Barnet Tales winner: street party
By Chloe Dennis (aged 13)
Clearing out the cupboards, what a way to spend a Saturday! I could be out with my friends; well I could if I had any money! That’s why I’m doing this, to earn some cash. Hmmmm... What have we here...dusty board game...blank video tapes...never used glassware...engraved wooden spoon? Oh, what’s this? It’s a pack of old photos! Well, I’ll just look at these quickly, mustn’t get distracted, I’ve got to finish this job. Let’s see...Hang on! That’s me! I look about five or six and I’m standing in the street, wearing a Union Jack T-Shirt and Union Jack deelie-boppers! What?
‘Muuuuuuuuuuuuuum!”
“What? Don’t yell at me! If you want to talk to me, come here and do it!...Ok, that’s better, what do you want?”
“When were these photos taken?”
“Let’s see...Oh, that was at the street party for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee!”
“What?”
“Well, in...Hmmmm, it would have been, uhhhhhh...2002, it was the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.”
“Yes, and?”
“Patience! Anyway, the people in the street next to ours, Lovelace Road, decided to have a street party to celebrate. They had the road closed off and put long tables at the top, down the middle of the road.”
“Like after the War?”
“Don’t interrupt!”
“Sorry”
“So anyway, they invited everyone in their street and everyone in ours to go. So you got all dressed up in your little Union Jack top...”
“...and deelie-boppers!”
“What did I say?”
“No interrupting, sorry. Carry on!”
“And we all went over there. They played music, served party food and had a bouncy castle! You were running up and down the street. You were so cute back then, what went wrong...”
“Mum!”
“It was just such a brilliant idea. People who normally barely even spoke to each other got together and organised this great street party. It was just so lovely to go along and get chatting to people we saw but didn’t really know. Before we felt a bit isolated but now there’s a real sense of community whenever we go around in our local area. We wouldn’t know our neighbours nearly as well as we do if we hadn’t gone.”
“When’s the Queen’s next Jubilee?”
“Ummmm....2012, I think, so the same year as the Olympics!”
“Cool, do you think we’ll have another street party then?”
“I don’t know, but it’s something to think about”
“I hope we do”
“So do I”
“Ok, well... bye!”
“And where do you think you’re going?”
“Ummmmmmm, to watch telly?”
“And are those cupboards done?”
“Ummmm, maybe?”
“Go one, finish them off”
Damn.
Email this pageLast modified by: Mike Godleman on 06/11/2009