The calm before the storm

Sun 10 Aug, 15:49 (last edited on Sun 10 Aug, 15:50)

I LOVE Charlbury and our strong community spirit, as Stephen said, and its so important to take time and ceremony to reflect on what makes Charlbury the kind of place we all have grown to know and love. Which is why you are all invited to a Youth BBQ Showcase on the Sunday of Street Fair weekend! If you can BBQ burgers, please reach out! The BBQ is to be hosted on the Sunday, 21st September as part of an annual showcase of ALL the work being done in Charlbury for our young people.

I also agree with Michael that while many complain (especially about "those bloody teenagers!") we NEED to see that energy translate into ACTION. So please come out and support our young people at their very first youth-led Tree Hugging Festival on 30th August at the Playing Close AND at the Youth BBQ Showcase on 21st September.

EVERYONE is invited to attend and show community support!

But I can't go ahead with the showcase event without adult volunteers to help support the BBQ! So please let me know if you can flip burgers!

Thanks for reading!

Bryanna, Youth Ambassador (and former Canadian tourist)

PS. If you are interested in being a Patron of the Youth of Charlbury for £10+/month, please reach out as this will make or break our efforts to transform the lives of young people in this town. The Patron Program will officially launch on 21st September at the BBQ (if I can find BBQers!)

Sun 10 Aug, 15:42

Very well said Michael.

Sun 10 Aug, 15:15 (last edited on Sun 10 Aug, 15:18)

A surprising proportion of what might be unfairly described as "here today, gone tomorrow" tourists - such as Stephen and his husband, my wife and myself and most Forum moderators - rapidly turn into permanent Charlburians. 

An important characteristic of the Town's community spirit is that its institutions (like our churches, societies and political representatives) depend so heavily on people whom Stephen might once have called "here today, gone tomorrow" tourists. And a problem they all share is recruiting more permanent Charlburians to help manage those institutions.

Because until the kind of permanent Charburian who'd rather complain about tourists starts to help manage our institutions, our community spirit will collapse. And that won't be the fault of "here today, gone tomorrow" tourists - but of permanent Charlburians whose greatest contribution is complaining. 

Sun 10 Aug, 13:28

Sitting outside our wonderful deli this morning with a coffee and bacon roll I was reflecting on what a marvellous place Charlbury is; particularly marked by its great sense of community. Well done to the team at the deli for opening up on Sunday. It’s just what we need. Such a shame next week is going to be torrid with the security circus and closed roads that accompany the visit of the US vice president. Like many of us Charlbury residents I deplore the influx of the corporate celebrity crowd and the tourists they bring but these people tend to be, here today gone tomorrow. But our strong community spirit will survive.