BIRD’S WORDS
A few Fridays ago I took a train from London to Leamington Spa, last visited by me over 50 years ago. To go to a pub called Murphy’s Bar on a corner in central Leamington to sing It’s Now or Never by Elvis Presley. Landlord Kevin Murphy gave the night over to a fundraising for Safeline, a charity devoted to helping people survive sexual abuse, started 30 years ago. A third of people with drink and drugs addiction issues have been sexually molested in childhood and early life.
I was met at the station by a silent Rebecca Davidson, a new young local councillor for Leamington who had asked me to come along and make a fool of myself. Her silence was to last for 24 hours and was part of the fundraising for Safeline, with the silence to be broken with the karaoke show at 8pm.
How could I resist?
What a brilliant and lively and loud collection of largely young people, committed to turning the Friday night into a useful endeavour to aid people scarred by sexual abuse. To provide support that would help people heal and live a fuller life.
One can get very grey about the mind on occasions when you look at what bestial things are being enacted in the world. Certainly the New Year did not start well, with Gaza and Ukraine, to name but two killing fields. So I felt compelled not only to shake off dread but to touch base with our basic human desire to contribute to the wellbeing of others. And the opportunity to use my loud but untuned voice aligned well with the desire to just do something different but useful.
For Murphy’s Bar and the engaged community of Leamington to rally round a social supporter like Safeline was a magnet to me. Bringing me back to terra firma and the enthusiastic desire that many people have to simply do something useful with their time in the world.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Leamington came to the event, as well as the Mayor of Warwick. Future Creatives, run by a young woman called Vince, provided singing tuition for prospective karaokers and sang full blast, demonstrating what song – in the right hands – can do to the soul.
Community was the form of this loud and useful night: the coming together of the voluntary sector with local councillors and the general public. These are the essential ingredients that make up the fabric of a supported local society. Yet many communities have been harmed by the plight of local authorities which are often unable to offer support due to the shrivelling up of central governme
