WHY I’M GOING BACK TO BRADFORD
I came to Oxford in 2004 to be part of the community and work at St. Francis House. Since the community ended in July of last year I have been thinking about my life in Oxford and wondering if it might not be time to move back to my home town. I came to Oxford to be a part of the Catholic Worker community and have had an exciting, happy and sometimes very painful time here.
I’ve made some wonderful friends and the joy of social media is that I’ll be able to keep in contact. Before giving the reasons for my move I want to honour one aspect of life here which cannot be replicated. This came directly from St Francis House and is, of course, the sandwich distribution which we started eight years ago. I’ll miss the people on the street who have been our ‘guests’. They have always been friendly and grateful for the food and friendship we have shared. I know there are homeless people in Bradford and, who knows, perhaps I’ll get involved in something there, but our friends on the streets of Oxford have been a part of my life here and will always have a place in my heart.
I’ve written before about the band of students who distribute the sandwiches I make each week. Students came on board six years ago and have come and gone but have always been consistent in their generosity. The present group are working out how to carry on with the sandwich run when I’m gone.
The reasons I’m going ‘back to my own ones’ are connected to my age, my disability and my family.
My visual impairment is getting worse and, as Oxford is becoming more and more crowded as the two universities expand, I find it difficult getting around in the narrow streets. I am in real danger of isolating and spending most of my time in my beautiful flat rather than going out. There’s quite simply more space in Bradford, although the streets are just as uneven and very hilly! I was in Bradford last week and had a great time finding out where the Quaker Meeting House is without dodging shoppers and students.
My sister said she was a bit worried about my being in Oxford far away from family and I am happy to be nearer to her and her children and grandchildren. I have a flat in the same sheltered housing scheme as my sister and her husband. It is seven miles from the city centre. Buses are frequent during the day but only one an hour after 8pm. The area is called Thornton and was once a village outside Bradford and still has old buildings and cobbled streets.
I’ll be worshipping with Quakers and hope that the Quaker community will provide openings for the kind of work I’ve been doing for the past twenty years. We’ll see; I’m not going to rush into anything. I trust that God will show me how to be of service.
Live Adventurously 