During the last year there has been a massive change in most communities across the UK, in fact there has been a massive change globally. These changes have affected the way all of us live and survive.

There is no doubt that the world has changed for us all.

Coming together as a community became the number one priority for us all. Community projects emerged to help social prescribing and signposting people towards creative projects and services that help them with

Mental health * Housing * Food * Child care

For many of us, we have had to change our life styles. With employment being affected, schools closing for months and the overall challenges of us all facing a global economic melt down.

The Pandemic has truly altered what normal means to us all.

A year ago, the very thought that you would have to visit a food bank was a distant reality, the fact that you would have to wear face covering or be limited to visiting friends and loved ones has challenged the way we carry out our day to day lives.

Although these challenges have taken many lives and limited much of the norms we have become accustomed to, one thing that has stood out across the globe is the resilience that people have when faced with adversity and loss.

Communities have started to work together as one. The word community has definitely become the reality for many living and trying to survive challenges such as loss, unemployment, education and mental health. In fact these very presuppositions have become motivational words that enable us to move forward.

Long gone is the comfort zone of life.

Before the pandemic, many of the community values were questionable, with the decline of support and the never ending issue of serious youth violence and unemployment hanging over us, we have discovered that underneath all of the challenges that we face, we can come together in these times to push forward and create a sense of a brighter future.

Projects have started to include the homeless, hungry and isolated. Many of these projects are managed and run on a voluntary basis, to help those in need to connect with the support that will provide them with a glimpse of of hope for the future.

The vision of a long awaited sustainable community is now a reality. Paul Mckenzie