š ļøInside Bridged: reflections after nine months
Story 148
Laugh and learn.
That was my ambition for Bridged at launch. I wanted to work out how to live well and responsibly in Barnes. And to enjoy the process. Nine months in, it feels right to pause again, look at whatās working, and adjust where necessary.
This instalment, Story 148, focuses on the second half of that exercise: not what Iāve learnt, but how Iām learning.
October review
A short break in October gave me the space to reflect on nine months of regular publishing. It was deeply satisfying and clarifying. A dozen ideas surfaced, but five mattered most:
Clarify the question at the heart of the blog
Tighten the geographic focus
Cover local news in the right way
Prepare for a video-first future
Drink more coffee
What am I trying to achieve?
The most significant shift has been in the question driving the whole project. It began with How do I liveā¦. By late summer, after dozens of conversations about Bridged, I realised the real question was How do we liveā¦.
This isnāt a cosmetic change. Almost everything I propose ā whether personal, collaborative or collective ā ends up depending on the actions of others. The work is communal. The language should match that reality.
Iāve also retired āliving my best lifeā. It was vague, a bit self-helpish, and open to misinterpretation. The simpler, more honest version ā how do we live well ā is stronger.
Barnes, just Barnes
Another useful realisation: the blog needs a still tighter geographical focus.
I began with an area that stretched from Barnes across to Mortlake and the edge of Putney. It proved too much. Two councils, three neighbourhoods and an uneasy boundary created more noise than clarity.
Then I narrowed the scope to Barnes and Mortlake, roughly aligning with two Richmond council wards. There is simply too much happening, and Iām still learning so much, for the coverage to remain coherent at that scale.
So Iām reducing the focus again to Barnes. Just Barnes.
The Barnes Fund map below is a fair guide to the area Iāll concentrate on. Mortlake, Hammersmith and Putney will appear when they shape or influence life in Barnes, but the anchor is here.
This map from The Barnes Fund reflects the new target area well. .
After those changes, a reminder of the updated organising challenge for this blog,
How do we live well in Barnes during this climate emergency?
News stories
The Manifesto ā its principles, proposals and long-term vision ā remains the heart of this publication. To protect the time needed to develop it, I have to avoid being pulled into daily news reporting. This summer and autumn made clear how easy it is to get swept along by rolling updates, consultations, petitions and council papers.
Bridged isnāt meant for that. It belongs somewhere between the daily pulse of social media and the monthly Barnes Bugle newsletter. A weekly rhythm feels right. Hence the new series, That was the week that was: a recap of the weekās main stories on Bridged and a nod to the main news stories this week.
Video-first?
My plan for 2025 was āMore than facts, more than words and more than meā. More than words means adding video. I started with my curated YouTube channel; the next step is the important one ā regular on-camera reporting. I didnāt make as much progress this autumn with video as I hoped.
I am making up for it now.
In 2026, video will sit alongside written posts, not replace them.
50 cups of coffee
Iāve also begun meeting more people across Barnes ā councillors, community organisers, specialists, and the quietly influential. I call it 50 cups of coffee: one conversation a week, off the record, to understand how this place really works. These exchanges have already shaped several stories.
One other thing
This month I published my first piece based on original research. Over two months, I watched how drivers behaved when the level crossing on White Hart Lane closed. Only a third switched off their engines. That wasnāt surprising. The other lessons were more interesting. Idling may sound trivial, but itās one of those behaviours that will decide whether Barnes becomes a more livable, walkable, lovable place.