Before I tell our story, it’s important to understand the current context. In the past few weeks we have seen riots on the streets of England. People with far-right views manipulating the tragic events in Southport to push their own divisive agenda. We have also seen counter-protests, mostly peaceful and only organised to stand-up to fascists on our streets, but some leading to more aggression, violence and clashes. Fortunately the riots haven’t come to our streets, but this week we had an Islamophobic incident at a community project and spotted signs that an Islamic-led building might have been targeted for some abuse. We didn’t feel these are a coincidence. Watching the news has led to a few days of fear, stress, anxiety and hurt. We work to a vision; “Developing our community into a place of creativity and compassion, where all feel welcome, all feel connected, all feel they belong and all feel that they can flourish” and we seek to open up spaces where all people feel safe, accepted, and can share their gifts, skills and talents with others. We have always known there are some who don’t sign up to this, but suddenly we are seeing people taking to the streets to say they have a different worldview, and are willing to be violent and aggressive to people they feel don’t belong.
As a community we don’t really do ‘protest’ as such. Maybe something we need to think about, but our energy and time is so focused on ‘community building’, it leaves little space for much more. Our annual summer event is a celebration of this, where so many of the threads of community life come together. In the days leading up to the event we could feel an increasingly level of anxiety in the team. We had many questions running around our heads; Will we be able to ensure that the event is a ‘safe space’ for everyone? Will the event be targeted by people outside of our area who see multi-cultural communities and events as a threat to their worldview? Will people feel they can be racist and in particular Islamophobic and make people feel unsafe or unwelcome? In a time when people are fearful, will people feel safe to come, especially those feeling most threatened and targeted by the riots? But, overwhelmingly we knew how important this event is to our neighbours and it more than ever needed to be our symbol of unity, togetherness and community. It was to be our ‘protest’. Our public expression of objection, disapproval, and maybe even dissent towards any idea that we need to fear the ‘other’, that multi-cultural communities are not harmonious, that all ‘some’ people aren’t welcome.
The morning of our event started quietly, as a few of us gathered to begin to set-up. ‘Pop the coffee on Paul’ came the shout. OK so it’s business as usual! As the morning unfolded people started arriving to set-up their spaces. Phil, who leads the Bromford Theatre Group, set-out his space for the ‘live’ dinosaur. This was the star attraction of the day, our very own dinosaur! Tom & his team turn up to set-up the inflatables including his new Gladiator dual attraction. Next was the peace tent and Place of Welcome led by members of a local church. This is a space for hospitality, multi-faith prayer, reflection, and home made cake! Then the under-5’s family space led by Charlotte, dinosaur themed obviously! Next-door the sensory zone, led by Jo, one of our wonderful neighbours who uses her skills to create a space that helps our neuro-diverse neighbours feel welcome and accepted. It’s become a space loved by many.
The calmness is pierced by rain beginning to come down, What!! Usually the biggest anxiety for our event, but this year it wasn’t in the forecast. ‘Get these gazebo’s up quick, and let’s hope it stops!’. The ‘Tree People’ show up with our green connectors, Sam & Cath, ready to make poems about the newly planted trees, do a plant-swap, and share the story of the newly created pocket park. Members of another local church set-up their refreshment tent to ensure the tea, coffee and squash is flowing all day. That’s their blessing for the day. The stalls start setting up including young people who have made jewelry to sell and others who created games with fab prizes, and there was mehndi. Representatives from the resident engagement for the Retrofitting turned up to set-up their stall. Gem & her daughters set-up the craft station, this year using her newly created upcycling enterprise to turn stones into fossils. Keeping the dinosaur theme going. The Active Wellbeing Society set-up the sports and the music people arrive. First Melissa our resident DJ and then Owen who set-up his steelpan drum & Carrabean themed stand. Phil shouts ‘I’m off to get the dinosaur!’, a quick look at the watch and there is 20 minutes to kick-off. The steward team grab the brightly coloured t-shirts including Nicola who had been asked to use her door security experience to provide some gentle extra surveillance, just incase anyone had come to cause trouble. The registration team have it’s paperwork and float, the sun is back shining, and we are ready to go!
People start to arrive. The DJ puts on the Jurassic Park theme and the dinosaur is revealed. Suddenly we realise how many people are already here as they rush for pictures and a chance to stroke a real life dinosaur. people begin dancing as Owen plays his steelpan. There are people everywhere engaging in everything. Our community has shown up in all is glorious joyous diversity. Before we know it 4pm arrives, time to tidy up! The bit we all hate. But it happens relatively smoothly with many hands packing it all away. We are back to the quiet, with just a few left who collapse onto the chairs in the hub. We are all tired, but buzzing and the feeling was ‘that was the best ever, we had an absolute riot!’.
The morning after the event, still tired but still buzzing I was reading social media and seeing all the lovely feedback, pictures and videos. Totting up the numbers we had a record turn-out. So the event was a huge success, and a real celebration of ‘our community’. It was done as Phil says; ‘Bromford Style’. I began to think what does that mean? What makes it a success? Anyone who has organised an event will know nothing ‘just happens’. Now the dust has settled, here are a few thoughts on why & how I believe our big summer event is a celebration of our neighbourhood.
It is built upon the gifts and skills of our neighbours
I think sometimes people can fall into a trap with community events. They think that it is just about putting on a ‘show’ and people just want entertaining. Making people smile, laugh, and have fun is all important (they wouldn’t come if that wasn’t on the cards!), but I think it’s not putting on a ‘show’, rather it’s giving space for people to ‘show off’. Let me explain! At the big event people in our community get chance to ‘show off’ their skills and gifts. This is the big headline attraction, this year the Dinosaur. It is Tom wanting to show-off his latest attraction, this year the gladiator dual. It is young people who’ve made jewellery to sell or the DJ leading dance routines for people to join in. But just as important is ‘showing off’ the welcoming and hospitality skills so many of our neighbours have in so many different ways. They would not in anyway describe this as showing off, and actually might be offended by it being described this way. This humble gentle ‘showing off’ sets the culture; All are welcome. Showing off means our community shines! This has taken years, and now 95% of our event is using the gift, skills, talent or resources of a local resident. It is neighbours entertaining, welcoming, serving, and helping neighbours.
Smallness within the bigness creates space for connection
Our event is made up of lots of smaller zones, each and every one is crucial and strategically placed. It breaks the event down and opens up space for people to be welcomed and feel part of something. Big events can be overwhelming and we found people stayed with who they came with and then went home. With the zones we now see people having the opportunity to connect to others, both friends and strangers. It might be chatting around a table in the place of welcome, dancing, drinking tea, playing sports, doing the craft, buying a product or having mehndi done. Also smallness needs to include quiet-er spaces amongst the big noisy spaces. The sensory zone & the peace tent provide a space for less sensory overload, most helpful to our neuro-divrse neighbours, but welcomed by many who enjoy a space to chill.
It needs all the generations
People of all ages play an important role in creating the space. We’ve in particular payed attention to how young people can contribute and be given responsibilities. This involves helping steward the inflatables, who is better at asking young people to be respectful than another young people. Young people had their own stalls using their skills to make some ‘pocket money’. Some supported their parents in running activities, and who else would be better at facilitating the ‘selfie pod’ than a young person. Only issue is she wanted to be in every selfie! Also our ‘older’ neighbours use their experiences and wisdom to help. One lady talked about her own experiences 40 years ago running similar events, whilst helping with the sensory zone. She said next year she’d make sure the ice-cream man made a donation to help support the event, like she did back in the day. Every little helps!
Teamwork, Collaboration and Partnerships make all the difference
Teamwork makes the dream work! At the heart of the event is an amazing team of people who work really hard to make it happen. Many have built up a lot of experience in event planning and management, which is another skill and gift we have in our community. This team is made up of a partnership between different people, organisations and groups, and the event itself draws in so many more and is always open to more. There is always space for another group, activity, and stall. The event offers so many chances for people to show-up and contribute (some might call it volunteer), and there is always room around the table (or field) for more. So many of the week-to-week volunteers started by helping at an event.
So we didn’t plan a protest, but maybe we ended up having one. Thankfully we didn’t end up with a riot, but our community showed up in all it’s glorious joyous diversity, everyone definitely had a great time and enjoyed themselves, so I think we can say we had a riot!
Welcome to our street connecting story 