As I walked into the public toilets in Shepton Mallet there was a chorus of 'Halleluiah!' It was not what I expected.
As you may know, these very smart toilets have a sound system playing classical music. At that moment it was a bit of Handel's Messiah. The sound quality left something to be desired, and I did wonder about its appropriateness for public toilets, but there it was. You might find it's Elgar or Verdi if you visit them.
But it did occur to me that it would be a shame if someone decided they didn't like classical music on the basis of what they'd heard in the Shepton Mallet loos. Similarly, it would be a shame if someone decided they didn't like rock music because of what they heard coming out of a car window as they were waiting to cross Wells High Street.
You have to give these things a chance. I first got interested in classical music because a friend lent me a record called 'Bach's Greatest Hits'. It was a 12 inch vinyl, back in the days when these were normal. I listened to it a few times and grew to like it. But I had to give it a chance, and give it time.
Community is like that. It's interesting how soaps all feature communities in one way or another: Coronation Street, Eastenders, Emmerdale, The Archers. I think that's one of the reasons people like them. They are attracted by the idea of a community. They don't want to be just rattling around on their own but to be part of something bigger.
And villages can be communities. But not necessarily. Community doesn't just happen. You have to give it a chance. And give it time.
Making a community involves commitment. It sometimes means being where we'd rather not be at that moment; or taking part in things that are not our preference; or having to get on with people we don't find easy. But we stick with it in order to create and to have something that is very worthwhile.
Over the summer in our villages there are fetes, fun days, walks, exhibitions, shows. These things can all help to turn the villages into communities.
Some people put a lot of time and energy into making these things happen. They do us all a great service.
If you are not already involved I recommend joining in these events; partly because there are fun things going on there, but also because community is worth having. And to create it and be part of it you have to give it a chance, and give it time.
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