Broadstairs residents' anger at removal of wellbeing hub

Transcript

00:00The reason for setting this up, this hub, Hopeville Friends and Neighbours Hub,

00:05was for the well-being of my neighbours and also myself as well really. Our mental health,

00:12the physicalities involved with my neighbours, they're elderly, they're a little bit older than

00:16me and they need help. They're single, living in single lives in single houses and it's very

00:23difficult for them to get out and associate with each other. So when I moved in, I'm a bit gregarious

00:30so I decided to say hello to all my new neighbours and then ask them about, oh that neighbour over

00:35there you just like you know nodded to, what's her name? And kind of like the answer might be

00:40don't really know. So I decided to get everybody talking, make it a community rather than just a

00:48collection and so this impromptu hub started. I started a Facebook, I started a WhatsApp page

00:57so as they can instantly put a message out that will go to all members. The seating that we've

01:02got at the moment, which is in question, came about through firstly the King's Coronation.

01:09Generally we're just about at capacity now so it's almost like we need more seating but we

01:15don't want to do that because Orbit has taken exception to this as a hub of like peace and

01:23tranquility and mental help and physical help to anybody, whoever wants to come over at any time,

01:29passers-by, dog walkers sit down and have a cup of tea with us. It's really, it's a really nice

01:36feeling to help people so what we're trying to do is keep that. Now it's substantially here,

01:46we'd like to keep it, Orbit don't want that and it would, personally speaking, it would completely

01:52cripple me if they took this away. Not because it's outside the front of mind because I started

02:00it, because many days when I'm not even here people will still come and gather because they

02:06know it's a gathering spot. If this went, this hub, I'd be devastated not only for me but for everybody else.