Taking Action with the real David Cameron and Sandra Sutton

Following on from the inspirational conversation with Danny Gemmell, here is another wonderful example of individual and community activism. Sandra Sutton is a force of nature. She is full of drive and energy and she has devoted that to the former mining village of Twechar in East Dunbartonshire. 

Twechar could have been another dying community left behind after the pit closure and the impact of economic change. Instead, it is thriving. It has a growing population and a vibrant community and much of that is thanks to Sandra. Twechar is a community that refused to sink into depression and demise. Villagers fought to protect their community centre when it was under threat of closure. They took it over and transformed it into a genuine hub for the village.

The range of activities around the centre is striking. I love the work that they do on local history building pride in the village and recognising the legacy of those who have gone before. 

That is only one example of the activities, so listen and find out more.

Sandra is wonderfully dynamic. When she was asked why she had done so much and given so much to Twechar, her answer is simple, direct and powerful - "I could, so I did"

At a time when our society is riven by individualism and isolation, Sandra offers the benefits of collectivism and community. I was completely energised by her. She revived hope for change, not through the big political parties or policy changes at national level, but through taking our futures into our own hands and taking action to make these futures better. If we can do that, we can make the case for the bigger changes and put pressure on our politicians.

This is also a classic Taking Action podcast. The sound is not top quality and you will need to out up with some echo, but the content makes that more than worthwhile. We are not professionals and we won't always be recording in the best environments, nor have the best of connections, but, as in this episode, we are telling stories worth listening to