An End and a Beginning

Thirty days. It's easy to say those words quickly and, indeed, that time has gone by quickly for me. Even as I sit here, typing this last entry out, I can't really believe that I have really been doing this park-cleaning activity for thirty days. 

I had my doubts when I started out. Chief among these was the thought that nobody would really care about what I was doing, and that nobody would be bothered to support me. Furthermore, I was worried about my own self-image. Before this event, I had never really been much of a public person, and while I had been volunteering and trying to improve my social skills, the idea of walking around, advertising my activities and fundraising for a public body was somewhat alien to me.

I am happy to say that I have been proven totally wrong on both of these counts. Far from ignoring me or disparaging what I was doing, a hundred people replied to my tentative requests with kind messages of friendship and support. Many of them had their own story to tell regarding St Thomas' Hospital - tales of how they had been treated there in the past and how grateful they were to the institution, and so of how happy they would be to help my cause. Others told me how they were proud to see me grow up and mature, finally helping society out in the true vein of Westminster's spirit. 

Have I really changed? At the risk of sounding conceited, I must say Yes. Partly this comes from talking to so many people about what I have been doing - I have contacted fellow students, teachers, MPs and local councillors, and talked to runners, artists and park staff. The people that I've met in the parks every morning have been very diverse, and I have learnt something from each and every one of them. In turn, they've told me how grateful they are to see me in the mornings - to have a new, friendly face to talk to, and to have a source of humour and light in these dark times. Beyond this, I've also learnt so much about the environment and the beauty of nature - and how those things are worth protecting. How would I have known before this that Holland Park has 22,000 trees, for instance? How would I have known about the vast quantity of rubbish that the park generates every day, enough to fill twelve industrial rubbish skips?

What I think I have learnt and taken to heart is that both humanity and the world that it inhabits, in all its scale, variation and beauty, is something really worth working for. Hence my newfound devotion to do good to those around me, whether they be my family, my friends or my future colleagues. It sounds simple, and it probably will not be simple. But I am resolved to remember the lessons of these thirty days, and apply them to my life. For those lessons, I am truly thankful.

But how did I come to start on this entire process? I still remember that first night, over a month ago, when Mum, Dad, my sister and I sat around the dinner table, wondering about how I could help the NHS as they struggled against COVID-19. The inspiration for this project did not come from my brain. No - I was spurred on to do this by the dedication and devotion of my family, who saw this wonderful opportunity that Guy's and St Thomas' had created and seized it, so that I might start on it. All of this would not have been possible without their support - I wouldn't have had the equipment or the ability to reach out to so many people. I've realised how fortunate I have been, during this pandemic, to have a family that is so loving and encouraging as I have. 





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