community matters - the butchers

Great family butchers don't just look after their meat - they look after their customers too. Russell's is a perfect example.

Last week, Lee and Ray very kindly allowed me behind the counter to take some photos while they butchered two pigs. I also had the opportunity to speak to some of their customers, many of whom had been buying their meat at Russell's for several decades. 

It's clear why they do - Russell's is very much part of the community.

 

community matters - delivery for you

In the mists of antiquity Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. Quite a broad brief, all things considered.

The modern-day Hermes plays a more mundane, but equally vital role in the life of a village community. It provides a courier and parcel delivery service.  Here's Leanne, our local Hermes lady. Not only does she bring parcels she also brings a huge, radiant smile and bags of energy. It's always a joy to open the door to greet her!

community matters - tea and tiles

Some medieval tiles were uncovered beneath the floor of our church during the course of a recent renovation project.  A great excuse to show them off and invite the village in for tea and cakes!  Over seventy people visited and here are just two of the happy tea drinkers.

community matters - the dog-walker

Dogs are at the very heart of many communities.  They need regular walks and this provides so many opportunities for interaction and conversation.

Here's a professional dog-walker we meet regularly when we're out. She's with Meg, one of her many charges.

community matters - the drop-in

'Truth of the matter was, everything was stories and stories was everything. Everybody told stories. It was a way of saying who they were in the world. It was their understanding of themselves. It was letting themselves know how they believed the world worked. The right way and the way that was not so right'

Harry Crews (1935 - 2012)

These words introduce one of my all-time favourite films, 'Searching for the wrong-eyed Jesus'. Twice a week our sister church down the road opens its doors for a 'drop-in'.  There's tea and cake, but more importantly an opportunity to share stories - some mundane, others deep, sad and challenging. 

Stories of struggles in faith. Stories of sewing shopping-bags and riding bicycles. Stories of dementia, death and despair.

Today's world is so busy. Emails, tweets and social media messages zing this way and that. But listening to stories is worth so much more.  True community is built on story - yours and mine.

community matters - sarah and will

Sarah and Will are a lovely couple who live at the opposite end of the village to us. We sat next to them at the Burns Lunch last Sunday when they kindly volunteered to let me take their photo.

Sarah teaches in a large primary school and Will works for the Environment Agency. They share a beautiful old cottage with Roxie, a lovable scamp of a dog who came to them from a local rescue centre.

Outside of work they love spending time in their allotment and walking in the countryside.

community matters - the plane man

My neighbour, Mick, is an extraordinary man. For the past few years he’s been quietly assembling a plane in his garage - it’ll be ready for its maiden flight later this year.

Mick became interested in aviation as a very young boy and after leaving school he secured an engineering apprenticeship, his first rung on the ladder to the cockpit.  He went on to study engineering and design at University and spent most of his working life at Boulton Paul Aircraft.

Boulton Paul has a proud history. Founded in an ironmongers’ shop in Norwich in 1797 it moved to Wolverhampton in the 1930s and has since become a leading specialist in the design and manufacture of aircraft flight control systems.  Mick has travelled the world with the company and has worked on many prestigious projects including the design of system controls for Concorde.

Away from work, Mick first took to the air as a glider pilot before graduating to motorised flight. Now retired, his pride and joy is the plane under construction in his garage, its single wooden prop burnished to a loving shine.

Here’s what Mick has to say about community …

Q. What does community mean to you?

A. My interpretation of the question leads me to believe that in such an environment one is surrounded by like-minded individuals with similar goals. This leads people to seek out each other for the common good in most cases.

Q. What do you get from community?

A.  As they say "birds of a feather flock together”. I get a sense of being part of the group. As part of the group we all get to share each other’s life experiences if we chose to do so. It’s satisfying to be able to help each each other.

Q. What do you give to the community?

A. I would like to think that I give my candour and sense of enthusiasm. In my working life it was always good to share experiences and provide a sense of direction to others, particularly people just starting out in their own careers. It was satisfying to see people grow in confidence, knowing that maybe I had a small part in that process.

 

community matters - the staffordshire walkers

This term the Photosocial Group at Midlands Art Centre are engaged in a project to document 'community' in all its various shapes and forms. This is my first contribution - the Staffordshire Walkers.

I came across them on the green in the village where I live, just after they had finished their lunch. What a fantastically friendly group they are. It's very obvious from their Facebook page what a vibrant community they've created.

In a world increasingly obsessed by busyness, material achievement and the cult of the individual it's so refreshing to see people take time to enjoy each other's company whilst walking amongst the beauty of nature. Thank you so much, Staffordshire Walkers, for letting me photograph you!