I think I am getting my mojo back.

The government has changed. I’m hoping to also change, come out of a personal slump and get back into being a positive contributor to the local area again.

Since the pandemic I have been feeling low energy. Starting with constant snoozing on the couch watching world events unfold on TV during lockdown, to frequent deep sleeping during the day after having Covid and probably exacerbated with taking medication for high blood pressure. It’s been three years since catching Covid.

Have never felt so tired and wanting to sleep so much, and equally not wanting to leave the house.

It has curtailed any aspiration to put effort into the local community. I’ve feel like I’ve talked a lot, reliving times when I have been able to put in, but not really living up to the standards set by others, like Stewart Britton, Tracy and Simon from the Wight Bear and James from The Larderhouse, the team at Makla amongst many other people.

That listlessness is self perpetuating too. To come out of long covid, more physical exercise helps, getting out into the fresh air helps. That’s felt like too much effort even though I know it’s the right thing to do. Even breathing is hard work, as highlighted by the sleep apnea that my wife has to put up with.

We are at an age where we are losing friends and family too young. We work hard lining our pensions and savings for our retirement, with no guarantee that we will be alive to enjoy the spoils of our efforts.

My business partner has 6 children. We don’t have any children. We can’t have any children but there is a mutual feeling of leaving something, doing something for the next generation.

For a while I’ve had ideas of things I could do and they have gravitated around building a community centre, a hub that brings multiple generations back together again in a truly positive way. Society has become polarised. The different demographics haven’t had the same attention from funding and action. Assumptions about Generation This, Generation That have not help bridge the divides.

The actual note I wrote whilst consolidating the idea at a conference is as follows.

What’s my dream?
To create a new generation of Community Centres to bring back societal cohesion across multiple generations, with making the area a Blue Zone in longevity of living.

I had it in my mind that I needed to exit the business at some point, to come out with enough money to buy a building, and use that as the facility to implement my ideas, and to bring in those from the community.

My thinking has changed and I can make a start, using the goodwill of the businesses and premises around here, and test the proof of concept. People have already stepped forward to help as they know what I try to stand for.

The two projects I want to make a start on are Walk & Talk, and Stories. Watch out for further updates.

Project Walk & Talk:

In my own efforts to get back to a healthy lifestyle, I need to move more, to walk more and not just slump into the couch after coming back from work.

I have organized Walk and Talk events before that has brought new and old residents together and forged new friendships.

Now, I need to set some dates and a meeting point, from where we will gather and talk a walk, swapping conversations along the way.

That can move onto different topics every walk, where people might want to share their expertise and people want to learn too, such as photography, DIY and gardening.

A further enhancement could be some form of bring and share. Bring a bag, could be of things from your garden that you want to give out or swap, old toys, trinkets and so on. Even if there are no takers, at least you can have a conversation about them.

All whilst walking. In future they could be sit down events that become talks and table top exchanges.

Project Stories:

This has been partly inspired by BBC Radio’s The Listening Project and the Booth on Tour.

I didn’t really asked my dad too many questions about his history, about his journey of coming to the UK from Hong Kong in 1960 and his movements around England and Scotland. Sadly I didn’t have that kind of close relationship but I want facilitate this others.

Setting up some cameras or even phones to take videos is straight forward. Don’t need fancy lighting but that can come later, or be supported by the community.

To have grandchildren ask questions of their grandparents, recorded for posterity would be such a nice thing. Children and parents too. Capture stories and history.

Stories can be expanded to take in local history so we can here from all generations on their memories of the local area and how it has changed.