Ventnor - the community

Ventnor is officially bonkers. On the way back from the Ventnor Exchange, Freya and I have just witnessed a Christmas Lantern Parade, in which various floats containing shivering, slightly diffident, seasonal characters slowly made their way past our house and through the town. 

Good bonkers, of course! In fact I'm increasingly beginning to think of Ventnor as some kind of 'safe space'; that is, somewhere where anyone can come and be themselves. We saw ample evidence of this today as we wandered around the town, building on our superficial view of the community gained over 12 years of holidaymaking. I think there is something in the theory that coastal places attract waifs and strays - those in need of a 'reboot', those who have some mental health crisis, those who feel that the rest of life and society is rushing past them. In all these scenarios people need room to just breathe and be themselves, and Ventnor gives them this. 

The evidence of this is everywhere. Yesterday, Freya and I (we're the 'do-ers' in the family) strolled out to grab something to eat and came across 'Better Days' - a self-proclaimed café and inclusion hub. They run a scheme called 'pay forward', whereby customers can contribute to food provided free to those who are struggling. There is a sign on the counter stating that if you can't afford anything, ask for the 'House Special'. This is a euphemism, and saves people the embarrassment of declaring their financial woes. Wow! An amazing idea! The café also hosts mental health workshops, and is, in short, a haven for the disadvantaged, disillusioned and disenfranchised.(As well as the hungry!) I'm looking forward to getting to know the boss, Kirsty, and to persuading Ewan to do some volunteering there.

We then visit the church and notice the 'Our Space and Warm Place' initiative; these are community drop-in sessions supported by local organisations, offering company and support to anyone who requires it; I think they act as something of a conduit to other stakeholders. 

Then we pop into the Co-op, where the ubiquitous foodbank is collecting from shoppers. We promise to donate something; let's hope we actually do!

I'm mightily impressed - touched even - with all this, and hope that Ewan is too. It chimes with how he thinks about how people should behave in a decent society, and I'd love to get him involved; it's not enough just to belong to a political party! I'm also so pleased that we are going to be living somewhere where people are motivated to help others. Sounds sanctimonious, doesn't it, but that's what the essence of community is.

In addition, I'm forming a view of the town as being a kind of artisan, hipster place - maybe a little like Whitstable, or a mini Brighton. There is a Ventnor motto: Keep Ventnor Weird, and this reflects all the qualities I've tried to get across here. Its artistic credentials are obvious: the Ventnor Fringe festival, the Ventnor Exchange where I write this, Ingrams Yard, bought by the Ventnor Exchange with a view to creating a performance space and where there was a market today. And there's a Ventnor Arts Club and two shops that sell vinyl records. We knew all this in advance, and again, I'm so chuffed to be somewhere where all this is going on.

This weekend is a big couple of days in terms of Christmas. The Christmas Market in St. Catherine's church was heaving, and we delighted in wandering around and looking at all the kitchen industry products for sale. We had a cup of tea and chatted to one or two people we'd met before. We saw Adrian, who I mistakenly called Gavin, and then dug a hole by suggesting they are equivalent names. There is some truth in this. Gerard and Tyler are not 'equivalent names'; 'Robert' and 'William' are. And in my opinion so are Adrian and Gavin. Gavin - I mean Adrian - was unperturbed by this idiocy and served us cups of tea, which we drank while talking to another new acquaintance, Nicola, who had recently completed training for the priesthood. Tonight is Carols in the Park, preceded by the aforementioned Lantern Parade. If I'm honest, the weather may dictate that we opt for No Carols in the House instead; it's not cold, but a little drizzly and misty, which I suspect might be typical Ventnor weather at the time of the year. I'm not complaining: the famed micro-climate shelters us from the worst of the UK's wintery weather (apparently it never snows here) and also provides an atmospheric backdrop, with the dramatic Ventnor Downs rising mystically above the town. Tomorrow evening there is a Carol Service in the church which we will attend and sing lustily in. 

So we're still fatigued from all the moving, the coughing, the leaving of boyfriends (Freya), the job applications and procurements (congratulations to Mrs. G.).

But we're excited, happy and content to be in Ventnor, bonkers or otherwise!