Wintry wind

Blowing a fair bit, today, and the temperatures are sliding steadily downwards. Autumn is a wonderful time with the trees shedding their leaves, the mornings sometimes misty and damp, and evening skies clear and cold. All too easy to forget what a great place we live in. Which is why it’s sometimes easy to become a little despondent when reading the news. From abuse statistics, to attempted murders, fatal fires, car crashes, overworked GPs and people suggesting the RAF abandon low flying over Snowdonia, it’s rather too easy to get the impression that we’re a community of moaners and whingers, intent only on reading the worst events human nature can conspire to create.

The news media, of course, will respond by pointing out that people don’t buy newspapers for good news; but bad news sells like hot cakes. So what is it about us that we seem to rejoice in the suffering of our fellows, delight in illuminated accounts of disasters and embrace excess?

Rarely do we read about heroism, selflessness and charitable actions, but these are far more prevalent than assaults, fires and road tragedies. Every night, somewhere in Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, there are meetings of people dedicated to improving the lot of their peers, helping youngsters, assisting the elderly or simply raising money for local charities. The Lions, Rotary, Trinity Players, the Youth Music Theatre, Colwyn Bay Local Forum’s Local Action Group, the Harmony Singers, The Scouts, the Guides, the D of E award planners, Round Table, the Churches - the list goes on and on, and these are the unsung, the overlooked and the self-effacing on a grand scale.

Life is a little too short to be worrying about E Coli, Swine ‘Flu and low flying aircraft. Let’s celebrate the positive and worthwhile in this great community of ours and relegate the whinging to the wings.