Rooted
Did you enjoy your visit to Victory Café Home in the company of the very wise cat Alfie? …. Well, here we are, Feathers has brought us full circle all the way back to where we started at Luton Library, they say that pigeons have a good homing instinct… We’d say crows are pretty good too, wouldn’t you?
We hope you have been entertained by all the stories about this area. Funny isn’t it, how we often think that where we live doesn’t have anything special about it, but of course all places are special, full of personal stories, of history, of imagination. It’s amazing to think that all the while we are going about our busy lives, there is singing and dancing and cups of tea and biscuits and painted nails being enjoyed at Victory Care Home. There is “bon après- midi!” being called out in Kingfisher Primary School by Owl Class in Year 5 as they practise their French. There are children from Team Seal in Year Four at Luton Primary School waving hankies and jingling bells as they practise their Morris Dancing. There’s people popping to the shops and back again, and getting on the bus and getting off again, and there’s arguments, and filling in forms, and going to the doctors, and laughing at jokes , and misunderstandings, and neighbours looking after each other, and there’s traffic and streetlights, and zebra crossings and car alarms, and puddles and potholes, and foxes and dogs and cats, and flowers blooming and leaves falling, and rain and sun and wind and snow, all of it going on right where we are.
And there’s other stranger things here too as we’ve heard, the stories gathered by local people including the tale of young crows getting married and enjoying thrash metal, and a Queen who baked delicious cakes and hosted a weekly party for everyone, and a boy who found a magic potion and discovered the power of friendship, and the wisdom of grandmas and the Wise Horses of Darland Banks, and giantesses sleeping after stopping fights and putting out fires, and slow worms showing children magical ancient lands, and pigeons keeping goblins out of mischief.
Many have made their home in Luton, to add their own stories to those already here. They put down roots like the trees did on Ash Tree Lane, and like the Blackthorn do now on Darland Banks.
Here is someone who has done just that- it’s Natasha with Hazel, the little girl who gave our guide Feathers the crow his name. Natasha says:
“So I feel really rooted here because over time I’ve got to know a lot of the people that live here, and also doing community work here, I’ve lived in two different homes in Luton in a really close area to each other, for over ten years now so that’s been really wonderful to know the make up of Luton and what it means to live here and it does make me feel really rooted”
The library assistants say that they feel rooted too, they say people come there regular as clockwork and it makes for a cosy atmosphere. The people get to know each other. The library assistants do nice displays often, something personal, this makes the library feel like home to those who come here. Being at home is feeling rooted.
In the corner of the library there are local history books, where you can find out more about the area, but you can find out more by talking to people too, by listening and by sharing stories with each other and that’s what happens on the street, in the shops, here in the library, in the schools, in the care home. And if you’ve enjoyed these stories, know there is always more to find out about Luton, as Natasha says:
“If I was writing a guide book for visitors coming to Luton I would tell them to definitely check out all the really cool food shops here and the amazing street art that’s been made through arches local and the blue plaques that now are appearing in peoples windows to find out about the history of the area and also to encourage people to look at the architecture, like look up and look at the old buildings on Luton Road and there’s also these little pockets of woodland hidden way, there’s loads to see here, there’s a. really good chip shop called Frydays, they do gluten free now which is amazing, so yeah, I really enjoy it”
So thanks for following Feathers the Crow on this walk around the area. Makes sure you come back and visit. Tell us your stories about Luton too.
And just before we go- one last question for you to consider: what makes somewhere feel like home to you ? What does it take for you to feel rooted?
Well, there goes Feathers, off to find the other crows and settle down for the night. Hope you have a good evening too, and see you again soon.
“Thankyou for joining us”
“We hope you enjoyed our stories”
“Bye!”
