A Tiny Wee Black Book

Andy and I continue our travels through the central belt, and wind up in Stenhousemuir (again, if you’ve read our other blogs you’ll know that I’m not from here, so this is a first for me.) On the drive there, there’s plenty of greenery, old churches, and I love looking at the Forth & Clyde canal along the way. It was a gorgeous day too, the sun splitting the stones and a gentle breeze blowing the leaves on the trees. I love days like this. 

On the way to Stuart’s house, we also pass by a cute café and a friendly-looking pub all on the bottom floor of some gorgeous Victorian sandstone buildings. There’s also an ASDA nearby, as well as some other bricks and mortar shops. These things may not sound like a whole lot to most folk who have been living in the area for some time, but for me, these are all signifiers of a community that is present. At StoryWorks, we’re always trying to get a sense of a person by who they are, their personality, what they like to do, but also the community that surrounds them. As much as we’re all collectively part of a community, that same community is part of who we are as individuals. 

As we knock on Stuart’s door, we are greeted by his Personal Development Worker, Amy. As Stuart greets us in the hallway, Andy thanks him for allowing us into his home to which we get a warm “Aye!” in response. Stuart is immediately going into the spare room to pull out his swivel computer desk chair as he wanted to make sure there was enough seats for everyone. Which was kind of him. 

Amy makes us all cups of tea and we take in the room. Last of the Summer Wine was on the telly, one of Stuart’s favourites. On the window cill and bookshelves are Daleks from Doctor Who. The wall is covered in Aberdeen FC posters and memorabilia (although, we did hear he’s also partial to Falkirk FC – not sure who he’ll support when they play against one another next year now that Falkirk have been promoted to the SPFL!) Then, we start having a natter and hear about what Stuart is getting up to for the day.

Well, when Amy started her shift at 10.30am, Stuart had a cheesy vegetable quiche in his hand and was giddy to eat it later that day. Shortly after that, he was meeting us. Then, he was planning to go to the cinema to see the new Superman film. After that, Amy and him were going to cook said quiche for his dinner before Amy finished for the day. Amy says that when her shift finishes at 6pm, Stuart is nearly shooing her out the door. Why? Because that’s his private “me-time” to do whatever he wants on his own. That sentiment of “Okay, it’s time for you to go” is something we can all relate to when we have people over at our homes. Stuart is a busy man; he needs time to himself. Something we can all appreciate. 

As we’re getting to know Stuart, he hands Andy a small black book. In the book are cards that have various pieces of useful information, as well as some phrases that are important to Stuart. Phrases such as “How much is that?”, “Do you shop in ASDA?” and “I would like a pint of beer.” They also come with complimentary pictures to further indicate what Stuart wants to communicate. The thing that is amazing about this is that this book was not something that some corporate entity created. It’s not something that was mass produced. It was specifically made for Stuart by his auntie. A tool for Stuart to communicate what he wants and what needs to people who may not know him. Not only was love poured into the making of this book, but it was also centred specifically around Stuart’s needs. It had information that pertains to community he lives in, allowing him further access to engage with his neighbours and the people around him. For a tiny book, it possesses great power.