The elusive conference room

Since my surname is Honey it is inevitable that I share it with various cottages in the Cotswolds and the occasional Honey Lane, Honey Hill, Honey Farm and so on.  My colleague Alan Mumford, with whom, many years ago, I created the relatively well known Honey & Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire, tells me that he met someone who told him that a couple of conference rooms in the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre have been named after us.  Apparently we have a room each; a Mumford Room and a Honey Room.

I thought it would be fun to track down ‘my’ conference room; perhaps even visit it, maybe insist on cutting a tape and belatedly declaring it open, perhaps even demanding that my portrait be displayed in the room.  

So, I phoned the Civil Service College in Queen Anne’s Gate and asked if they had any conference rooms called Honey and/or Mumford.  The woman who answered the phone was flummoxed. She asked where I was calling from but I couldn’t understand how saying ‘from home’ would be relevant to my enquiry.  So, instead of dwelling on where I was calling from, I told her my name was Honey and that I believed they had a conference room named after me. 

Clearly assuming I was a complete nutter she said, ‘I think you must have the wrong number’.  

Not to be put off that easily, I pursued the matter. ‘Apparently the conference rooms in question are at the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre.  Do you know where that is?’

‘Never heard of it.  This is the Civil Service College.’

‘Yes, I know and I phoned because I thought the conference rooms might be in your building.  Most colleges have a Learning and Development Centre.  Are you quite sure you haven’t got one?’

‘Where are you calling from?’

‘Where I’m calling from doesn’t matter − it’s my name, Honey, that matters.  As I’ve explained, I’m trying to track down the conference room that has been named after me.  I bet if you had a conference room named after you you’d want to locate it.’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘Do you know where the Learning and Development Centre is located?’

‘No, I really don’t think we have one of those.’

‘Well, you certainly should have!’

‘Thanks for calling. Good bye.’

If anyone in the Civil Service should happen to read this, and (more importantly) knows where the Learning and Development Centre is, please let me know.  I want to find the room that’s been named after me.