A Path To Happiness

I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and catch up with one of our Leith Park residents, Peter Smith. His wife, Karen, also had some insight into our chat. It was lovely to sit down on their front porch, take in the fresh air and get to know each other.

Peter and Karen Smith have been living in St Helena, in our beautiful Leith Park Villages since January 2020. They told me it was the perfect time to join our community, as Covid-19 was lurking around and quite apparent that year. They felt safe, comfortable, and supported when they joined us. The couple have 5 grandchildren, which consists of 4 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. Their faces lit up as they told me some stories about them. Family means the world to them.

As we continued to talk, our conversations lead to a beautiful walk. Peter was thrilled and passionate about showing me one of his main projects. Peter had a vision to create a pathway in front of the greenery close to his home, this would lead the main road to the nature strip. He was delighted to tell me and show me what it looks like now, all the hard work that went into it, and the joy it has brought him.

With the help and support of Tegwen, Rob, Rick, and the other wonderful gardeners at Leith Park, the path is looking splendid. During the operation they filled up 2-3 skips of rubbish, cleared the area, and began their work. He now has a goal to hopefully put a picnic table close by as he genuinely enjoys the outdoors and wants all the other residents to be able to use this space. Although it has taken some time, Peter says it’s been helpful and mind healing to have this project to look forward to and to feel part of the community.

“It’s been good, I have seen other residents come and use the path. It makes me so happy”.

Thank you, Peter. We look forward to seeing what else is around the corner.

Story written by Michelle Ashjaee (Communications Officer)