So impressed were we of RG’s athletic feat that we lobbied the Head of the Scottish Government – in person, on a Sunday, face-to-face, in French – to mark her achievement with a line of text carved in stone at the entrance of the Scottish Treasury building.

The only flaw in our approach was that we lost the covering letter that we had written for the official. However, my memory was so good that I was able to recite perfectly the reasons for our nomination.

I thought it completely unreasonable that CI and the other members of our team sent me to Coventry when they discovered that the covering letter had been in my i3 Conference bag during our audience. I had simply forgotten that it was there, and was certainly not hiding it. In any case, our bid had been successful.

What is more, the Head of the Scottish Government was also interested in our work with community councils, and this could lead to extended research opportunities for CI and the others. When they refused to allow me to join them in the restaurant for supper, they were putting their future employment prospects at risk.