For me, 2012 will be the year that Weymouth changed shape. In the midst of one of the toughest economic depressions, a depression that has hit the town hard sprang up lasers and a rotating observation tower (kind of a thrill ride on tranquillisers). The beach has also been rejuvenated thanks to a Baywatch-style lifeguard station and various beach hut cafés. Finally, the Olympics rolled into town, turning the beach scene into an exciting and buzzing centre of activity for all people of all ages.
OK, so they shut the Nothe Fort down, but actually, does it really matter? I personally don’t feel any worse off or short changed as a result. Sure, I love the Nothe. I love to take a stroll up there in the summer, sit on the grassy slopes, and look out over the calm sea. Every year I find myself wondering, “why aren’t there more people here?”. Suddenly they close it down for the Olympics, and everybody is up in arms. I can’t be the only one who senses just a degree or two of hypocrisy in some people’s arguments. Yes, it’s a piece of public land (shockingly underused in my experience), and no, it’s not great they’ve closed it off, but on the flip side, if you want to send a major international event with all of the attention and publicity it brings, packing because you don’t like their logistics, I’m afraid I can’t agree with you. In fact scrub that; I’m not afraid; I’m dismayed!
I think we can generally agree that our Council are not great. They have a lousy reputation. I’ve found myself on the wrong side of them before. I once had difficulties with my Council Tax payments. When I phoned them to ask what would happen, the cold, indifferent voice of the lady on the end of the phone told me that if I didn’t pay, they would apply for my committal (imprisonment). Not a care about the fact I had lost my job through redundancy and was struggling to pay my rent, my utility bills, and even feed my own stomach! Just cold, disinterested indifference. They sent the bailiffs in. It was only after this point that I received a form to complete for Council Tax Benefit. Even now, I’m a couple of months behind having been made redundant yet again a little while ago. Do I care about the Council on this occasion? No, because I know they don’t give two hoots about me or my situation. It’s not good enough, really, is it? As for money, when I’ve got it, they’ll get it. End of!
Community is a word applied to a game of Monopoly or those buildings we see in random streets where “stuff” happens but not quite sure what. And yet it’s through adverse times that a community really pulls together. A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to see that my street had become a river. Suddenly I was living in Venice. For a brief moment, I was convinced that I was still asleep. I eventually dug out my Wellies and stepped onto the street with my Flipcam in hand to capture some footage. The High Viz coats I saw were doing nothing but standing at the edge of the scene. The people actually digging in and helping out were the people whose own houses were under threat. People who perhaps had never even said “hello” to each other were suddenly helping each other out. No need for any introductions or formalities. We were all in the same boat (excuse the pun), and so people just extended a hand of kindness out to help those who had been affected.
I’m not a sports fan. So the sporting aspect of this loud roadshow that has rolled into our town doesn’t interest me, but the spirit of it does. You see, it’s much needed in Weymouth. We’ve all seen the growing number of empty shops on the street. We all know somebody who has either lost their job or been under threat of losing their job. The recession has affected all of us in one way or another. Suddenly the eyes of the world are on Weymouth, and to the outsider, consider how it must look. The aforementioned tower, beach huts and lasers, the gorgeous sandy beach, the large concert stage, the media—it all looks well…attractive. Perhaps attractive enough for people to think, “hmm, why haven’t we visited there before?”.
As a town, we’ve been through the mill, and, for many of us, as people, we’ve been through the mill too. Take a look around, though. Remove yourself from the boxed in view you’ve understandably developed and realise that somebody or something is doing something major to help the area appear attractive, exciting, and worth further investigation.
With change come three streams of people. Those who like it, those who don’t, and those who just don’t care either way. The latter are the most intriguing, as they have the potential to be persuaded either side of the fence rather than right on it. If that’s you, let me offer you this for consideration. Life is a series of experiences, mistakes, and seemingly bizarre circumstances from which we learn and develop. The past few years have at times been tough for me personally. The changes to the town and the worrying signs of the recession have likewise concerned me greatly. To quote, however, an old cliché, “what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” If you can adopt this way of thinking and see the potential, you can learn to take in the bigger picture and perhaps appreciate a little more the potential and opportunity available in any given scenario. Embrace the Olympics. Embrace the closing down of the Nothe Fort because, for a short while, in one year out of many, it is serving to highlight to people, not necessarily from the area, just what a great area it is. I believe better times are ahead, and I will acknowledge openly my own opinionated hypocrisy, unashamedly where I recognise the potential for progress. Not just progress for the sake of it, but because, by God, we need it. Get behind the changes, and we suddenly have a whole new sense of community and one that is much larger. With that spirit, the problems that we face can be surmounted, the council we invariably tire of can be sorted, and our streets, homes, and jobs given a greater degree of potential. If you can’t get behind that, then I’m afraid you’re a part of the problem, not the solution!
Ted Wilderman
