featuring BRIGHTEN UP LONDON
… and a fish tank.
This story was kindly told by *Andrew.
‘One thing that did happen, I once inherited a guy, who wasn’t very well, he got Parkinson’s. His family lived far, so I used to pop up and chat with him in the evenings. And then… he passed away.
So then his daughter asked if there was anything in the flat that I wanted for myself. Now I’d been to the flat many many times, but you don’t look. So I went to the flat. I asked myself: what do I need? There was nothing.
He did have a fish tank. Never had fish in it, but he’d got everything: the pump, the lights. She said: ‘would you have that?’ I said: ‘I know nothing about fish!! I haven’t got a clue, I know how to eat them!’ And then I said: I’ll take it and if I don’t make any use of it, I’ll give it to a care home or something like that … So I took it, cleaned it all up, put some water in it, it’s got all the lights … no fish, no plants, no nothing.
And on Saturday night, I’d watched so much rubbish on television, it was driving me mad. I love to read. (…) I put the light out, I’d been reading for nearly three hours… I said, blimey! Anyway, the pet shop opens on a Sunday. So I went down and I said: I know nothing about fish, and I bought three fish, but they’re not gold, they’re multi-coloured ones, they cost me about three pound. And I bought some plants, got home, got it all set up, put the lights on – it was fabulous! And now I’ve got seven gold fish! And I wake up in the morning, I go: good morning! It’s things like that that make you think… I know it’s not a big responsibility, but it’s something you have to think about. I’m a silly old bugger!’
Andrew had struggled with loneliness and homelessness on and off for over 20 years. When I met him, he was in secure accommodation, tending to his fish and making sure he went for a walk daily. Sometimes, his only reason to leave the flat was to buy fish food.
Thank you, Andrew, for the privilege of letting me listen to your story. The story was first featured in my PhD.
*Andrew is not his real name.
BRIGHTEN UP LONDON
Sometimes the smallest of gestures can have the most effective impact. Like the generosity of the daughter of a lost friend. The smallest gestures, done together, will definitely have a lasting impact.
This is the second year when the fantastic Hands On London are organising a volunteering event in London. This spring, they aim to make London a brighter place by bringing together small acts and celebrating these achievements together.
It is so easy to get involved! All you need to do is find a spot in London that needs ‘brightening up’. Does your neighbour’s front garden need tidying up? Is there a small green space in your local school that is never attended to? Do you need to bring a plant to work, to brighten up the space?
Once you have found the spot that needs brightening up, make it happen! Join other volunteers all over London in a unique and empowering campaign – for a whole week, Brighten Up London together! Follow Brighten Up London here, on Twitter and Instagram and use #BrightenUpLondon to spread the news on all good and bright deeds!
Or maybe you have a project that you would like help with? Then let the Brighten Up London Community know! If you have a green space that needs clearing, a garden to plant, fences to paint, paths to lay, there are people who would love to help.
Let us tell a different story about London this Spring!