I have decided to take a deep dive into the workings and  architecture of this event because I think it is excellent as a model which could be applied nationwide as a supportive environment to discuss how to bring people together to further enrich the community in all its aspects. This model is applicable to all conurbations large and small.

The detail may not be of interest to everyone but as I have often said, if you write for everybody you write for nobody, so this diary entry is for community-minded people who would like to see their  community thrive and prosper, and I don’t necessarily mean in the financial sense but in the human sense. 

The story begins…

If ever I have had to take a deep breath and write about an event of huge significance and importance and relevance to my own development, this is it.   

First things first. A couple of months ago I received an invitation via Eventbrite for an occasion called ‘how do we help creativity and community to thrive in Frome?’

It was to be held at Frome Town football club, hardly an auspicious address but at the end of the day so what? There can be a dozen different reasons for choosing a place including availability, accessibility, suitable size, and budget.

In the write up, Tom, the head of the company organising it, summarized the situation succinctly.

Terrestrial’s Tom Spencer said “Every day in Frome, scores of creative people make great things happen. Independent artists and makers are busy painting, writing, sculpting, dancing, designing. And community groups are gathering to share food, dig gardens, teach sports, support young people.

“But it’s hard to do all of this. Costs rise, volunteers are stretched, it can be difficult for people to earn a good living, and opportunities aren’t the same everywhere…. so not everyone gets a chance to be part of Frome’s magic. In fact, according to Frome Town Council’s survey last year, more than 60% people in the town don’t feel connected to their neighbourhood.

As my readers know, when an item jumps out of the page at me I know I have to respond even though I don’t know why. I do not live in Frome though I do live 15 minutes from it so it’s not too far but it sounds like it’s up my street. I noted that any and every caring person was invited.

Tom Spencer

There was no admission charge so I thought ‘why not?’. The event was contracted out,presumably by the town council,  to a fir m called Terrestrial, a small company led by the charismatic Tom Spencer (left).

The organisation is dedicated to ‘producing community arts adventures in the southwest of England’ and they must have  created a good impression of themselves because they have been asked to arrange a number of events as you can see from the website terrestrial.org.uk

I spend all day looking at websites so I get a pretty good feel, and visiting this one is like a sunny day with a light wind and a warm welcome. I know the website was done inspirationally because it hangs together as one picture and it BREATHES.

Web designers let themselves down when they develop various parts of the website over various times and the fragmentation of consciousness it does show. This website was done in one glorious visionary sweep.

The session started at 9:45 given by Tom who leapt around the central area and drew pictures in the air for us to imagine. I’m going to comment on what he said  and why I think it is so important. This is the one of the best introductory sessions I have come across and I really do recommend that others use this as a role model. 

NB I have not quoted him in full but just picked out the key parts. I strongly believe that Tom  will change his approach and content according to who is in attendance. Basically he will get inspired so what follows are just the bones of what he will probably say to people in another framework.

This is the first time in history that this group of people will be in one place.
Yes, remind people that this is not just another meeting but a special occasion that will never be repeated anywhere at any time on the planet. We should be very proud of this

Irrespective of the reason that you were drawn here you have arrived to answer just one question ‘how do we help creativity and community to thrive in Frome?’ something in that question alerted you and I really applaud you for noticing that which has bought you here this morning.
 This shows respect of destiny, synchronicity, and our overall purpose in life and Tom is rightfully congratulating us for picking up on the subliminal call. He is actually serving the client group rather than inflating his own ego.  

if you have any questions about the morning then you can speak to my team or myself at any time
this shows respect for different personality types because some people think they are the only person that does not understand something and they feel a bit stupid. There is no such thing as a stupid question

I’m really conscious that speaking in groups of people is not everyone’s favorite thing you are welcome here whether you are a listener or a speaker or an Observer or note-taker and you can always ask us to speak with you.
For me this is a chance to encourage people who do not think they have much to contribute and used to explaining that all types of presence are acceptable 

I dont want anybody to go home feeling like my thing wasn’t spoken about I really wanted to talk about this and I had to sit and listen to a boring panel of people talking about their work which I could have found on their website
Again he is alluding to people who bite their tongue and go away frustrated because they didn’t get a chance to make their point and he is absolutely right about people droning on about their own pet project. Mercifully we did not have much of this today

The first thing is to make our agenda What is the thing that drew you here today? Put all your notices of intent on the walls, and choose if it is to be at the first or the second session. Write a short snappy title. Choose in what context you want your discussion to appear. Put what feels burning and important to you.

This is quite a challenge to people who think they feel strongly about something and now they have to do something about it but they are invited to do so in a very positive and encouraging way without necessarily revealing their own weaknesses and failures. All they are asked to do is to announce that they would like a particular topic aired.

I look at the list of topics and I am missing something, If you feel it is your thing then put it on a piece of paper.
Encouraging us to look critically and assert our wish to put something on the table

There are four guiding principles in this workshop.

# Whoever comes are the right people. We are the right people
Maybe you are sat there on your own. This is because you are a visionary.You can work on it. You are your own boss.
# whenever it starts, that is the right time. 
# whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened to us, today.
# when its over, its over but the duration is not determined

Today is not about ‘should’ or ‘could’, about ‘if only this person was here’ I wish they could have heard this’
There is one law. the law of mobility.I’m not contributing, if I’m not enjoying, then I take responsibility and I’m going to use my power of mobility to join something else. We can be a bumble bee who pollinates or a butterfly who hangs around near the coffee servery.  

Pass the parcel

At this point the microphone was passed round hand to hand and people introduced themselves… I am Sarah and I am from the council ….and it was informative more than educational. I abandoned my attempt to capture this phase because some people dropped their voices and mumbled.

Technical note – the voice box does not work so well from a sitting position. Its about the expulsion of air and as an Australian friend of mine said rather bluntly ‘all singing and speaking starts from the fanny’. There is loads on the Internet about it. 

On this occasion everyone introduced themselves concisely and professionally. We didn’t have any attempts at life histories thank God so everyone respected the implied request for brevity. A good start indeed.

Meeting in small groups

When the idea of forming small groups of people basically sitting around and chatting I was not drawn to anywhere in particular but found myself in a group discussing alcohol and drugs, and provisions that could be made.

I am writing this section first as conversations can easily be forgotten.

First session – drugs and alcohol

Although I joined the group after it had started I was courteously brought up to date with what had been discussed. Evidently the fashionable drug abuse at the moment is Ketamine which I as a watcher of emergency programs on TV known to be the ‘drug of last resort’ as a painkiller.

Evidently a young lad of 12 years of age was caught using.

I was told that vaping is also common in Frome. I said that perhaps the usage of such drugs is to counteract or attempt to compensate for loneliness or disorientation or lack of support. I’m thinking of the families who do not support their children.

I was fairly well supported when I was young, not with joy but from duty but at least both my parents were around. Re pot – we know about the growing  of weed is illegal but I wonder if police look away if there are small quantities for domestic use. I think it is more the propagation for selling that is the difficulty. 

I opened up the conversation by saying that even violence is a drug because it gives the same highs as ingesting something even though of course the effects do not last long.  I said jokingly that a good hug could mitigate the need for taking artificial stimulants.

I wonder if the use of drugs is a call for help. We know that drugs are taken by all sections of the community but our referred to differently among the upper classes as ‘recreational drugs’. I said that if you tell people not to do something they will probably do it out of sheer contrariness.

I said that when I get a warning on TV that’ some material people may find distressing’, I’m even more keen to see it. We are probably better off suggesting more creative alternatives for the young such as membership of a football team which I know is done in deprived areas in, for example, Brazil. 

From the council’s website – this really captures the mood – honest communication – getting down to it – taking responsibility – non-judgemental body language.  – actually listening!   10/10

Second session – why do people not come to groups?

The second of our two groups sessions was more generally about involvement and the eight or so people who were in the group which again I joined randomly were talking about why people do not join groups.

This I found particularly interesting because the welfare of society in general is where I’m at. We were joined by someone called Merlin and I teasingly asked him if he was a magician and he said yes. He certainly looked the part. I mentioned this because we have so many different types of people taking part but they were all in a funny way compatible.

Forming a new group can be a bit like giving birth, painful and gut wrenching and challenging but someone has to do it and once you’ve got the hang of it it can become a pleasure.

I have tried to form a number of groups myself and some have failed and I see in retrospect that it was not the right time or the right place but in all cases I have certainly learned from what I did and I have not lost a huge amount of money but gained a huge amount of experience.

In this group I had quite a lot to say including the fact that if you become sorry for yourself and isolated and are in a way in a pit of despair, it’s quite difficult to climb out of it as if nothing had happened and greet everyone like a long lost soul.

I said that when I invite people to social events I don’t say it’s a meeting but I say ‘come and have a cream tea’. People are very cautious about new events because the level of trust they have is less than they would like to believe.

not being understood is more damaging than we would like to think

They will say,  ‘oh I am a trusting person but when push comes to shove they back off for one reason or another probably because on previous occasions they have been hurt and wounded so who wants to repeat the same thing? I reckon the worst form of cruelty is simply – not being understood.

When you are on your own – as so many people are – you become invisible to the community.

Classifications include

# People living on their own particularly with children,
# widows and widowers,
# those with some physical disease which means they cannot get out and about,
# newcomers to the area who want to make a new start but are not quite sure how to do it.
# those whose partners are away for long periods in connection with their work

I spent seven years of my life running an organisation for people new to London, London Village, where the whole  point of the group was to decrease the amount of time it took to feel at home in a new environment. We organised up to 200 events per month.

I said that our communication about an invitation to join a group should ring the right bell but not press the wrong buttons.

I mentioned that we should think twice and maybe ignore about how people present themselves because we don’t know what they have gone through and as the saying goes ”unless you walk a mile in their shoes you cannot understand them’.

I told the group that I specialise in talking to complete strangers and I regard everyone as a potential brother and sister that I have not met before, so when I’m on my own I’m never on my own because I’m looking forward to the next contact.

There is something about the English personality that is a little bit withdrawn and introvert even with ‘extrovert’ people I noticed this.

We have to realize that there is a meniscus that needs to be gently broken in order to get through to the people themselves. This can be done by the right gentle approach and also by sizing up the character of the person before you approach them. Body language can say if they’re open or closed.You will get good at it quickly if you concentrate. 

I also said that your very presence should encourage people to share what is on their mind and what his burdening their hearts. Approach-ability is something that very few people have because if you have boundaries of insecurity or fear, that puts up an automatic barrier in your energy field and people will not  feel comfortable when they are with you.

You need to be as clean as a whistle with your intentions and motives.

Unconditional love for all is the way to go. I wondered how many Fromes there are. We have the new refugees from London, we have the Arty crowd, and we have the people on council estates so I recommend there are three cohorts in Frome and all need to be addressed in different ways. I did not enjoy the Carnival and was existentially lost amidst the crowds.

Sharing the results of our talking

After the group finished at 12:30 we were invited to say one or two words about how we found the experience. There were 64 guests so you would have thought this would have been a bit unwieldy but actually everyone got the idea and they were concise about their answers even giving just one or two words before they passed on the microphone.

Sharing stories... a  creative crash on rainy Sundays… If we consider for a moment that we might all be nodes in an enormous intelligence then I wonder if art is one of the ways of firing synapses to connect those nodes... not making premeditated judgments about people without knowing their own story… Finding some way of inspiring others with thoughts …considering how we evaluate our projects and assess their impact… Creating provocative interruptions and pockets of wonder and awe ... Networking with other people  …

I have learned a lot about inclusivity which I’m very grateful for... Community houses with music …other things to help people to be involved on something that is on their door step.  Celebrations to get people together across Frome…. Breaking barriers whilst building boundaries creating options and understanding the word ‘burden’.  … Neighborhoods – inter generational things like libraries... stay curious make history don’t just read about it. Wear many hats and keep dancing … Opportunities for people to share and hear other’s stories so a potential collaboration between the community launderette and Dirty Laundry …

I think there’s very much  potential in a human library in Frome and then a sort of human story…. a newspaper so that you can share your stories other people can share their stories and you can read about your neighbor and go well I didn’t know that… Young people … human happiness …  I want to be a conduit for new processes and schemes …  I love these events but I’m always left with ‘what’s next?’ otherwise we all go back to our previous modalities of living… Creating a network of sports clubs for Frome … I was part of a fantastic group of people and we could have gone on …Getting together a mobile library of small personal stories and comedy to help assist each other.

How can we make  people feel valued with their different skills and abilities and include more people in the story .. If anyone has any good ideas about how to collaborate, please email me because that’s what I do   … More events like this please..  Mutual aid ….but not too much.. Can we do this again…… Monthly? Any group between you and up to four other people,  with the number of people here, we could have 8.4 million different meetings so there is a just a little bit of scope. 

With regard to the last comment (mine)  If each conversation lasted 20 minutes it would take 116,000 days or 319 years talking 24/7 to exhaust the potential. I made the point that we had scarcely scratched the surface and afterwards I told Tom that I think we could have at least four of these per year and with the inevitable churn we would retain the freshness.

The conclusion of the session

We were then offered a simple vegan meal consisting of lovely vegetables and organic potatoes accompanied by bread and butter. I was hungry so I had two portions and there was plenty left.We sat at tables and networked.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of kindred spirits that I met and I did meet one lady who was very interested in dowsing and ley lines.  She lives over an hour from where we live but we agreed to meet at some future time for a ‘good old chat’ as I said discussing things of relevance to us both. 

I said I was quite happy to share any information and knowledge and wisdom that I had, why waste knowledge by holding it within yourself.  I am sure she felt the same way. 

My conclusions

Talk about getting a quart out of a pint pot as we used to say.

I have no doubt that  since this was a first attempt at an event of this style this will develop into a full day and possibly even to a weekend who knows.

Tom made the whole thing sound very easy but he has obviously gone through the refining fire, a process that must have taken many years even though he was born for such a thing and he has exactly the right temperament.

We have the combination of respect for other people’s lifestyles, inclusivity, flexibility and the ability to change or morph a theme instantaneously the situation demands it. The organizers have asked participants to fill out a form about the nuts and bolts of funding and have asked a number of open questions.

My only concern is that everyone who attended receives the information when the event is fresh in their minds.  It should ideally be sent the day after the event. Here is the link. 

Frome Council can count as their lucky day when Tom and company offered their services