May is really hotting up for all of us at WebsEdge. We started off with our local government employee of the year awards. The aim here is to find those council workers who go over and above the call of duty in delivering excellent services. We’ve gone round the country making videos of the 41 finalists and now it’s down to the public vote. View the finalists videos on www.localgovernmentchannel.com.

And you know, something extraordinary has happened. On the first day we had over 5,000 votes and we expect over a quarter of a million before this thing ends. And this is in a field where apathy normally reigns. Local Government the world over has a poor reputation and people often don’t bother to vote in local elections. But if you make the stories real – and about people – voters engage.

We also started a new television service for secondary school teachers. Again, this was very well received. It seems examples of best practice, when told well, are really interesting to professionals. View the videos on www.nahttv.com.

And a bunch of us have spent the last week in Detroit. We’ve been looking at the whole issue of regeneration and how we can bring our inner cities to life. What have we found? That whilst regeneration means billions of pounds are spent on new buildings it only really happens when it extends to peoples lives. And again, it’s those people stories which really count. View the stories on regenerating brownfiled areas at www.icmatv.com.

Most exciting of all four of our colleagues are setting off for South Africa this weekend. They have a couple of jobs to do. We’re covering a major international event in Malawi. But we’re also stopping by our friends in Illinge in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. We’re really excited about that and can’t wait to see how they’re getting on.

So it’s quite a month and we’re not halfway through yet! But what ties all these activities together? You know it’s interesting. These events are global. But in each case we’re talking about community engagement and what makes a difference in people’s lives. And we’re just delighted to be able to play a small role in all of that.