Well yes!! I am excited AGAIN.
For a long time now I have wanted, as part of my role as community Chaplain, to do a ‘walk about’ on the estate but felt rather inhibited walking around aimlessly on my own.
Enter Rob – Street Warden (I asked him to look important for the photo)
I met Rob, who has only recently been appointed as Street Warden for Thames View, at our last Network Meeting and on hearing that Kim, Neighbourhood Manager, had conducted a walk about with Rob – the light bulb flashed in my head; I thought anything Kim can do so can I – thanks Kim.
So this morning I met up with Rob and I followed him around on his normal routine of checking gardens, garages, alleys etc etc for rubbish and fly-tipping but it also gave me as ‘Workplace Chaplain’ a chance to listen to his concerns, hopes, aspirations and some of the not so pleasant incidents of his job. The importance of this for me was that I was listening whilst on his turf.
As ‘Community Chaplain’ it also served the purpose I wanted and I was able to talk to people, some I knew and some I didn’t, in a quite relaxed and normal fashion as they saw me patrolling the streets with Rob. No-body questioned or appeared surprised that I was out pounding the streets, which made me feel so much better and have more confidence to be able to do the same on my own.
Rob (also the Dog Warden) received a call from his head office in Barking requesting that he immediately went and picked up a Rottweiler and a Pincher who were on the loose on a nearby estate – thankfully at this point we parted company!!!
But the words ringing in my ears as we parted company were just what I wanted to hear:-
‘Sorry this has been a short morning but when are you free to join me again’
Dates have been texted to Rob..