Every challenge stretches the edges of who we are

In 2023, Jane wanted to go to India, so we visited the ‘Golden Triangle’. I had long wanted to go to Katmandu, in Nepal. So, we did both at the same time. This week, I watched with much sadness the absolute destruction wrought by the recent mudslides/floods in Nepal, Tibet and China. On our trip to Nepal, we saw the legacy impact of past earthquakes on the lives of people living in Katmandu. I cannot imagine what the recent mudslide/floods will mean for the communities caught up in this disaster. The pictures on the news were simply horrifying. We have been able to communicate with folk we met in Katmandu, and thankfully they are all safe and well, although one is still seeking news of three of her close relatives.

Katmandu was somewhere I had always wanted to go to as a teenager. It was during my hippie era. Sadly, I was just a couple of years too young to do so (story of my life, although I’m making up for it now). At the time I am sure my teenage years caused my parents much anxiety. Like many other teenagers of my generation, I thought I was a rebel, hell bent on saving the world from evil politicians, fat cat businessmen, and that the way to create a better world was through ‘free love’. I was a Greenpeace supporter, campaigned to ban the bomb (CND), and had a copy of Mao’s ‘little red book’. That said, I think the recent events in Middlesbrough brought home to me just how different my teenage years were from that of the five young men. who died in the awful car crash last week.  

As well as the five young lives lost, there were two other deaths. They were policemen, hit by the five young people’s car. Both were long-serving policemen. I’ve really struggled with trying to make sense of what happened. The loss of any life should, normally, always be a cause for sadness. Yet when I think about the seven lives lost, I’ve found it hard to grieve for the five young men. Whereas, like many others, I mourn the deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. Just like on many other days, on 22nd August, this particular group of five young men set out to break the law; the law they had already shown little respect for.  Matthew Blades and Tom Clough set out that day to uphold the law and keep communities safe, and in so doing, became innocent victims of a truly tragic and avoidable accident.

Three days later, there was more sadness to contemplate. On 25th August Dolly Parton died. Like Matthew Blades and Tom Clough’s death, the news of Dolly’s passing prompted an outpouring of grief. There was worldwide recognition of her life and contribution to music and the arts. Although she had often experienced challenging issues, hers was a good life. She used her good fortune to help others.

Unlike many other similarly very wealthy people, Dolly was immensely generous. She supported LGBTQ+ charities, medical research, including donating £1million to help find a vaccine for Covid-19. Most famously Dolly established and funded the ‘Imagination Library’ which, over her lifetime, gave 332 million books to children worldwide. Here in the UK alone, she donated over 7 million books.  What a fabulous legacy!

There were some good things about last week, however. Last Tuesday I was able to visit colleagues in one of our neighbourhood mental health services. The service is based right in the centre of Wigan town. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the shopping centre behind me, I walked into an oasis of calm and a welcome that was warmer than the last heatwave. It is one of the best parts of my role as Chair to be able to go out and visit our services, and have conversations with colleagues and the folk who use them.

During my conversations this time, we touched upon how colleagues are making access to the service easier. A co-produced move away from the terminology normally found in NHS services really interested me. For example, they had changed Services User to Person/People; Discharge to Friendly farewell; Care plan to Shared plan; Risk assessment to Safety plan; Assessment to Initial conversation; and Expert by experience to Lived experience. These simple, yet effective, changes flowed through all the interactions colleagues had with people, written or otherwise. I was impressed, and thank you Kieran, you were truly inspirational.