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Company on the pebble beach.

Lulworth Cove, Dorset.

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Lisbon, Portugal.

So lovely seeing it with friends. Thanks for being excellent tour guides, @lydiafarrant and @danfarrant

#friendsincoolplaces #lisbon #portugal #graffitiart #sunshine #longwalks #cobblestones #botanicalgardens

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Porto, from Sam's perspective.

We walked over 10 miles yesterday. 4 miles the night before. Since arriving 2 days ago, we have eaten (between us... 🙄🙋🏼‍♂️) 4 scoops of gelato, 8 pastel de natas/feijaos (...), and enjoyed one port tasting. We have also appreciated a bit of distance from the rain and lack of "loo roll" in the UK.

Next up, Lisbon and the Farrants! @danfarrant @lydiafarrant

#porto #portugal #sunshine #graffitiart #douro #longwalks #naturelovers

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9tdkJ-A-RipSLFmBlExanTyEaTR6Uv0CVSNow0/?igshid=15p3rryf5vilh

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Day 2 in Porto! Over 10 miles of walking. Two more scoops of gelato (cinnamon and white chocolate with orange zest and saffron). 1 port wine tasting. A billion stairs. Many beautiful views.

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Porto by night, using Sam's Google Pixel to capture the sparkles.

#porto #portugal #nightlights #reflections #douro #googlepixelnightsight

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9qx077gDsOK-_2f8NL8NL_m3Uw64rApC3w2hE0/?igshid=d607rszy2csq

We'll be spending today walking along the river to the Felgueires Lighthouse, about 7K away. The plan is to pick up pastries on the way and grab lunch to eat by the beach before heading back.

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Day 1 in Porto. A new country for us and we're in love! Sunshine, pasteis de nada and cobblestones are just good for the soul.

#porto #portugal #sunshine #cobblestone #architecturelovers #whereswaldo #longweekend

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9psicCnsyuygqEnRH2ecJJiBjdCT7yb4Ro6hA0/?igshid=n2fpizuns5dz

I know. Where'd this come froom? But I've been meaning to get back to sharing some of what's been going on with us on this account. Hold me to it. Let's see what happens!

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If you were considering it, I’d recommend against ever visiting us from November to February/March.

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If you’d like to be emailed updates about the work my organization is doing and the impact it’s having, I’ve included the link above. 

We’re at an exciting time of transition right now, scoping various countries across the globe to find and invest in the best practice when it comes to supporting victims and working to end modern slavery. 

Exciting things are just around the corner!

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October

It’s hectic. We’re looking forward to it, despite the definite drop in temperatures and misery that will surely quickly follow the increased rain and darkness....but I forgive you, October, because you are also full of activity. The British are good at putting on events and inviting people over for happy things when the sad months approach. It’s still September, but tonight (as an example), we are getting together with our book club (and spouses) to have our second country-themed night, complete with clothing, drinks and food. Tonight is Mexican night. We are contributing a Tres Leches cake (soaked in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk, covered with whipped cream and cinnamon)...

Here are the highlights of our month to come:

- 9/29-10/3: T Morris (Sam’s best man) is visiting us! We’ll be going to spend Sunday at our friend’s grandparent’s beach house, Monday in London, and the next few days exploring our surrounding Guildford/Surrey.

-10/3-7: Sam and I are flying to Vienna, Austria (!) for a “conference” (music, talks from missionaries and NGOs, sermons, lunches together) put on by our church / 24-7 prayer. A number of our friends are working/organizing the conference but we also have several friends who will just be attending and touring the city with us. We’re excited to be going back to Vienna for the first time since we lived there...I think?

-10/8-9: Our first secret hotel review! We’ll be doing an overnight at an old converted Abbey in Worcester (in Worcestershire, about 2.5 hours from Surrey). Our visit must include: Room Service (fresh scones and hot drinks), a cocktail each at the bar, a 3-course dinner with drinks, a hot English breakfast plus cold buffet in the morning. We’ll have 72 hours to complete the review, so we imagine it will be lengthy, seeing as one 3-course dinner usually takes us minimum 4 hours to complete. Still, should be fun! Fortunately, I conveniently have two meetings on the 9th in Worcester and Birmingham so I’m able to combine it with business (and my company doesn’t have to pay for the hotel) :)

- 10/14: Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio tour!!  https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/experience  Last Christmas, Molly and Bryan gave Sam and me two tickets to tour London’s Harry Potter studios! We booked an October visit based on the special exhibits and things they were featuring in the fall. We are veery excited to explore the world of Sam’s favorite childhood book series and the first chapter books I ever liked reading.

- 10/15-16: Business trip to Oxford - It’s just me and a police colleague going to this one, but it’s my first time going to Oxford, soooo...I’m adding it to the list. We’re driving up together and having a nice little dinner before a day long conference on migrant and missing children - woohoo!

- 10/21-28: ORLANDO! Just in time to take us away from what I imagine will certainly be the official onset of darkness and gloom in England (end of October). Instead, we will go to a happy low 80s and sunshine in Florida, complete with Disney characters/buildings, good food and exciting roller coasters! Molly and Bryan are the Disney experts and will help us to navigate these, apparently, incredibly magical streets.

- 11/2-3: Possibly a short overnight in the Netherlands to be interviewed about my role at our NL Annual Fundraising event...but lets see. My colleague and I have to decide which one of us gets to go, so...I may end up just enjoying some time at home.

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Sam befriending...a street fox. Because in England, foxes are America's squirrels.

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Because I'm proud of him, here are two courses Sam made for the friends we were hosting. I had to work later than him on this particular day, so he did all the cooking (besides dessert).

Starter: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with feta, roasted seeds, pomegranate, rocket and a homemade vinaigrette.

Main: Lamb Curry (starting from a leg of lamb)... It was soo tender and flavorful.

What a talented guy.

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A beautiful day in Arundel and Littlehampton with friends on the August bank holiday weekend. Less than an hour from Guildford, who knew.

#impromptubeachtrip #bankholiday #roadtrip #uklife #naturelovers #littlehampton #arundel #arundelcastle

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn5vxTDgFrh/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1r4sfacrrzplt

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Here’s a project I’ve been working on recently. These are just a few of the key pages, but I thought it would give a sense of the sort of work I’m involved in outside of direct victim support. Half of my job is also supporting police through training, resource development and raising awareness, and providing strategic advice about processes and lines of enquiry to increase convictions.

This Victim Screening Guide was developed to provide Surrey Police (and eventually wider police forces across England) with a clear list of indicators and open questions to help police better identify potential victims of trafficking.

Surprisingly, nothing like this already exists...I worked with my colleague (the tactical advisor on modern slavery for Surrey Police) to create the outline and then wrote and formatted the rest, drawing on guidance from various government resources.

Otherwise, in my first full month and a half with Surrey Police, I’ve listened in on 911 calls (999 here), sat with the Control Room to see how they respond to emergency calls, scheduled police ride-alongs with two units, sat in on the first day of a complex abuse case in court, provided preliminary workshops with various police units and started advising and strategizing with the investigating officer for one trafficking and slavery case.

Outside of Surrey Police, I’ve been working on developing strategic partnerships with local organizations, churches, and agencies to better support victims and raise awareness. Soon, we’ll be kicking off an Anti-Slavery Partnership Group in Guildford to join forces! I’m currently working on connecting an organization called Hope at Home with my church and Justice and Care to establish a network of trained and willing hosts for victims, as there is the current lack of stable and secure accommodation is one of the leading causes for re-trafficking. 

Anyhow, this is just a little overview of the kind of work I’m doing in my new job, as I realize I haven’t actually written that out on here yet. Hope this helps clarify this for some of the people who have been asking! If you want to learn more about Justice and Care’s work (or contribute), you can visit the website: https://www.justiceandcare.org/uk-and-europe/ 

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Pictures: Top - Sam and me celebrating the World Cup in Germany, 4 years ago..; Bottom left to right - Our friends gathered around the TV watching the England match against Sweden (we won); The England vs American food spread for our 4th of July party following the match; my friend, Lydia, signing autographs for adoring child fans after her play, which I went to with several other friends on Sunday.

And Abbie - lifting super heavy things super high and far and coming in 2nd at a big competition in Baltimore. What’s more, she was just behind the current reigning middleweight champion in the world....That’s my sister. Enjoy the videos, taken by my Dad and Mom, who drove up to support her.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h7zvowq4yhzdwlk/AADz_85HnDv8qozg-kN5Rw_2a?dl=0

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On Friday, my office had its annual Team Away Day. We spent the day at our chairman and founder’s estate. The morning was spent discussing achievements from the last year as well as team and personal objectives. The afternoon was spent learning how to make a variety of Indian dishes from a famous chef who has taken on Justice and Care as his charity to support - he has created a number of recipes for our company and filmed a number of features of himself preparing the dishes to support fundraising dinner events with friends. We made cabbage salads, butter paneer, mutton curry, garam masala, and I made the pictured lemon bengali rice (roasted cashews, tons of spices, lemon and basmati rice). It was a feast.

Pictured above: my rice, two of our fundraisers aggressively grinding spices, the chairman (left) and our UK/Europe Director, Christian Guy (right).

Also, I’ve learnt that I’ll be starting in police HQ on the 23rd. They have a desk ready for me.