Collin speaks about where he is from and how he ended up where he lives know. He tells us how much he enjoys helping others by volunteering and how this is beneficial for him too. He still is close to friends from university and touches on how their honesty has helped him stop his excessive alcohol consumption.

So Colleen, thank you so much for You're welcome. Doing this today, really appreciate it. So, um, so sort of what I'd like to ask you first is sort of where, where are you from originally? Are you from Stockport? No, I'm from Liverpool originally, born a miles south of Anfield, which is the football ground. And then moved to Stockport when I was 16 because of my dad got a promotion

He was a customs officer in the docks in Liverpool and he got a promotion to Manchester Airport. Then I went to university, went to London, cos that's where all the jobs were when I finished university, and then got a chance to move back up north, uh, and did. So been here ever since

So when did you move back? Um, when I was about 30, because in London, I, I had a girlfriend, now wife, oh no. Um, and we were trying to look at trying to buy somewhere in London and um it's in mid 80s, and you know, you go to an estate agent and say, well, we've got 30,000 pounds, and they just laugh and throw you up on the street in London. In Manchester, they go, OK, how many bedrooms do you like, and how big do you like your garden to be? It's like, well I'm going back and north then so I've been here ever since, yeah

Yeah, so um. So I'm, I'm sort of wondering, I'm just sort of trying to find out from people basically and from you, what life is like at the moment for you. Right, um, I've only lived in Briddington where we are now for 18 months

And when I moved here, I had just broken my neck, which wasn't a very good idea. Um, and then I found out I had prostate cancer, which wasn't very good either, although that's, that's gone thanks to the wonderful Christie's Hospital. And then a few months ago I broke my back as well

So I haven't been that mobile. Um, but I actually think certainly where I live, which is just, you know, 5 minutes down the road, is a lovely little place. I mean, it's a, it's like a retirement close cul-de-sac

So everyone lives there is either elderly or vulnerable or disabled or whatever. But the community generally, um, I know it's not the same everywhere in Brynnington, um, are really good people, you know, they're friendly, helpful, you know, look after each other. I love, I love coming to I think it's amazing

Yeah, I'm, you know, people ask me say, well, you going to Bruton. Only choice actually because all my various mobility issues. And after a while I went this is fine

I go to the churches, I go to the gym, I go to the library and you know, it's great. Transport's great. buses are every 10 minutes, so, so Doctors is 2 minutes hobble

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's great. So very happy

Good. Is there anything, uh, you're sort of hoping for the future? Have you got any hopes for the future? Um, I'm, I'm quite happy. I've only been here 18 months, and you know I've got a lovely little bungalow, um, a nice little cult

So I just want to stay there, carry on keeping busy, whether it's going to church, or going to the gym or or whatever, get involved with community groups like Marie's group and um then. You know, I'm retired, so I'm in no rush to do anything different. I just like to live here, carry on being happy

I seem to be surprisingly busy because when I retired. The thing that frightened me most was I'd be bored sitting on the couch watching the telly all day, couldn't be more different, it's like, well I could do this. Oh, tomorrow I'm doing that

Oh, and then, oh, it's Sunday, oh it's church. OK, Brian, and life's just great. But yeah

So you're involved in quite a, quite a bit. Yeah, I I I volunteer for. Well, not everything, but a lot of things, if I think I can help somebody, whether it's cancer or whether it's alcohol or whether it's whatever, like these guys here, then I, I'll try and help people

And why is that is that I don't want to put words in your mouth or is this because they have helped you or have you had help in the past. The reason I first got involved with this stuff is because I don't know Bridlington at all. When I first moved here and once my neck had healed a bit so I could, you know, become more mobile, I just went around looking around for different groups or different things to do, and I found um

There's a bereavement group run by Delphine, and sadly I lost one of my sons and had a miscarriage, or my wife had a miscarriage, so I thought, well I can help with this because it's a very difficult area both to, you know, to be on the receiving end of and you know, to, to help with, so I can do that and uh I did that with Delphine and same here um with Marie. I was in the library and there's a poster on the notice board saying, you know, alcohol, drug problem, go and um come and see Marie and Les who who's next door. And um so I said OK

So I went to the library reception and said, you can tell me what, where this is? I said, yeah, they're over there sitting in the corner, which was Marie and Les. So I just went over and introduced myself, hello. And um I go there both to help because I can and be help, so it gives me both ways, so you know, I'm meeting these guys who you you've been talking to

I I've helped Andy in particular, no, not me personally, but you know, to see him grow from a very nervous, shy, worried guy that came in to where he is now, because he's basically running a place with Les, is very rewarding, so yeah, I like to, you know, I get something out of it, they get something out of it, so it's a win win. Oh, that's amazing. So what else are you involved in? Any other groups or? Delphine's Breedament Group, um

Marie's group for drug and alcohol and all the church stuff tends to be not a regular thing, but they'll have um like when it came to Easter, we um got Chris and they asked for members of the community to talk to local school kids from Saint Paul's about Easter. So I said well I can do that. Um, so one of the experiences that was about 30, uh, they break them up to smaller groups, about 6 or 7 at a time, and they move around the different stations of the cross

And I, me and Pat, um, you know, around one group, I did most of the talking. With a, you know, it was a crucifix, big, big one, and a, a crown of thorns and talk to these kids who were like, can I put that, can I put that crown on? No, it's like, it's thorns, you can't, you can't, no. I said I'm not sure what help it was, but it was great fun, and the kids seemed to enjoy it, so the teachers were really what yeah they had a great time cos they weren't doing anything apart from taking photographs and

And um you know they're laughing their heads off while we tried to control these kids like, no, don't do that. No, no, exactly right. Oh, that's great

It sounds like you get a lot of your uh. Energy and A positive outlook actually by volunteering and doing things for other people. Yeah, um, yeah, because now I'm retired, so I, I like being busy because it just keeps me occupied whether, you know, whatever it is coming here or you know going out and about and just helping out with stuff

So yeah, I, I do get a lot of it, especially helping people because it's rewarding for me to help people, um. So they get something out of it hopefully, and so do I. Yeah, yeah

Is there anybody that stands out that you would say has been influential in your life? I mean, do you mind? My whole life I've still got friends from university, which surprises a few people. Um, because that's 40 years ago, and they said, well, and they live all over the the world. One lives in Australia, one lives in Valencia in Spain, and ends in London and Bristol, but we still keep in touch, which is obviously easier now you've got the internet and that sort of stuff, but um, yeah, friends really is uh you know, the best sort of help cos they'll

Tell you the truth whether you like it or not. It's like, right, OK, um, but I and Pete said last time he came up, uh, from London, he said, we're only telling you this because we love you, Carl. She's like, oh no just doesn't mean I have to like it though, does it? But it's actually, I think it's so important, isn't it? It's like good friends

Yeah, good friends who who do Dead straight with you. Yeah, absolutely. Because they care

Yeah, they care. So is there anything you would like to do, you feel like, uh, there's barriers or is there any fears for the future you have? Not really. When I found out I had a prostate cancer, I thought I was going to be dead in 6 months

So I, you know, did my funeral plan, wrote my will, did all my pension things, everything like that, and, and then. Thanks to Claire Barron Alice, who I should bring up every opportunity with the radiographers who treated me at Christie's, you know, I came home one day and went, oh, I might be alive for a few years yet. What am I gonna do? And so I did, um, you know, start doing this sort of stuff just to keep myself busy, um, which also stops me drinking as much cos if if you're bored sitting at home watching telly, you know, it's easy to just, I'll have a can of beer or whatever

um, and then just, it is rewarding to go out, you know, it's enjoyable to meet people like you and the guys next door, and um. Yeah, so yeah, that's, I'm happy doing that for as long as I can. Oh, no, that's amazing

Thank you so much. That's really. OK, you're welcome

Yeah. All right.

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