Frank and Stan Chat No. 191: The Mags Bradbury 'social responsibility and civic engagement' Edition

It has taken a while but it was great to have Mags Bradbury, the Head of Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement at University of Manchester as our guest. Mags previously led the Coop Group's education programme which included their early foray into academy sponsorship. In fact, Mags was instrumental in encouraging Frank to apply for a senior role with the Group. This led in turn to him being appointed the CEO of the Co-op Academies Trust. The chat kicks off (it is the Euro tournament at the moment) with Kendra explaining the importance of creativity including music and art for the development of children and young people. She describes a number of events she has witnessed recently where learning and development have been enhanced through creative engagement. Mags then gets two free kicks as she explains the importance of raising awareness of the political system to young people and how they can come to terms with their beliefs and values. She then considers the importance of kindness in leadership. Frank raises the issue of the Welsh 20 mph traffic limit in some built up areas and how it has quietly reduced the number of serious accidents, reduced insurance claims and saved around £34m in the first 6 months through less serious road traffic accidents. The guests consider why this good news isn't news in many places. A great chat. The final week for Kendra stepping into cover Stan so a big hug for her encouragement, support and great viewing figures in the past week or so.