The whole journey of taking over the community centre and growing it to what it is today has only ever been about one thing. This journey so far has taken me and Abi on some amazing highs, amazing lows and everything else in between. However, we never lost sight of that one thing, which is that this is about you, not me.
This is about you feeling comfortable in a warm welcoming space where you feel safe sharing your feelings with friends. This is about you feeling free to laugh. enjoy other people’s company, and express your happiness so that your laughter fills the hall and continuously spreads throughout the building. This is about you seeking the support, guidance and feeling worthy within the community centre walls. This is about your views being heard, feeling valued and placed in the trust of people who will bring solutions to the problems you are having.
This is about you holding your head high, knowing that you are part of a community that will laugh with you, cry with you and do whatever it takes to make things better for you. This is about you feeling accepted, wanted, and having no judgments against you because we all make mistakes (trust me, 44 years later I am still making them! I will most likely make many more before I die). Nothing is undervalued, or ignored with what you are experiencing, or disapproved because this is about you, not me.
This is about you experiencing something that has been missing for so long and that you have craved to have. This is about you feeling “as one” as you stand in a crowd with those around you as you all join together in one place. This is about you sitting in the community centre enjoying a good meal with friends while we worry about the cooking and washing up, not you. This is about you eating good food that you deserve to eat and not having to miss out because the cost of food is currently ridiculously priced so high.
This is about you talking to other mums on a Thursday about the trials and tribulations of parenting while your children play together, eat together and grow up together in a warm, safe environment. This is about you knowing that we are open to your feedback and ideas to make improvements, where improvements are needed. This is about the men too, who can meet up on a Monday and chat together over a cuppa and a bacon sandwich to encourage conversation and provide them with space to talk about life because it is about you, not me.
This is about you because New Pasture Lane Community Centre cares about you, and none of it is about me.