I have really enjoyed being part of the group that is researching
and planning a walk around Peckham. It
has made me think about what makes the activity interesting, and have concluded
that it is a mix of three ingredients:
The Process: What could have been the dull stuff has been quite
inspiring – each person investigating according to their own interests; photographs,
maps, history, literature, art, green spaces, gardens. Meeting up to walk potential routes makes you
feel very connected to the area, and brings to life the stories uncovered in
the research.
The People: A short time ago we were just an
arbitrary group of people who liked walking, had some time to spare, and
answered a newspaper ad for volunteers.
Gradually we have swapped stories of redundancies, retirements, and new
directions. Meeting people with different
interests and perspectives has been stimulating. Finding out about Cooltan’s work has been thought-provoking.
The Place: What can I say about Peckham other than
that I love it! I turned up expecting to
see the land of Del Boy and Rodney, but instead found a place of contrasts: exotic vegetables in the grocery shops, green
spaces and hidden gems of gardens, a peace wall and an urban-chic
library. We have learned about helping wildlife
at the London Wildlife Trust garden in Marsden Road and caught glimpses of ‘East
Dulwich Mummy’ in her natural habitat.
We have uncovered stories of nuns heads, and William Blake’s vision of
angels on Peckham Rye… who could ask for
more?
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