Letter to wanderers

This is the text from a letter I posted to the Woolwich Wandering participants last week. It captures some early reflections on their generous contributions to the project so far; their walking routes and maps, photo journals and our conversations.

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Hello

I took a moment to pause and reflect this week when I heard about another fatal stabbing in Woolwich at a bus stop on Woolwich New Road at 5:30pm; it filled me with great sadness and anger. This feeling was such a jarring reminder that among all the wonderful stories of Woolwich you and others have shared with me in the last few months, this darker, tragic and turbulent side of Woolwich rumbles away and rears its ugly head for the world to see in news headlines. A 14-year-old boy lost his life; another was seriously injured and has been arrested. In an instant, families are torn apart and changed forever.

I can hear a voice in my head, a familiar voice that some of you talked about in your journals and our conversations, the voice of people that said to you when you moved here ‘why would you want to move to Woolwich?’ with a bemused look on their face. Because they know this version of Woolwich from the headlines and cannot see past that.

Yet, yet, many of you, but not all of you, spoke so warmly about living here, about your choice to be here despite these uglier sides of SE18 that remind us that its sometimes complicated. 

I think this complicated relationship with Woolwich is well summed up by one of your journal entries:

“Woolwich is a slightly crazy, colourful clothes wearing alcoholic dysfunctional aunt that you look forward to seeing.  She has great stories and makes you feel warm but you wish she’d get some help. She has a calm peaceful side that not many people see.”

Many of you found this calm, peaceful side during the pandemic; for example, some of you discovered Woolwich Common for the first time as you ventured into its wild centre beyond the busy road boundaries.  Others found tranquillity by the River Thames, which unsurprisingly was one of the pop stars to emerge from the research so far.

Some of you who, like me, are relative newcomers to Woolwich; some of you have lived here all your lives; found love here; moved here to start a family; and one of you has moved away since contributing to the project. I think most of us agreed with the sentiment that Woolwich needs to get some ‘help’; and we spoke a lot about the local regeneration projects that are positioned as helping Woolwich move forward.

Many of you expressed with acute awareness that you benefit from all these new plans for the area but you had concerns about what might have happened to previous residents who have been moved on; you spoke of social cleansing and gentrification. Some of you live in the new buildings in the town centre and riverside. Others live away from the centre towards Charlton, Shooters Hill and Plumstead. Many of you spoke about your excitement about the upcoming creative district, Woolwich Works, with thoughts on this area being billed as a tourist destination; a real mixed bag of positivity about supporting the local economy juxtaposed with concern about who is being left behind in these grand cultural plans. Nearly all of you talked about ‘The Road’ as a physical, cultural and social barrier between the town centre and Royal Arsenal Riverside. Some of you rarely visit the town centre because it does not provide what you are looking for in terms of shops, socialising and leisure, choosing to go to other local spots like Greenwich in your spare time. All of you spoke fondly about the local green spaces and some of you highlighted issues with disconnected spaces, access and a lack of safe road crossings. The Military presence seemed overall to be welcomed, with The Kings Troop cited by many of you as a local treasure.

In the last few months of getting to know you and all the other local people who have generously written journals, taken photos, made maps and walking routes, I have experienced many joyful moments of connection.  Your creativity and care in completing the tasks has really blown me away.  I have been walking some of your routes and visiting places that you have introduced me to and been thinking about how we might all come together and consider ‘what next?’ for this project. I wonder how we might do something light, social and meaningful that celebrates your Woolwich with others.

Woolwich is complicated and perhaps a little lost. Maybe this is part of its mystique and charm, or not. Is it possible that as a collective we can play a small part in helping it find its way?

So…with this in mind, how we might move forward?

I am taking a two-month break in July and August from the Woolwich Wandering project to undertake a work placement with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance, a local company that will be moving into the Woolwich Works building this Autumn. I am helping them in their production EnRoute, which is a promenade experience that starts on Woolwich Common and finishes on the Royal Arsenal Riverside, running daily from Tuesday 26^th July to Sunday 1^st August.   This is the link for more information if its something that interests you. https://proteindance.co.uk/production/en-route/

When I return to the Woolwich Wandering project in September, I would like to invite you all to take part in a group meet up, to reflect on where the project is now, and where it might go.  This will probably be hosted in an outdoor space such as The Garrison Church, as one of you suggested.  Date to be confirmed. I will be in touch nearer the time to find out your availability.

In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or suggestions on locations, format etc, do get in touch.

And so to close…as I finish drafting this letter to you, England have made it to the final of the Euros and by the time this letter arrives on your doorstep the game will have been played and the Prime Minister will have made an announcement about the lifting of Covid restrictions. As we enter a new phase of the pandemic, I wish you all the best of health and happiness and hope you are finding things in your days to make you smile.

Lizzie