I was lucky, very lucky, to have a key role in the grand opening of the new sports & leisure centre slap bang in the centre of Blackburn College's state of the art campus, but built in conjunction with the local council.

Lucky, but a bit sad, as I told the audience. "Just short of 29 years ago I had the privilege of opening Waves, the working title for which had rather snappily been “The town centre leisure pool & associated facilities”!

My children were approaching 5 & 1 at the time so the much loved & long lamented pool was very much in our hearts & formed the first phase of our Saturday mornings’ ritual routines.

Our value based vision then was to provide the very best infrastructure facilities for our citizens. Nothing has changed."

I went on "The College is very much the agent, the catalyst of social mobility. We do not train or teach here, though we do that very well.

We transform people’s lives & those of their families & communities. So this isn’t just a shared set of sports halls, pools, gyms & other facilities. It’s a statement of our shared aspirations & commitment."

Multi Olympic Gold Medalist, Rebecca Adlington was there, about six months pregnant. She wasn't born when I opened Waves, but look how much she's striven for & achieved in those years.

Hours of training, often before most folk get up, hours of other dedicated preparation, over many years to win. She spoke of that focus, the focus to win. And her first child on the way now too.

We'd ensured there were many young people in the audience, not just "the great & the good". It was great to watch the awe rapt enthused faces of our young aspirational students as Becky spoke. You could almost feel them empathising with their heroine as she related her stories, her hopes, her efforts, her victories & it's "twin imposter", defeat.

More attended special sessions we'd put on for more & more students & she spoke again, quite simply, but not condescendingly, after all, age wise, she's pretty much their peer.

Some people, far too many have & express adversely condemning, views & opinions of our young people. Tosh!

The day before I'd had the privilege to attend Keith McDonald's funeral in St Peter's in Darwen. A packed church heard, clapped, laughed & cried as people spoke of this inspirational husband, Dad, teacher, headteacher, leader of teachers.

How many hundreds or thousands of youngsters, over 4 decades, had the departed but not remorsefully missed man, touched, influenced, inspired to not be daft, try harder, achieve more?

Two very different events but with the same thread of hope, striving & successes running through them. I am so lucky!