The Big Comeback!

This week we were able to host our first ‘face to face’ consultation / get together with a small group of veterans in the Cafe area of our Veteran specific Health & Wellbeing Community Hub. All the veterans involved were members of the ‘Two Jabs Club’ and we were joined by North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll who was able to hear first hand about the impact the C-19 lockdowns have had on their mental wellbeing and physical health. It was humbling to hear how important the Veterans ‘Drop In’ and Cook2Give community lunches and health promoting activities are to both veterans and their families. They were missed.

It was strange to sit in the Cafe, listening to individual stories of resilience and how they had occupied their time to reduce the impact of loneliness and social isolation and support one another. What was clear everyone had become extremely skilled in the use of Zoom, Facetime or Teams and our safe & well telephone calls ,virtual support service and emergency food hampers had been very well received. As we talked the Kitchen and Staff offices were being deep cleaned in anticipation of a return the workplace on June 21st. The pandemic will leave a legacy, not just the possibility of poor mental health or increased anxiety and/or depression as people return to work, volunteering or social activities, but also an appreciation for the simple things in life, camaraderie, laughing together, eating together and spending physical time in close proximity with those whose company we both enjoy and appreciate.

Its been a tough 15 months for everyone. Even natural introverts like myself have started to get a little stir crazy but recent forays into the real world were both strange and bewildering. On one trip into Newcastle City Centre for a meeting with one of our Trustees we found roads had been changed, buildings erected in places that had once been empty and bizarrely parking spaces moved. It was strangely unsettling and resulted in a warning notice from the council being issued for travelling up a bus lane that had once been my preferred route home. The lesson is, life goes on and change is constant and we can only hope we can adjust and adapt to the new world that awaits. Whatever happens … its going to be different and the rejuvenation of people and communities will be a bottom up phenomena. For those of us working in this citizen space there are no certainties but we all need to move away from the ‘Can I help you?’ question to ‘Do we help?’ Its a fundamental shift that will keep your organisation or community functional, meaningful and effective. As David Bowie said …“ Tomorrow belongs to those that can hear it coming”

So until we meet again …Masks on and listen in!

Tony Wright CEO