Big Society

If you don't know Pewsey in Wiltshire you should. It hosts the oldest Carnival in England, originating in 1898 apparently, and is proud of the fact.

My local butcher couldn't stop telling me last Saturday how he was part of the local team of volunteers who put up the street lights for Carnival. It's a race against time and they try to do it in a shorter time every year then celebrate with a few beers and a street BBQ.

Next weekend they'll be putting up the Christmas lights. He was telling me all of these while producing home-made chipolatas for my weekend dinner party. Apparently parties of scouts and cubs come round to the shop regularly to learn how to make sausages too.

Everybody in the village knows my butcher. He doesn't stand out but he does join in. I don't think he's necessarily heard of the Government's Big Society initiative but sounds like he's practicing it.