Paul Quirk is a new friend I have made since spending time in Sunny Kensington and being around and volunteering at the various projects run by Kensington Vision. Paul also volunteers at the project; in the cafe and the bakery. Like me, he has also joined in some of the other activities on offer there such as producing a radio show and taking guitar lessons. The project attracts many people who have had struggles in life, and amidst conversations taking place there ,there is plenty of room for us to reflect on the experience of mental health diagnoses, coping with the benefits system, health services on offer or not. Its stuff that I have begun prioritising in recent years in order to make better sense of my own experience and I guess features a lot in these blogs’
Pauls take on these issues is something that I am very interested in and we have some good discussions on the subject. He won’t mind me saying this as he is very candid about this experience, which has includes spells in hospital and problems that have endured for a couple of decades. I have noticed him attempting to introduce the topic of mental health soon after meeting up with new people, an approach I have found helpful myself.
Being around Paul for the last 12 months and getting to know him, coinciding with a breakdown in my coping abilities and observing a massive improvement in his mental health has been humbling. He believes that his renaissance has been largely influenced by the sobering effect of volunteering two days a week at the project. He explains how the challenges of facing the real world in the cafe for instance, with all the various characters frequenting the place as very intense. In surviving this test it has stimulating an interest in exploring more of what life has to offer, he has previously written and performed his own songs and has found himself in a creative vein again. He is currently putting efforts into getting his music heard by others by teaming up with a fellow creative friend of his. His friend of some years has found himself in a hostel for homeless people with a recording studio attached and Paul has gone for it with a passion.......rock and roll! That is still in the pipeline and I get updates of the progress when we meet up and if I’m lucky he’ll give a rendition too. It is politically motivated stuff in a very real sense as he speaks from the heart about the injustice that he sees around him. His radio show tackled the issue of migration and asylum, you can listen in to the discussions he had with a community development worker and appreciate more his interest and empathy that he has to both the subject and the worker, Mohammed, in the studio with him. Its worth listening to the end as you will pick up the rapport they developed together during the time they spent together off air.
He has helped me a great deal with my day to day anxieties of late. When he makes his thoughtful observations on my life’s dilemmas its only after listening intently to my thoughts. He often remembers anecdotes from his own life to try and empathise with me and extracting some gallows humour to lighten my experience. On one occasion recently I was trying to summon up the resolve to attend the African music festival in my local park and bumped into Paul on the way there. When he asked how I was it wasn’t long before I was blubbering. He was so chilled and just put his arm around me until I calmed down, unconcerned that people were passing by. One young couple walked past and the girl commented on us, ‘ah- that’s so cute’
Paul loves dogs and has been helping out with the Pets and Pals stuff going on in and around the project which is an extremely dog friendly environment anyway. He has been volunteering at the weekly walks and also at some of the events we have done at the local parks this year. He has become one of a lovely team of people that has grown up around Kensington are now helping out with the Pets and Pals project . While there it is almost guaranteed he will be sharing amusing. anecdotes from his life; everyone is appreciative of these and seems to have their own personal favorite. He is great with the dogs too and takes an obvious pleasure in their company. He currently lives in supported accommodation which has all manner of restrictions attached to it; it’s a big no to dogs. At the Kenny Krufts event we organised earlier in the year he persuaded many of the other tenants resident at the sheltered housing block to come along on the day, so reaching out to others who need the power of the pooch in their lives to help them get through difficult times.
The Kensington Vision projects are a big part of both mine and Paul’s lives as well as a significant number of other’s in the area. It is keeping people well and making them aspire to greater things. I’ve name checked it, the people and projects a few times now in this blog and as I struggle on with crippling anxiety being around people like Paul can give me the strength to battle on another day, cheers guys. xr
Pauls take on these issues is something that I am very interested in and we have some good discussions on the subject. He won’t mind me saying this as he is very candid about this experience, which has includes spells in hospital and problems that have endured for a couple of decades. I have noticed him attempting to introduce the topic of mental health soon after meeting up with new people, an approach I have found helpful myself.
Being around Paul for the last 12 months and getting to know him, coinciding with a breakdown in my coping abilities and observing a massive improvement in his mental health has been humbling. He believes that his renaissance has been largely influenced by the sobering effect of volunteering two days a week at the project. He explains how the challenges of facing the real world in the cafe for instance, with all the various characters frequenting the place as very intense. In surviving this test it has stimulating an interest in exploring more of what life has to offer, he has previously written and performed his own songs and has found himself in a creative vein again. He is currently putting efforts into getting his music heard by others by teaming up with a fellow creative friend of his. His friend of some years has found himself in a hostel for homeless people with a recording studio attached and Paul has gone for it with a passion.......rock and roll! That is still in the pipeline and I get updates of the progress when we meet up and if I’m lucky he’ll give a rendition too. It is politically motivated stuff in a very real sense as he speaks from the heart about the injustice that he sees around him. His radio show tackled the issue of migration and asylum, you can listen in to the discussions he had with a community development worker and appreciate more his interest and empathy that he has to both the subject and the worker, Mohammed, in the studio with him. Its worth listening to the end as you will pick up the rapport they developed together during the time they spent together off air.
He has helped me a great deal with my day to day anxieties of late. When he makes his thoughtful observations on my life’s dilemmas its only after listening intently to my thoughts. He often remembers anecdotes from his own life to try and empathise with me and extracting some gallows humour to lighten my experience. On one occasion recently I was trying to summon up the resolve to attend the African music festival in my local park and bumped into Paul on the way there. When he asked how I was it wasn’t long before I was blubbering. He was so chilled and just put his arm around me until I calmed down, unconcerned that people were passing by. One young couple walked past and the girl commented on us, ‘ah- that’s so cute’
Paul loves dogs and has been helping out with the Pets and Pals stuff going on in and around the project which is an extremely dog friendly environment anyway. He has been volunteering at the weekly walks and also at some of the events we have done at the local parks this year. He has become one of a lovely team of people that has grown up around Kensington are now helping out with the Pets and Pals project . While there it is almost guaranteed he will be sharing amusing. anecdotes from his life; everyone is appreciative of these and seems to have their own personal favorite. He is great with the dogs too and takes an obvious pleasure in their company. He currently lives in supported accommodation which has all manner of restrictions attached to it; it’s a big no to dogs. At the Kenny Krufts event we organised earlier in the year he persuaded many of the other tenants resident at the sheltered housing block to come along on the day, so reaching out to others who need the power of the pooch in their lives to help them get through difficult times.
The Kensington Vision projects are a big part of both mine and Paul’s lives as well as a significant number of other’s in the area. It is keeping people well and making them aspire to greater things. I’ve name checked it, the people and projects a few times now in this blog and as I struggle on with crippling anxiety being around people like Paul can give me the strength to battle on another day, cheers guys. xr