Our Patch summer 2017 hail to our local heroes
Every community relies on volunteers with drive, spark and energy, and in Torin Douglas and Bridget Stevenson we have two of west London’ s busiest bees. Tim Harrison met them
Not everyone has the oomph and dedication needed to be an effective community lynchpin, but in Torin Douglas and Bridget Stevenson, we’ re blessed to have two of the most tireless champions.
When Bridget Stevenson was told she was too old to run her brownie pack, the steam from her ears could have fuelled The Flying Scotsman.
That was seven years ago, when Girlguiding UK was going through an ageist convulsion which threatened to end Bridget’ s 20-year stint with the 15th Hammersmith pack, simply because she qualified for a bus pass.
Not one to let such blatant discrimination pass without comment, Bridget, who has lived with husband William in Flanchford Road, Shepherds Bush, since they bought the house for £ 8,500 in 1969, suddenly found herself making the headlines, and even appeared on breakfast TV.
“ Sixty-five isn’ t old anymore,” she stormed at the time.
“ The voluntary sector must be losing lots of people. There’ s hardly a load of young women queuing up for the job! I love the Brownies. It’ s a great way to get to know the local community. And working with kids keeps you younger.”
And Bridget eventually won the day.
Girlguiding rewrote its rulebook and scrapped retirement ages several years later, recognising that it could ill afford to lose experienced talent at a time when recruiting new leaders is a perpetual headache.
Bridget is now 72, and is still volunteering with the troop based at St Peter’ s Church, Black Lion Lane, where she has also been a church warden.
But any threat of enforced retirement is an issue that still raises hackles.
“ Do you know, they’ d rather have closed down my pack than let me continue?” she said.
Bridget believes the role of brown owl( or of any brownie pack helper) is still one of the most rewarding and pleasurable.
When she first led the brownies at St Peter’ s there were five girls. Now there’ s a full complement of 24, and the waiting list is so full it’ s been closed!
“ The time commitment is a couple of hours a week in term time, and occasional outings,” she told Our Patch.“ It’ s not onerous and you get to know the local families.”
The grandmother, who has three grown-up children( the youngest of whom was married recently) still adores working with seven to 10-year-olds.
She even continued to work with the brownies after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
“ I still went along every Tuesday night, unless it was a really bad chemo day,” she said.
Bridget is also very involved with The Upper Room – the charity based at
Do you know, they ' d rather have closed down my brownie pack than let me continue? Sixty-five isn ' t old anymore!
St Saviour’ s Church in Wendell Park.“ It’ s very worthwhile,” she said.“ It makes a real difference. I’ m a trustee, and do the HR side of things, help with fundraising and do the bridge afternoons. Do you know, one recently raised more than £ 1,000!”
IT ' S AS EASY AS B-B-C When Torin Douglas was made an MBE in 2013, the citation was crisp, simple and direct. Services to Chiswick.
“ We’ ve lived in Chiswick for 40 years; buying a tiny little house, doing it up, then buying and doing up another one. We couldn’ t have afforded to move here soon after we did!” said the respected broadcaster who, for a quarter of a century, was the BBC’ s media correspondent.
“ We’ ve been in Ramillies Road for the last 30 years.”
Torin has poured his energy and enthusiasm into community projects, notably the Chiswick Book Festival( which runs this year from September 14-18), of which he is director, and – imminently – the Bedford Park Festival, Chiswick’ s biggest community event, from June 9-25.
Pivotal to the success of the Bedford Park event is St Michael and All Angels Church( where Torin is a sidesman) and its expanded, rebuilt Victorian parish hall where an extra floor, constructed in an empty roof void, holds the key to the building’ s adaptability.
“ We ran the Bedford Park Festival for several years, then nine years ago launched the book festival, on the grounds that we knew how to run a festival,” said Torin.
The book festival has raised more than £ 47,000 for reading charities, including the Doorstep Library( where the magic of reading is taken directly into deprived homes by a group of volunteers), RNIB talking books and InterAct Stroke Support, in which actors read to stroke patients at Charing Cross Hospital.
Far from putting his feet up after leaving his job as one of the BBC’ s most trusted voices, Torin seems busier than ever; writing, public speaking and chairing conferences, and marshalling the small army of dedicated volunteers on which the success of festivals depends.
Also key to the festivals’ success is sponsorship.“ We knit together local businesses such as Horton and Garton, and they sponsor our events,” said Torin.“ The book festival also has a strong local element, with local authors – and writers from a wider area as Chiswick is so easy to get to.”