Some of you may be familiar with the saying \u2018April showers bring May flowers\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, probably the \u2018April showers\u2019 bit \u2013 we\u2019ve certainly had our fair share of those these past few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basically, it means after a particularly rainy April, we can expect lots of beautiful blooming flowers in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, on a more philosophical level, a period of discomfort and hardship can form the basis of a period of happiness and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, it might not feel that way \u2013 particularly when one of those April showers decides to unload when you\u2019re halfway through mowing the lawn or enjoying a pint in a pub beer garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when encountering challenges or difficulties, holding onto the thought that better times could lie ahead, isn\u2019t such a bad way of approaching life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here in Derby, April was a particularly challenging month for the workers at Alstom\u2019s<\/a> Litchurch Lane factory and those in its supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last month, the crisis came to a head as Alstom revealed that efforts to plug a gaping hole in its order book had stalled \u2013 putting the future of its Derby site in serious doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not sure about April showers, but a dark cloud certainly hung over Litchurch Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In rapid-time, Marketing Derby<\/a> and Derby City Council<\/a>, backed by hundreds of businesses, launched a campaign to save the factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n