We later went on to talk further about the way we will start our community connecting. We talked about past experiences people had in the Chesterfield area and how we will interview local people about their life and experiences in Chesterfield. One Hub in the centre of Chesterfield is going to be a gallery; there will be areas where you can try new art projects, pottery, painting etc. Art work will be displayed by local artists and we want to have some stories to capture the history, richness and variety of Chesterfield. The staff will support some people to interview local people and gather stories for the gallery.
Later in the week we started to visit the other hubs to share the vision; our first visit was at Hasland. Once there, a lady sat next to me and introduced herself as Angelina. I said I was called Jackie and asked if her name was Spanish. Angelina then told me her surname, I asked if that was a Spanish name and the staff replied that it was Italian. I said ‘Buon Giorno Angelina, Io chiama Jackie’. We then had this amazing conversation together in Italian, Angelina talked about her parents, her sister and nephews . We talked about food we both liked and much more!
I suggested the staff interview Angelina’s family to find out more about their life and their experiences of Chesterfield and I asked if there was an Italian community in Chesterfield as perhaps we could connect with someone who may call at Hasland sometimes to chat to Angelina in her first language.
It was a wonderful to see Angelina’s face so happy and smiley, making lots of eye contact with me and enjoying a conversation with someone who understood her. I will try to visit Hasland again soon and chat with Angelina.
One final reflection: I’m wondering what hidden skills other staff have that could be really useful to share?
Jackie Alexander
Best Practice Advisor