As we gear up for the hustle and bustle
of Christmas and New Year, I am mindful of those within our
communities who, often without pay, help us all keep the balls in the
air, as the juggling act of managing childcare along with
increasingly heavy workloads has a little breather, for five minutes
at least. Our increasingly manic lifestyles, and the expectation of
constant communication, can take its toll on us all. I think that the
festive season, falling as it does at the end of the year, should be
a time for reflection and thankfulness. In my case, a sigh of relief,
that I’ve made it thus far, relatively unscathed. Without the
continued support of others in many capacities, we would all be much
the poorer.
Many in our communities, day after day,
selflessly put their time and energy into a huge range of activities,
which in some way benefit us all; charity fund raisers spring readily
to mind, along with school mentors, volunteer librarians,
organisations such as Rotary, Lions and Samaritans, those who help
ensure that our favourite pantos give us all a loud dose of belly
laughter, along with hundreds of other deserving causes and
initiatives. Locally in recent weeks I have seen both Brenda Pyle of
Ashill and Henry Patey of Horton, nominated by their peers, receive
well-deserved public recognition for the vital work they do in
support of others in their communities; always with a cheery smile
and a kind word, never seeking the limelight. I have also been
invited to attend a wide range of glittering awards ceremonies,
covering everything from unsung heros amongst hospital staff, which
brought me to tears, to council employees who go about their daily
duties as the invisible cogs in a very big wheel, not forgetting the
glittering ‘Oscar’ style youth awards at The Octagon Theatre in
Yeovil, demonstrating loud and clear the best that Somerset can
offer. At Westlands, I could hardly contain my excitement, when after
recently being appointed to join the board of the Somerset Rural
Youth Project, they were chosen as Charity of the Year by Somerset
Chamber of Commerce. The list is endless. With our ever tightening
belts, despite repeated assurances of the economy bearing up well, we
are all becoming increasingly reliant on the traditional ‘do-gooder’;
once seen as a derogatory term for busy body women of a certain age
who had no better things to occupy themselves with than interfering
in others’ lives. Nowadays I wonder where we’d all be without
these community treasures taking up the slack. What all of these
people have in common though is their willingness, usually without
pay, to go the extra mile; giving up their time, and sometimes their
hard earned money, to ensure that life is a little better for the
rest of us, both here and abroad. In my capacity as County Councillor
I am privileged to be involved with the current 4Cs Champion Awards,
where after a recent staff survey there was acknowledgement that the
best kind of reward, rather than being in monetary terms, was
recognition of their efforts, and a thank you. I wonder how often, as
harassed as we sometimes are, we do in fact remember to just say
‘thank you’ for a deed well done, a favour given freely. This
year, I shall be making it my New Year’s resolution to remember to
say ‘thank you’ more often. Perhaps an easier resolution to keep,
rather than giving up that bar of chocolate, or that glass of wine,
but far more meaningful. Thank you. Just two simple words that can
mean such a lot.
Linda Piggott-Vijeh
Combe St. Nicholas
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