Playbox Surprises 01

We said goodbye to the Playbox on Monday and it’s now time to reflect and wonder what might happen next.

We’ve started by having conversations with the organising group and then we’ll ripple that out a little wider.

One of the women and I, enjoyed a brew and a chat yesterday and mulled over this question.

What happened with the Playbox that surprised you or you didn’t expect to happen?

This is what she said,

“The fact that nothing went missing!  Because we’d set up this big meeting to make sure that we had different people at different ends of the park to make sure that nothing went missing and everyone just came and enjoyed it, and everybody helped out and the kids looked after it. I think nothing went missing because the kids realised it was there for them and it was a good thing. Having something that they’ve never had before on the park. They don’t use the park normally, for anything good anyway, and I think they all enjoyed just being able to come along, for free as well. 

Just how everyone came together and everyone helped out and got stuck in, even the adults they were happy to help out, but really it was them playing as well and enjoying it themselves as well. 

I was surprised as well, with a lot of the people who did help out. I didn’t think that certain people, obviously knowing them off the estate, that they’d be getting stuck in and enjoying it. And having good things to say cos they can be quite negative people. There’s been a few. I think it is a case that they come along and they have something bad already in their own head and then they realise that it’s something good. I think they realised what we’re doing for the community. That you can’t really look at something that’s good and get bad out of it. I think they come along thinking, oh, I’ll go and see what’s going on, and, then see how well it is going, and how everyone is enjoying it and coming together as families. Do you know you had parents there with their kids who you don’t normally see from one day to the next with their kids. It’s a case of it brought people together, playing as families. 

All the older lads as well, they tend to mess around don’t they, and not really get stuck in playing with anything, but I think a lot of the older ones were the ones who really enjoyed it.  And the ones who were there, waiting for you to get there to open up so they could help out as well. 

A lot of people surprised me. There was one woman who you never see out with her kids.  You just see her kids out in all weather. First time I spoke to her was at the park, because she came up and spent some time with her kids. And you don’t  normally see her at all. The kids dragged the parents in.  I think it opened people up to chatting, people off the estate.  People connected a bit, just being on the park and having a chat and getting to know each other really. You knew who they were before, you didn’t know anything about them. People who you’ve seen about for years, and never even said hiya to. I’ve seen one of the women for years and never thought to say hello, how are you feeling? Are you alright? Then because we were at the park and we were all doing the same thing and enjoying it, we had a proper chat. I know lots about her. She wants to fundraise for another one. I think everyone who came to the playbox would want to do a bit of something. It’s a really good way of having conversations and letting people know what else is going on on the estate.”

There’s much to take in from these words of wisdom. A sense of collective rekindling perhaps?