offer this or that service’, instead it is about listening and becoming aware of the issues and problems that people are having in their lives. It is the public health revolution we need now in a world where we are suf- fering more from psychosocial problems than infectious disease.”
Malcolm says projects with these goals are not new, the best-known example being the Peckham Experiment (1926- 1950) and there other existing examples like Pioneer Projects in High Bentham, Yorkshire, which predate Nailsea. Malcolm said: “The Peckham Experiment was not just about medical solutions but also things like learning to swim and building – about learning from each other and creating what we now call social capital. But it has always been hard to assess the impact – the beans can’t be easily counted.”
Problems revealed
No 65 seems to have those totipotential characteristics and Trudy Hollow, who runs the building now that Ian and Mal- colm are less involved, describes how they work. Trudy started part time in 2018, a year after it had opened and became the full-time manager in February 2022. “I never know what is going to come up
next,” Trudy says, “It could be town coun- cil-related, enquiries, complaints, signpost- ing to groups and organisations, footpath clearing but recently I’ve also had queries ranging from bees under someone’s shed
30 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Problems solved In the example given by Trudy, the totipo- tent characteristic is the ability to give indi- viduals and communities the confidence to identify their own problems, and patiently wait while they do this. The next step is being able to offer a solution at a human speed rather than a bureaucratic one. Ian says: “Information and knowledge are among the resources people need to develop resilience – the crucial thing is not being just one service but responding to whatever is needed. And I think this may
to how to apply to host a Ukrainian refugee family.”
She said: “Ian started off with the ethos of ‘a pub without the beer’. I feel it’s more like a tourist information centre but for information, activities and signposting for residents. Having said that, nine times out of ten my colleagues and I find that when people come in with a query it’s usually human contact that they are looking for. That’s when it is more like the pub without the beer. So, I have my regular visitors, five or six a week who come just to speak to me. They initially came in with a query, but the bigger issue was human contact and then, after getting to know them, these other issues in their lives come up. Things that they didn’t initially come in to talk about but, after establishing a relationship with them, they feel a bit more trust in that relationship, that’s happened a lot.”
be something that libraries could adapt and take on.”
One example is No 65’s food project.
“When covid started, the idea of a food project emerged on a Thursday evening and on Monday morning we started it.” The project involves local supermar-
kets, allotment holders as well as food club members who pay to join but re- ceive a lot more in return. “A community group started it at No 65 and it grew so quickly they had to find other premises and are now based at 26 High Street. It works on lots of levels. Not only provid- ing food to people without the stigma that can be attached to food banks, it occupies an empty shop so the landlord benefits because they are not liable for the rates. It also generates more activity on the high street – footfall – which is why private businesses love libraries and post offices. And also, the companies donating food are meeting their corpo- rate governance goals about reducing food waste.”
This process highlights that No 65 needs to remain adaptable to ensure it can be a springboard for new ideas they are working with already, or have yet to be identified.
Leadership and sustainability “An important aspect of this approach is distributed not charismatic leadership,” Ian says. “Part of the reason the Peck-
April-May 2022
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