Dear The Mead
I regularly visit a relative in hospital; he is suffering from mental illness in the form of extreme anxiety and severe depression. He was isolated, lonely and his increasing age had recently taken away many of his physical abilities – to drive, cook, wash and dress easily. His life was closing down and he felt he was disappearing down a big, black hole. He had very little interest in anything at all.
The one thing which still sparked his interest though was his copy of The Mead, and particularly Marion’s Memory Lane; it stimulated memories of his own such as visiting the same fairground Marion described and of pre NHS child healthcare.
When I took the September edition in to the hospital last month, Mike Murch’s piece about the redevelopment of the Filton Airfield, with a picture of the Brabazon, inspired my relative to talk for more than an hour, in great detail, about getting to the top of a hill on the other side of Bristol to see the Brabazon take off; he was able to recall the experience in great detail. The article seemed to really lift his spirits and ignite his recollection of a happy time.
Thank you for these little gems of writing which inspire my relative to recall and share his own stories with as much passion as he is currently capable of. I wonder how many other unwell people The Mead helps?
Yours gratefully. BD