#inPoole

20 years ago this month I was on my school ‘work experience’ placement at Poole Library. At this time they had a store room above the bus station where the old Job Centre used to be. I was amazed when I went in there to find these wooden animals that used to be in the Dolphin Centre when I was very young.

On Wednesday evening I was en route to Foundry, the new co-working facility that now occupies that same space where I found these guys collecting dust, when I saw them back on display in the Dolphin Centre with a VIP rope around them (and quite rightly so, not only are they Poole royalty, they’re also a massive potential health and safety hazard).

I spent a lot of time at the evening Matthew Denyer hosted for Dorset Entrepreneurs Club at the Foundry and yesterday at Mark Masters‘ You Are The Media Creator Day, talking to people who have travelled from all over the country to join us in Poole. Many had fantastic stories about having lived and worked in multiple countries or relocated to the UK.

Sometimes I feel a bit embarrassed to say that I’m Poole born and bred and have never left. This week I found myself saying it with a bit more pride. Gordon Fong, who is a champion of his neighbourhood of Southbourne encouraged that along with the suggestion that we all post a photo with the ‘inpoole’ hashtag, in part to amplify the message that creative and interesting things are happening here.

We were supposed to make the post about ourselves as well and include a selfie. I forgot to take a photo of myself (although many were taken thanks to Zelda de Hollander and Mark’s infamous wedding reception photo booth). So my photo is of the wooden animals as a representation of my own story:

A part of this town, sometimes hidden away, sometimes standing proud, hopefully remembered by someone.

(PS. If you didn’t spot it, there’s a ‘Fashion Event’ at Beales, with up to 50% off big brands for a limited time only..)