One of the elements of life I have seen decline radically in my hometown and village is a sense of belonging to a community
What is happening to people getting together and working together, doing things to benefit young people, the local school,youth club ,OAP's etc etc. When I first moved into my "urban" village there were shops ,a vibrant local post Office, brownies ,guides, cubs etc. People met up for coffee had barbecues and even talked to each other . I only see my neighbours when we pass as we go to work or wave as we pass in the car.
Shops are gone,the Post Office I think will go when the present owner retires. No youth club ,scouts guides etc .I cannot remember the last time there was a community event. I did try to get some community education courses up here, but was told that there wasn't really any call for that and they had more pressing calls on the budget.
I contrasted this with Llangynidr this morning, They were holding a village "farmers market " in the local school to raise funds and just to have " another community activity". As I drove through, there were lots of young boys and dads and also a smattering of mams playing or watching football. Across the road a community centre ,open and a gardening group meeting. The school was really busy. Young people selling plants out side and helping in the refreshment room inside.
The "market" was lovely. Plenty of good reasonable local meat ,vegetables, home made bread ,jams ,cakes, pickles. Welsh cider and wine , wood and iron craft, a table selling tickets for an up coming country and western night. A bring and buy stall.Most important to me lots of people talking to each other and happy to talk to us over a coffee.What has happened to our more urban areas, why does it seem that there is more going on in rural villages. I am not talking about events and activities generated by Communities First and such like. Real community led and generated events and "dos". Are we just too wrapped up in work and our own sphere to spare time for our wider community, that is sad if its true, so much socialisation and feeling part of a larger whole is being lost and that is something worth fighting to keep. Where are our community leaders of tomorrow to get their motivation?
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4 comments:
Sounds like someone wants to host a bbq.
Make sure you invite the village alumni...
This is so true and I think that its this breakdown that causes so many other problems.Theres no networks anymore ,support for new familes if theres no extended family etc. We used to look out for each oters kids and make sure they were ok and didnt get into trouble. Everything these days is focused on self and aquisition.
No communal meeting points either, they have built houses on those
Was there ever real community wasnt it more that the poor stuck together.
Modern Housing Estates dont foster intermingling,infact the way the Housing are designed its often the opposite.
People are busy shopping and surfing the net these days, I wonder how many are volunteering and the age bracket
I might be a bit older then some on here, I remember my mother talking to neighbors over the garden hedge, or going for a cup of tea to somebody up the road and leaving the front door wide open. kids played on the road with a football because nobody had a new car. Then you had the street parties when somebody was born died or did something great. although I must be honest I'm not that old.
But now you have report a benefit cheat, report who you think is a terrorist report somebody if they have no tax on his/her car.
In my day hardly anyone had money it was the 1960's miners fought for better wages. The miners strikes and problems during the 1970 1980's saw people running car boot sales to get money for the miners families.
Thatcher killed the community when people moved away to find work, coal mines closed and the whole area died, Labours done little to help building up this idea that if somebody is on benefits he must be cheating.
We need to get back to the community we need trust, I mean I've been reported twice for benefit fraud, because I was helping out at a charity shop and people around me thought I was being paid, I had a letter saying you had been reported but further investigation have proving you to be doing nothing wrong.
Disabled people are allowed to do community work, we are allowed to do anything so long as it's not paid employment. I gave up working for a housing charity, now I wonder who did it and why.
Society has become watched it is now report anything, not really idea for a community is it
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