Lauren from Create Streets caught the day well – it was a great day. It was purposeful. It felt like something had shifted. What that might be, we can only speculate, but after a year and a half of fearful coronavirus times – and now we have the prospect of even more rocky times with big suppliers running out of stuff we all want or need, including toys in the run-up to Christmas, staff shortages, lorry driver shortages, dwindling supplies of petrol, price rises, universal credit cut, stagnating incomes, gas, electric… whatever your politics, this is worrying and disorienting on a felt human level to each and every one of us. Right here, right now. And I guess we each feel collectively helpless in the face of such huge problems. I certainly do.
And then there we were in our Grant Thorold Park. Singing, dancing, talking, laughing, being together genuinely in community, in our East Marsh community along with our friends who came to stand with us. And early reports from our engagement tent suggests that something may have shifted also in the collective East Marshian mindset – previous events would find people’s concerns focusing on the negatives, on what is out there now: the consequences of drug use on our streets and in our families, fly tipping, frequent eruptions of anger and violence. These are very real and out there, and we need to acknowledge the impact on our lives. However, feedback on Saturday was almost completely about future plans and what we can do together to really change our park and our streets, to change our East Marsh Village. The day was about standing together connected in love and joy and knowing that this is our strength, this is our foundation, and from here we can remake our East Marsh for our children to grow and flourish. If you go now to Grant Thorold Park, you will still be able to see Bernie’s Wishes Tree (below) – just read some of the wishes our East Marsh kids have about their world, they have HOPE, so let’s work together to make it all happen for them!
If you have any questions or contributions around our hopeful plans to Green the Marsh, about our hopeful plans for our East Marsh Village Hall, our hopeful Friends of the Park group or you wish to join us, just get in touch and/or just come along to our Grant Thorold Visioning Workshop, Saturday, 2 October 10:00am – 12:00pm at St John St Stephen & Shalom, Roberts Street, Grimsby DN32 7LT, UK
