If anyone had told me a few years back that I’d be organising anything like the 24 Hour Inspire, I’d have thought they were delusional.  But we’re about to hold the third such event – 24 hours of non-stop lectures on all sorts of topics – and it’s one of the things I’m proudest of in my professional life.  It’s not just the funds we raise, though I’m delighted to be part of raising money for charities like the ones we’re supporting this year, who provide end of life care for cancer patients or support young people with cancer.  It’s the way that the event makes connections across and beyond the University which is my alma mater (twice) and my workplace, the community in which I feel so much at home.  It’s the way that it taps into such a deep seam of goodwill, that people respond with such enthusiasm and generosity to our requests for help, often offering more than we ask for.  It’s the way in which not only the task group who have been meeting for the last few months to plan and organise the event, but a much wider group of people want it to work, and do whatever it takes to make it work.

I get slightly nervous, of course.  There are so many things that potentially could go wrong with an event on this scale.  But that nervousness is always offset by the recollection that every time something has threatened to unravel, someone has sorted it out.  A speaker drops out at the last minute – a quick tweet to say that we need a replacement, and half an hour later we have one.  It’s a collective effort, and that’s why it’s such a joy.

It emerged of course out of great grief and loss.  But in those 24 hours I believe we’re doing something special, we’re living intensely and revelling in learning, in making connections, in broadening our horizons, and in collaborating.  Twelve sleeps to go now.  I can’t wait.

Come along if you can, for some or all of it.  If you can’t, but wish you could, you can still tweet about it using the hashtag #24HrInspire, and you can donate here:  https://mydonate.bt.com/events/24hourinspire2015