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Richard Littledale

Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: September 2011

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Post-it noteThe writing's on the wall Post-it note

There will be many images which linger in the minds of the people of the United Kingdom from the month of August. For some it will be the sight of the Reeves furniture store in Croydon all but engulfed as flames leapt up into the night sky. For others it will be the sickening sight of a group of apparently kind young men helping a Malaysian student to his feet only to rob him. For others it may well be the sight of London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, broom aloft, encouraging people to clear up the streets of the capital city after the riots. Most of these seemingly indelible images will fade. In Peckham, however, Southwark Council are taking steps to ensure that they do not.

The morning after the worst of the riots in Peckham, people started sticking Post-it notes on the boarded up Poundland store which had been looted. Beneath the words 'We love Peckham because…' a tapestry of pastel-coloured Post-its began to spread with messages of love, hope and encouragement. This community response to the riots, now known as Peckham's 'Wall of Love' is set to become a permanent feature. Soon the board of Post-its will be covered with Perspex and moved into the local library, where it will become a reminder for future generations of the community spirit which acted as an antidote to the violence and greed of the riots themselves.

Peckham Wall of Love
Click for zoomable image from the BBC website

I wonder what reminders churches have of their best and worst community moments? In many a great cathedral you can see tattered regimental colours which have been to numerous battlefields and now hang peacefully in the nave. In smaller parish churches, embroidered kneelers are often a reminder of those who have stitched them. In more simple non-conformist churches such physical reminders are more scarce. We seem to eschew such things.

Of course, too much looking backward can make you fall over when its time to go forwards! Peckham's 'wall of love' though precious, cannot act as an antidote against any and all antisocial behaviour in the future. It has its place, though, as a truly wonderful community gesture. I wonder, if we labelled a wall in church with the words 'We love this church because...', what would people write on it?

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