H A R R Y V E N N I N G
“Sometimes I just don’t think I can go on, I feel utterly crushed by the relentless round of desolation and despair …”
“I know, I know.”
“Don’t patronise me! How can you possibly know the inner turmoil I suffer, day in, day out …”
“Look, this is obviously a bad time for you. Perhaps it would be better if we arranged another meeting.”
“Good idea. Come back next Tuesday and I’ll finish writing up your care package.”
I was asked to do a cartoon for a magazine called Care Weekly back in 1995, and came up with Clare In The Community. I did four jokes about social work and was worried I didn’t have any more in me.
Care Weekly folded about 2 weeks after I joined, so I sent the four cartoons to The Guardian. I have been drawing Clare In The Community ever since.
I chose this cartoon because …
… it started the whole thing off, and the subsequent 1000 cartoons I have drawn are basically variations upon it.
social work in 40 objects 
I love Clare in the Community, particularly the original cartoons, although I’ve not quite enjoyed the Radio series in the same way. I think when the series was ‘just’ in the Guardian, Clare felt like our own internal joke, poking fun at ourselves, but when Clare went more popular it became another way for some outside SW to make fun of us, but Harry you still remain a hero of mine!
LikeLike