Boojum and Snark has two Sandown Scribe sessions left this month, after the last two Saturdays drew a great turnout of residents and visitors.
The Sandown High Street venue is open on 18th and 25th July, from 11am to 4pm, for anyone wanting to view the project’s progress or add their own memories.
Visitors can leave anecdotes, stories or photographs of Sandown, past and present.
The project carries extra weight now that Sandown has been shortlisted for the UK Town of Culture competition, with £3 million pounds in prize money at stake for the winner.
“I was always a Bogey’s girl, disco all the way”
Sandown resident, Maz, shared her story last weekend,
“I was always a Bogey’s girl, disco all the way. It’s funny to think that back then, the clubs all shut at one. The queues were a mile long unless you knew the doormen, which I luckily did. The mirrored pillars at The Court Jester would always catch you out after a few drinks; people would regularly apologise to them before realising they’d just bumped into their own reflection!
“I ended up marrying a Sandown boy and raising our family here. Those were unforgettable days, stretched out on the beach, waves lapping, and children playing – a dream.
“Looking back, I’ve lived so many different lives in this one place: disco-dancer, Wren, chambermaid, wife, mum, and friend. Over the years, my story has tangled with so many others, building a web of deep connections, lifelong bonds, and an extended family who share that history. I still meet up once a month with old friends, and it’s wonderfully fun and stupid. We’re still young, though older; changed, yet always connected.
“I’ve also developed a deep bond with the sea. Walking along the seafront, it feels like every day is different, rain or shine. This landscape always manages to look both new and familiar. The sea has become so important to me. It is very grounding, and I feel calmed, and soothed by its ebb and flow.”
“Where land meets the water” — Chris Lines’ Sandown poems
Sandown resident, Chris Lines, shared this poem.
This Place
I go daily
to the place where land meets the water
where the present meets eternity
air stretches into sky and space
It is the gift to me from this placeBreathe
in out in out in out
shed the cares and daily woes
Breath comes and goes
in out in out in outThe water holds me
bears me up
tears me down
indifferent
in out in out in out
in out in out in out
Jim, a Sandown resident, shared this one,
Through the door
I do believe in Sandown.
I do, I do
I do believe in Sandown.
I do, I doDo you?
Find out more about the Sandown Scribe project.
Two Saturdays left to take part
Anyone wanting to share anecdotes, memories or photos of Sandown for the Sandown Scribe project can visit Boojum and Snark, 105 High Street, Sandown, PO36 8AF.
The venue is open between 11am and 4pm on the 18th and 25th of July.
