Working for happiness

I started the day with a Facebook Live from the Confidence Queen Genny Jones. In a packed and joyous half hour there was a friendly check in, some really great simple but powerful tips on setting goals, encouragement to connect and support each other and then some dancing. Bobbing around to 'Don't Stop me Now' was glorious - I don't dance often enough. I'm going to make more time to do this.

It's a visit to Gravesham day, having completed a Covid test I drive over to meet with Mandy Hare, a Cultural Manger at Gravesham, which includes responsibility for The Woodville. Mandy began her career in the West End, before moving into managing venues and now she has a wider, more strategic remit. Since The Woodville first closed its doors because of the Pandemic (exactly a year ago) her working life has changed completely – and yet sort of not at all. There have been brief periods when The Woodville re-opened, with social distancing measures but much of her time has been spent working from home. In that time she’s produced ‘A Creative Gravesham’, a new arts and cultural strategy for the borough. It lays out the priorities for the next five years and it’s added to my ever increasing reading list. 

From our conversation I sense how much this new strategy is focused on people – not buildings. Mandy and I both work a lot in theatre buildings, and we find ourselves both unsure that these buildings are very helpful. It’s a strange time to be thinking and talking about this, as so many performance spaces are in crisis. We are both passionate about the creativity and skill of all who work in theatre as an art form, designers, technicians, performers – the closure of performance spaces have left so many of these people facing immense professional and personal predicaments. I suppose it’s about exploring what theatre is now, in 2021 – and what it could be and who it could be for. How much do theatre buildings limit artists and audiences?

The Woodville is currently home to the NHS – it’s a mass vaccination centre. On 15 March 2,300 people are booked to have a vaccination. It’s the centre’s busiest ever day. The whole building has been transformed to be both Covid secure and to try to vaccinate as many people as possible, safely and quickly. Today there is a queue across the square. As people enter the building they are asked to confirm they have no symptoms and sanitise their hands before booking in with the registration desk. There’s then another wait for a member of NHS staff to take consent. This is the longest part of the process, maybe hindered by everyone wearing masks? After this people are very quickly vaccinated by a mixture of NHS staff and St Johns Ambulance volunteers. The whole process is supported by the Woodville Front of House team and technicians and a sparkly eyed team of volunteers. I get to peep down from the Circle seating area. I find myself a bit overwhelmed, walking up some theatre stairs with the expectant murmur of chatter – it’s quite emotional. For all my uncertainty about theatre buildings I’ve spent a lot of my adult life in them. This year is the longest I’ve gone in nearly 20 years without being in a working theatre- on either side of the curtain. 

The Front of House team tell me how proud they are to be back at work supporting such an important process. They feel safe. They’ve each had their first vaccination and are confident that the measures in place minimise the risks. They show me the bar, now converted into the NHS staff restroom. There’s a fridge full of food delivered by the Gurdwara twice a week. A repurposed bottle fridge contains the lunch club food, NHS staff pay into a kitty and the Front of House Manager picks up food for sandwiches. Another table groans under baking bought in by volunteers. I’m told about surprise deliveries from local takeaways. I hear about how friendly the NHS team are, and how hard they work. The Woodville team take huge pride in caring for the NHS staff. It makes my heart feel full – these networks of care radiating throughout, into and out of, The Woodville. The team are thinking about ways to make a record of this time, there are so many stories here.

The Woodville is booked to be a vaccination centre until the end of August. So many thousands of people will have had their lives transformed by the vaccine in this place over the next few months. The team have enjoyed welcoming people who used to visit regularly to enjoy the cultural offer, returning for their jab. There must also be so many people who have never visited before. I think a lot about transformation – the vaccination programme is, hopefully, a process of transformation for individuals and communities. On the cellular and social level. I think about the research that shows that theatre audiences heartbeats and breathing synchronise. The transformational experience of collective making and watching performance. I hope The Woodville can be a place that people associate with transformation, and they can experience that again through other performances. 

I also hope that there will be ways for The Woodville to be an arts space AND a mass vaccination centre, there’s significant logistical challenges and its early days. I get home and see on the news that the cellist Yo-Yo Ma played an impromptu concert after his vaccination in the US.

Next I head to Ebbsfleet, just over the Gravesham border to meet Reverend Penny Marsh, a Baptist minister working in the brand new Ebbsfleet Garden City. We meet by Castle Hill Community Centre, a space that pre-pandemic Penny used to meet in. I’m taken on a walking tour of the new development. This is a place that Penny lives in, works in, serves and tends. There are a few people about, collecting children from school, out for exercise, and it seems as though every second person stops to say hello. 

As we walk up to the highest point Penny tells me about her passion, her calling, to work in new build developments. It emerged during her training as a Minister and she so clearly loves it. As we walk I learn about being a Pioneer Minister – there’s a phenomenal combination of passion, joy, steely grit, creativity, practicality and deep compassion. Penny is consciously and actively planting the seeds of faith community to flourish for the next five, ten, fifty years. I’m reminded of the quote abut planting trees in whose shade you’ll never sit. This is a deeply practical, entirely hopeful act of faith. 

Penny doesn’t have a church building to welcome people into. She’s actively building church as a practice in community. She has a really holistic approach to wellbeing, pre-pandemic the offer included Couch to 5k running, HIIT sessions with a trainer, a shared breakfast, a talk on a bible story or spiritual matter – followed by worship and prayer for the core team. People were welcome to join for any or all. She talks about a Hindu elder who would join them, as well as families with children. Throughout lockdown Penny has supported families with craft bags for Zoom making sessions. The day before we meet there was a Zoom scone session, with all the ingredients delivered in advance. Like all of us Penny is looking forward to being able to meet in person. She’s currently busy planning a Easter trail, a Covid safe replacement for the usual, and hugely popular, Easter Egg hunt.

As we reach the top of a small hill I’m looking down on the newly built Ebbsfleet Valley, with new properties under construction. Penny shows me a large area of brownfield site that is the next section to be developed. This will have a primary and a secondary school, space for shops and cafes and a Civic Hub. In the Civic Hub will be a faith space. Penny is on the planning committee for the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and talked to the architects about how she hopes the faith space will be inspiring. There’s some work going on to understand which faith groups would like to use the space, and that will shape it’s design. 

I’m really struck by how literally Penny is building community here. Her voice on the planning committee will shape the infrastructure of this place for years to come. That in turn will shape what and how people live in this place. She is so straightforward about wanting a Christian voice and values to be present, not at all in an exclusive way but as part of the fabric of this new community. It’s refreshing to speak with someone in such a matter of fact way about tending to people’s spiritual needs.

As we walk down to the lake at the bottom of the development Penny asks about my faith. I grew up with a Mum with a strong Christian faith and values, because of her job church wasn’t something we did as a family. There’s also a culture of Methodism, passed down from great grandparents, with it’s focus on education, care and service.  I see how these values shape me and the choices I’ve made about the work I do, and how I do it. I’m very drawn to the space that quiet contemplation gives people, and how faith is often about community. How this challenges the neo-liberal, capitalist structures we live in and, which would rather we didn’t reflect or come together in community. 

As a young person, about 20 years ago, I went to a Christian denomination church, there was much good about it but one of my primary reasons for leaving was the closing down of certain questions I had. I also became really uncomfortable between what I heard being said about love and the structural oppressions and individual views expressed about women and LGBTQI+ people. I’m unable to articulate this as we walk and talk, I wonder why as I drive home. Penny was so honest, warm and open – I realise I’ve backed away from anything that may have generated conflict. I’m aware that I’m a guest and want to be respectful of that. I notice that in avoiding anything difficult I haven’t shown full respect to my host in allowing them full expression. I also notice the privilege I hold in being able to sidestep conflict and I am half reminded of a quote about how closing down conflict also closes the possibility for deeper connection. I resolve to be braver in future conversations. Being able to navigate conflict well is a vital skill of community building – maybe there’s a question about this for people I meet.

We finish our walk and chat for a while longer on the benches outside the community centre, I learn about another new community resource that will be built with a performance space. How it would be great if some of the many outdoor spaces could have water and power supplies to facilitate outdoor events. We talk about how families and people who may be facing economic difficulties might have their struggles masked by the shininess of the new buildings. Penny imagines that the coming months will see more people in need. At the same time she is energised to start meeting again in person, eager for the time when she can base herself in one of the new cafes for a few hours each week, to be available to chat,  and to shape a faith space where life events can be celebrated.

I really enjoyed this meeting. If I’m honest I’ve never felt excited or passionate about new developments and Penny’s joy is infectious. I find myself challenging my own ideas about newly built homes. Reflecting on the opportunity to literally build a community. There are so many people in need of good housing – and here it is. There’s also the thrill of creating something from the beginning, of being brave and willing to try new things. Letting go of those that don’t serve and building on those that do. In Penny, Ebbsfleet Valley residents have a committed and passionate advocate who cares deeply about all aspects of their wellbeing and is working enthusiastically to build a flourishing community.

It’s a busy day – I catch up with some of the Gravesham Borough Council Communities and Leisure Cabinet Meeting. It’s livestreamed on You Tube, with all the Councillors on Zoom. It’s exciting to learn about the plans for the Estuary Festival, there’s some incredible creative work that will be happening in Gravesham. I might read the minutes of previous meetings.

I finish the day by joining the Gravesham Sokka Gakkai International discussion group on zoom. SGI is a Buddhist organisation, the question for tonight’s meeting is, ‘How can we make an even greater effort to deepen our faith?’

I’m very warmly welcomed and members introduce themselves, and share what they have faith in. There’s a sharing of struggles and challenges but also of joy. Members talk about taking responsibility and personal transformation through the practice of devotional chanting but also through daily actions. In these actions members strive to be more and more compassionate, wise and courageous. These three qualities being something they consider our inherent Buddha nature, qualities we all have and are the best version of ourselves. 

As the members talk I find myself noting down words that are repeated; gratitude, effort, joy, possibility and hope. One member shares a quote about hope and one line in particular resonates with me, and seems to summarise my day, ‘Working for people’s happiness is something everyone can do’.

It’s been a pleasure to spend a day exploring this area with people who both actively believe and practice this principle for their community. It’s bittersweet to have a taste of what my residency could have been, a month of days like this would have been a totally transformational experience for me. But I sense that I am still changing, and being changed through these conversations. Building in reflection time is my next challenge – time for some long walks I think.