Belonging

Having spent so many years as an outsider, observing, reflecting and more often than not writing, I’ve never felt I belonged. My latest book Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay illustrates how people are rediscovering the value of community and researching it, was one of the things that prompted our return to Leiston.

But this week, I’ve come to realise that I am now living in a place where I can feel I belong. Yesterday I was being filmed at the Long Shop Museum, creating a short video that schools can use to prompt young people to look back, and more importantly, imagine what life will be like for them in 50 years time when they reach my age.

A volunteer at the museum grabbed me and asked if my film-maker friend could help with a project she’s involved with, capturing the stories of women who worked at the Long Shop in the last war, making bombs. She introduced herself, and was amazed when I told her that her late husband had been my art teacher at school. She’s also a good friend of my mother-in-law.

Taking the time to listen to, record and write down the stories old people can tell, before it is too late, is very much what George Ewart Evans became known for and so I’m more than happy to get involved. Leiston has a unique industrial heritage that deserves to be better understood. Perhaps I can play a small part in that interpretation.