MARGARET’S story

initially, in Covid, you were in a position of isolation.

“I’ve been coming here for twenty-two years, something like that. I first came here as a client. I’d used computers a bit at work but when I first retired, I wanted to upgrade that, so I came here to classes. Subsequently, I started tutoring photography classes and since then, I’ve started tutoring family history classes. 

We were doing family history as a class here long before Covid. It’s been going on a good ten years now. Since we reopened after lockdown, we only take two clients at a time, because of spacing. I like it better, it means instead of teaching a class, you are actually doing a one-to-one research programme with a client. I think it’s nice to get to know people on a one-to-one basis. Two ladies have stopped coming this year because they felt they’d exhausted the possibilities of their families but in fact, they’d been coming four years, so you get to know them very well. 

During Covid, I missed the mental stimulation of doing research, although I had loads of other things to do. I did jigsawing, I went out walking, I took up some drawing. I have friendly neighbours and so on and so forth.  But, initially in Covid, you were in a position of isolation. I enjoy my own company, but you need somebody to play it off against. Michael could do family history on his own but that’s not the point, you want to share, you want to knock ideas about. That’s what the virtue of coming here is for me.

They set up a Facebook page at the centre called Together While Apart. Lesley asked me to put some stuff up. She started a weekly quiz, a mystery tour, and then I took that over. These were things I’d never tried before. I enjoy doing that, because it enables me to keep up my Photoshop skills that I learnt from here. People seem to enjoy it. They say, “Ooh, I’ve never been there, I’ll go there sometime.” 

I come to an exercise class at the centre as well. That only started during the lockdown, Laura started putting up exercises to do at home on Facebook, and then subsequently, she started doing classes here. The first time Laura started a class here, I think there was only me and Laura. Anyway, we got on like a house on fire and it’s built up now, she’s got thirty or more coming to these strength and balance classes. I was glad to get back in the swing really after Covid. It’s very sociable. It’s always very, very chatty and a lot of things going on.

I’ve never been any good at art but a friend of mine had bought me this set of about twelve, black, pencils. While I was stuck in the house doing nothing, I made little compositions, still life and what not in the kitchen. I have a collection of chairs in my house, so I drew all these chairs. I did the drawings first and then decided to do something with them, so this is my little book of chairs and their stories. I did it in Covid, but it links to my family history. Each chair tells a story of where they came from and who they belonged to. All those chairs relate to a family member, a friend, or a place I’ve lived.  It probably took me the entire length of the lockdowns to do.

Well, I think this place is one of the best things that happened in Farnworth in years. I mean it’s been open I think about twenty-five years or something like that. I think a community centre like this serves a very, very useful purpose in making people feel welcome. There are some things you can come here and pay for, like the family history, but Laura’s classes are free, so if you’ve not got much money, there’s nothing to stop you coming.  If you can’t afford a gym, you can come to Laura’s classes, and it’s provided by the charity. I think it’s a safe environment, it’s all on one level, you’ve got toilet facility and these things do matter. It’s wonderful.”