Pulling together as one... sort of writes Roy Edmonds

Neighbours and interested parties involved in our district gathered early in a local pub to meet police and council officials. There was even a Zoom link to the pub-chain’s higher management.

What were the subjects of our neighbourhood concern? You can probably guess faster than I can write: noise disturbance, rowdy behaviour and vandalism; speeding traffic and parking problems, litter proliferation and collection. In short, those common complaints of busy urban life.

Well, doom-and-gloomers might predict it was just hot air and useless promises, but most of us left feeling quietly encouraged and pleased. People were at least talking, sharing concerns, thinking now in tandem about ‘issues’ affecting us all.

There are a few benefits from the pandemic; many of us have come to seek more, and indeed receive more, from our immediate environment and homes (specially gardens). It’s made us appreciate the wonders and pleasure of nature all about us – and encouraged us to be more neighbourly too. How much better to walk our streets, exchange occasional greetings or encouragement, support local businesses, be content.

Modern technology can even help as well. There are now suggestions of more closed-circuit cameras, to spot and help sort out problem characters who, mostly, come from outside our area. Police, council, pub managers and residents at last seem to be, if not yet singing, then at least speaking from ‘the same hymn sheet’. Without too much dependency upon luck, we’ll hopefully improve matters and people’s lives. Because, once you get down to it, most of us do really care.

The pub itself wasn’t so much to blame, as some people plaguing it and us.

As for restless youngsters - well, we’ve all been there, haven’t we? The role for us older, wiser ones is to prevent them doing too much damage, before they grow up.

For Roy’s latest books visit royedmonds-blackpool.com.

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