CONNECTION
Better together
So many of us live in a disconnected world, stuck in our own homes and our own heads. Caroline Butterwick discovers the power of community as she gets her hands dirty exploring her adopted hometown
My fingers coated in rich, wet clay, I’m trying to tease something resembling a pot from a lump of warm terracotta. After living in and around Stoke-on-Trent for 11 years, I’ve finally decided it’s time to have a go at making pottery, so I’ve enrolled on a course with a local ceramic artist. It’s a step that has helped me feel much more connected to the heritage of the place in which I live, celebrating Stoke as the UK city of ceramics. And on a more personal level, it’s been a great chance to meet new people, as well as try something different.
‘There’s something really important in connecting with communities and feeling like you’re part of a bigger picture,’ says Nic Gratton, associate professor of community and civic engagement at Staffordshire University. She explains that it can be valuable to feel connected to a physical place, as many of us are detached from where we live, and tapping into the history and culture of our homes can be an important part of remedying this. It’s not just about looking at the past, but appreciating the place as it is now – and thinking about its future. Community engagement can sometimes be a way for us to influence this, working collectively to bring about positive change.