Lockdown Transitions - BBQ-O’Clock with Wandsworth Team ROC

The lockdown has been a revealing time for all of us in different ways. The paradox is that we've all shared in this in some ways but the individual experiences of it have been so different. One thing that has been shared by everyone is the feeling of isolation and what isolation means. The lockdown has forced this onto people in an unexpected and severe way calling into question any ideas about 'normality' (and whatever this word actually means.... is there any such thing?).

We've all had to stop and although it was quite a shock it has given us all time to think about how we do things and how we can do things better. The upshot of this feels like getting back to basics... Asking residents what they want in Services and how we can go about working together to achieve it. 

Due to the time of year and popular demand it really has been 'BBQ O'Clock' around the Wandsworth Services. Residents have been waiting for an opportunity to share some social space and so we've used these occasions as a way to acknowledge the difficulties of the past few months and to transition into whatever this world that we are living in is. Over the 4 sizzling sessions so far a majority of residents have joined for food and laughs but also to really think about what we can realistically do to make the most of the space we have for fun, reflections and self-development. 

The enthusiasm shown by both residents and staff for this has been inspiring and has made us all appreciate how important spending time together is. We've managed to get some of the old groups like Cycling going again which is an old Wandsworth favourite and residents have been able to take the lead in creating new social groups, coffee afternoons, games over at the common and lively discussion groups.

It's important to remember that although words like restriction and social distancing can conjure problematic associations within us, they also offer the opportunity for creativity and invention. If this is how it is for the time being then let's see what unexpected, before-hidden joys we can muster!

Blog by Matthew Gunter | Team ROC

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