up with him...at last, I thought, a bloody bloke!
It was only going through rehearsals that I realised that CCHR UK were going to give me an award, I was quite shocked yet very proud that the UK branch were acknowledging my advocacy work over the past 5 years.
Earlier in the year I invited a couple of special guests to share in this CCHR experience, namely Leonie and Tony, parents of Shane Clancy. One thing I love about the Irish [well, most of them] is their kindness and warmth. Both Tony and Leonie had this in abundance as did the other Irish folk I met that night. A one stage [after the event] I was sitting amongst 6 Irish people, I felt like I was at Cheltenham race course.
MC for the event was former Rolling Stones manager Tony Calder and there were three awards presented on the night, the first presented by Peter Bennett to Sharon Parnell, the second was presented by Hermann Keppler and Jan Eastgate to Dounne Alexander.
It was another night where CCHR brought people from all walks of life together, yet another moment of realisation that there are many advocates out there fighting their own corners, sticking it to 'da man'.
Myself, Leonie and Tony headed back to the hotel and stayed up into the wee hours drinking red wine, their company enraptured me. Two lovely people carrying such sadness in their hearts. We kind of clicked with one another, it must be the Irish in me [mother's side]
The day after saw me lunch with Margaret McNair and Jan Eastgate, Brian Daniels joined us later. It was another chance for me to get acquainted with the work these warriors do and the results they achieve. I cannot big them up enough, they are advocates on a mission, they acknowledge all that is bad about the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatry, they also acknowledge the good in people who fight against this psychopharmaceutical monopoly.
I love them to bits.
I'm hooking up with some CCHR people again pretty soon. This is the Birmingham branch, my hometown.
Over coffee we shall plan our art of war.
This is the beginning of my journey. If people wish to continue standing in my way then I will just walk around them with fingers in my ears. They have nothing to say that is of any interest to me, they are part of the problem and not the solution, for that they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
CCHR ain't just rock...they are rock AND roll!
Fid
*Brummie - colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham.
CCHR UK
CCHR International
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