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| Maes-y-groes Prestatyn |
I knew something was wrong in Prestatyn yesterday, even before I saw the official yellow police tape that cordoned off the main bypass road....you could just feel it.
It was an odd sensation and one that I have not really experienced before, but immediately after I parked on the High Street, I realised something was afoot, something was very different.
Instead of the usual fluid movement of elderly shoppers and the limping institutional disabled that fill the pavements of the town, people were talking together in quiet huddles.
The town felt quiet and still.
Like I said , it was the oddest of sensations.
I was reminded of times I have waited around for the start of a funeral.
There was that certain charge in the.air.
For anyone who has read the national newspapers or listened to the radio, they will know that the news was bleak.
A young woman and two children* had perished in a fire just yards from where I was parked. A fire that was thought to be deliberate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-20018867
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-20018867
Bad news changes a community. It unites it with striking speed. People who wouldn't give each other the normal time of day in front of the butchers, now stop to discuss the "awful news" or to shake their heads in disbelief as other snippets of the saga are shared and postulated about.
Even the moderately sized town of Prestatyn turns itself back into a village, when disaster strikes.
It's a interesting phenomenon.
In these days of nuclear families, of selfish living, isolation and where neighbours don't even know each other , even to nod to; I think that deep down there still is the need within people to connect, to feel comfort in sharing. To be a part of a community.
With all the negative things that we are constantly being told about in the modern selfish world....
perhaps that is the one "good" thing to come out of something terrible like this...? even though it lasts for a mere day or so!Hey ho
* another child has subsequently died today
I'm presuming this was the doctor's wife and children! It would be bad enough if it was accidental, but if it was done deliberately, it's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteno cro
Deletethis is another arson attack I am afraid!
I was just about to delete my comment; I've now seen the report on line. Sorry about the confusion.
DeleteI heard about it, of course, and wondered if you would comment on it. Bloody awful.
ReplyDeleteMay Lee-Anna, Bailey and Skye rest in peace...such a terrible way to die.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right John.
ReplyDeleteSadly, it takes something terrible like this to unite people and get strangers talking. So much tragedy in the news.
ReplyDeleteI saw this on Daily Mail UK, such a dreadful thing. Hope they find out who and why........
ReplyDeleteGill in Canada
Hi John - there have been some awful things going on in Wales - the series of hit and runs in Cardiff were so hideous also. I agree with you, though, that these glimpes of communities coming together give us hope that people are not as self centred as they may appear on a day to day basis. xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's part of our natural instinct. Most of us seek out others in the face of a threat. More pairs of eyes, shared information and comfort in being together.
ReplyDeleteAs you rightly say, it's a shame it doesn't last when the threat is passed.
Truly awful. And too bad that sense of community doesn't sustain itself during the uneventful times.
ReplyDeleteOh, that is no good. A family of Somalians were killed or badly injured when their house caught fire a few months ago in my town. It was just awful.
ReplyDeleteYou have explained the sentiment and feeling really well. That's what it was like here.
It's sad to say Wales in the news for all the wrong reasons; the fire in Prestatyn, the abduction of the vet in Queensferry, poor little April Jones and of course the insensible tradegy in Cardiff. It breaks your heart. I can now understand what Martyn Lewis was going on about when he said there needs to be more positive news on TV and in the papers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a hideous way to die. I hope they get to the bottom of it and find out who or what was responsible.
ReplyDeleteWe,as a society, need to address why.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Simply awful and tragic.
ReplyDeleteHow very sad.
ReplyDeleteHow awful...the poor family of those lost :( Yes I agree, deep within us all a desire for oneness grows...so sad it takes something like this or a zombie attack to bring us together...
ReplyDeleteIt is strange how we humans react to tragedy but nonetheless react. Guess it is good to know people would be there when needed.
ReplyDeleteA horrible shadow over your community - I'm so sorry. What would possess someone to do such a thing?
ReplyDeleteSo so sad.....we humans are an odd bunch....sometimes so good ...and sometimes not so good...I like to hang with the good bunch...I really think another planet for the bad lot is in order!!
ReplyDeleteA horrible tragedy. I guess it'll be some time before we find out exactly why it happened.
ReplyDeleteHow horrific. May it bring people closer together and you wished.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the sense of community and tragedy bringing people closer together. And I agree with Mitch that it's a pity we can't sustain that sense of community during the uneventful times.
ReplyDeleteIt is remarkable that physical acts, especially the terrible ones like this, can create an almost tangible atmosphere. Very sad indeed
ReplyDeleteThat feeling of reaching out to strangers to offer and receive emotional comfort and practical support is something that Christchurch is still marvelling at after last year's February earthquake. And in an effort to remind us how valuable it is a concert has been organised,with ticket entry being a few hours community service. Right now though Prestatyn is in the early stages of horror and grief. Strength and healing to the survivors and families of the victims.
ReplyDeleteI heard it on the news, John. A terrible thing to happen. Our part of Wales seems to have had such a lot of sadness of late. Like you say, even with something as horrible as that and also the abduction/murder of little April Jones in Mach - it brings the best out in neighbours and communities as the cling together and support the families in their grief.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of any life through such circumstances is horrible - the loss of such youngsters's lives in those circumstances is tragic!
ReplyDeleteI can't bear anymore tragic news about women and children suffering like this. What's wrong with people?
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine the suffering of the victims and the poor man who has lost his entire family...or the mindset that leads to that kind of murderous act. I'm glad you have found something positive to focus on; that's about all one can do to remain sane in this world some days.
ReplyDeleteSick that someone would do this. Here's hoping they find who did it and that it doesn't happen again.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read of this and yes such an atmosphere is palpable. Got the same feeling in our neighbourhood when i was a child and one of our neighbours was killed in a plane crash. I knew as soon as i stepped off the school bus that there was something wrong.
ReplyDeleteTerribly sad. People do heinous things, always have.
ReplyDeleteIn tragedy, we often do come together. I wish that comraderie would last once the tragedy passes.
Beyond any meaningful comment really - so terrible, so sad
ReplyDelete