Time to honour our everyday heroes as well

For many, Remembrance Day is a time of sadness and horror.

But for me, it is one of my favourite times of the year as while standing silently, shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers on a chilly November morning I have time to reflect and remember.

Reflect on how much others have selflessly given; reflect on what I would do in their situation; and reflect on what more I can do to support others to become a better public servant.

You don't have to be in the military or emergency services to perform this duty; it is something that is commonplace everywhere you look.

For instance, the last few days have seen countless examples of the best and worst of public servants in these very pages.

There are the charitable ones, such as the thirty blood donors from the south coast who were presented with medals by NHS Blood and Transplant.

Between them they have helped save up to 9,000 lives across Sussex.

There are also the professional public servants, the individuals who you just know will do their job regardless of the obstacles.

For that, I think of the firefighters in the city, who are having to cover more than 130,000 homes and buildings on reduced manpower.

You also have the incompetent ones though, those that you wish had never had to encounter but invariably are lumped with [*cough* Southern Rail *cough cough*]

Then there are the wind-up merchants, those who when you ask a simple question all you get is a silly answer.

The Duke of Edinburgh has become a master of this over the years.

This past week he turned his sharp, sometimes risque, humour on those running Brighton's i360, pulling their collective legs over the tower not being open for some days due to technical problems.

I heard the comment was greeted more with gritted teeth than grinning smiles.

Perhaps it was because those running it were just relieved they did not have to reel out 'one's plastic pop-up potty', which only emerges for HRH VIP's when the attraction breaks down.

But by far the most dangerous public servants are those that are complacent, those that are able but simply lazy.

There's been no greater example in recent months than from those at the top of the High Weald Lewes and Havens Clinical Commissioning Group.

Just over a year ago, most of you will not have heard of the NHS organisation.

But now this body, which is run out of some very nice offices in the centre of Lewes, is widely known as the lead group which appointed private company Coperforma to take over non-emergency patient transport in the county from April.

To recap, this was a company with no track record in providing transport across such a wide area.

It also did not have the staff or the vehicles available to carry out the work

Yet, the CCG's chief officer Wendy Carberry, who earns £100,000 per year, thought the firm was the perfect fit for a £60 million four-year public sector contract across the south east.

As you'd expect, there were teething problems, just minor little problems like dialysis patients being left waiting for hours at home waiting for a lift for treatment. 

It's not like it's life or death or anything, is it?

Six months on - and despite damning review after damning review - still Wendy just sits back in her office allowing the situation to continue, while big questions marks linger over the legality of the vehicles used.

'Where's Wendy?' asked The Argus this week, calling at least for her to answer a few questions publicly.

Eventually, she was found, presumably cowering under her desk wondering why, despite being paid a comfortable, six-figure salary by the taxpayer, she should be answerable to the public.

Her example of complacency is just one of many at managerial levels in the NHS, a body that has become so complicated and convoluted that very few know how it works, never mind who is responsible for what.

At the same time, spend just five minutes with doctors and nurses and the stress and strain that a real front line public servant goes through is evident.

Beyond the black bags beneath their eyes you can see little droplets of tears as they know they cannot do any more.

It's not quite the Great War, where officers partied in a chateau miles behind the front line while millions died following their futile orders; but it does give a modern day example for us all to reflect on this Remembrance Day. 

BRIGHTON'S food scene has come a long way from the 19th Century when a visitor claimed "the food was awful and waiters ugly".

Seeing 64 Degrees' head chef Michael Bremner cook up a storm on the Great British Menu was brilliant for national recognition.

But for those that want to sample the gourmet offering in less formal settings, check out the Brighton Food Walk.

I went on Saturday and, after sampling everything from flavoured tea to garlic hummus, burgers and chips to top-of-the-range oysters, I returned with my belly stuffed with delicious food and my head filled with many recommendations of places to sample in the coming months.