A Diverse and busy day in the community

Life is really busy in the community at the moment. Lots going on and it’s only Tuesday!

Possibilities hatching all over the place. On Monday we had two great meetings with Wigan Council, one exploring housing and the other looking at the holiday activity fund. Really open and flexible officers and the sense of partnership was palpable. The level of work a little scary too. The idea that we could soon own houses.

Today we spent most of the day exploring the learning from the developmental evaluation with some friends, inviting scrutiny and contribution to the work. It really was a joy and there was so much to celebrate. The recognition that we are starting something special was vocalised. We explored what we do with what we have and know; where the gaps / missing voices are, and, what we need to nourish. One thing loud and clear is that open social spaces are the future. Peer led, no fixing. It’s going to be difficult to protect these types of spaces as they coincide with the shift to place based presencing of professionals. Getting that balance right and not blurring the boundaries is important.

This evening members of the community defibrillator group got together to begin thinking about where we’d like them and the costs. Everyone left with some jobs to do and some conversations to have. The community bench conversation is now live on the Facebook group too. 142 votes in day one. Lots of chatter and interest. Concerns too around speeding and dangerous parking near the primary schools. Curious to see how that develops. Lots of cars probably on less than one mile journeys. What might it take to be able to create more space and walk?