If you can, please come to St James’ Church, Clerkenwell Close, tomorrow (15th December) to take part in an urgent mass-screening by the Antony Nolan Trust to find a bone marrow donor for Rachel Baughen.

Rachel has a rare form of leukaemia and urgently needs a transplant.  Many people will know her from her work at the Church, where her husband Andrew is the Vicar, and at Clerkenwell Parochial School, where she was the Chair of Governors and did so much to turn it around, with spectacular results.

The  screening is 12.00 noon-2.30pm and 4.30pm to 7.00pm.  You could be the donor Rachel needs.

The news is on the BBC site here and the Evening Standard here.

 The Left was on parade today on Clerkenwell Green, assembling for its annual May Day march.  Once a year, the Green becomes a sea of Red, as a varied bunch of marchers of every left-wing stripe and shade comes here before moving off, accompanied by a band and large numbers of Police. 

It is a colourful sight.  The placards varied from a vast portrait of Stalin to “the Society of Sacramental Socialists” (one person dressed as a Catholic priest) via the “University of Greenwch Leftist Society” (which had run out of space on its banner).  As usual there was a bewildering range of groups from Iran and Turkey as well as a large group of Tamils.

I have a theory that there is virtually nothing that happens anywhere in the world that does not end up - sometimes within weeks - affecting Clerkenwell.  It’s not just protesters on May Day; if there is a war or revolution, refugees arrive here surprisingly soon.

The news that Clerkenwell has one of London’s first households isolated with swine flu is only the latest example of this.  Let us wish them a speedy recovery.

Perhaps the best comment on May Day in Clerkenwell came from local glass jewellery-maker Michelle Kent.  A sign in her window with a big red star advertised a “Mayday-only Special Offer: 20% off”.  So capitalism was quietly getting on with it under the noses of the comrades noisily proclaiming its demise.  Sadly, there seemed to be few takers!