Over the last 12 years I have been fortunate to work with some amazing people at Wimbledon Community Association. Since the Wimblecomm website was originally conceived in 2015 and launched in 2016 we have had the expert guiding hand of Tim Martyn, our website developer to support us and as you will have seen today, we have now relaunched the site with a new look thanks in the main to the combined design and technical skills of Tim and our Communications Executive, Natalie Romero who joined us in February this year.
We have also been very lucky to have other staff in the past Susanne Ollig, Genevieve Ettienne-Farrell, Ruth Elora and Kimberley Ellis who have worked on previous iterations of the site and diligently researched and added content over the years with the support of our members, the local venues and groups and you, the wider community here in Merton.
However, the continuation of the charity and therefore the Wimblecomm site itself would not have been possible without the substantial input of our trustees to keep the organisation going. There have been too many over the years to name them all here, but I am of course supremely grateful to them all. Current trustees Kirsty Warwick and Karl Schneider have provided support over recent years since they joined us but in truth, I would not have been able to continue in my work on this project without the patient support and industry of our fourth trustee and charity Secretary, Jackie Chapman.
At various points in our life, we meet people and forge friendships and relationships at home, at work and in our social lives. Sometimes these develop. At other times, paths depart and you rarely, if ever, see one another again. Sometimes it’s a coming together of minds, sometimes a more co-ordinated effort by one or both parties responding to a reciprocal need or interest, and sometimes a chance encounter. Serendipity itself.
If Jackie hadn’t decided to join Carlton Theatre Group as Stage Manager early in 2012 and agreed to support me and the other new trustees as Secretary at the Wimbledon Community Association AGM later that year, I’m not quite sure where we would be now. I have shared various parts of my story through this blog over the year. Jackie, like everyone, has her own story to tell which I will leave her to relate one day if indeed, she wants to.
Sometimes paths cross at an important juncture in our lives and we find together the inspiration and energy to take on a new mission. Jackie and I along with the other trustees, past and present have given up thousands of hours in pursuit of that mission alongside other causes, locally and otherwise. Whilst the new website looks fresh and exciting it will of course require further snagging checks, editorial changes and maintenance as we look to expand it and add content, so we welcome other volunteers and prospective trustees to join us in that pursuit.
In the meantime, there are several new projects that I am starting to look at alongside my own domestic challenges. I’ve touched before on my career in social housing which I have now effectively drawn to a close. I believe there are many experiences and transferrable skills from that which I have been able to draw on for this charity but also lots I have learnt from working with colleagues here which I will draw on in any new ventures.
I will elaborate more in the coming weeks on those lessons learnt but suffice to say that one of the greatest lessons I’ve learnt is that one never stops learning! The longer life goes on the more you realise how little you know. I am lucky to have had some fabulous people to work with and hope in future I find similar like-minded souls to share the next steps on life’s journey.