Thread by @BenefitsBlues

So, after a very tough week, where my mental wellbeing was heading towards the danger zone, where the challenges of #UniversalCredit, insecure housing & a violent neighbour almost broke me....& then #Brexit & #Christchurch..., here is my story of #HopeInTheDark...1/

I went to a community "repair cafe" today, run by @RestartProject. Basically, you take along your dead appliances & a handy-minded volunteer will have a go at fixing it. 2/

I have a swish-bang immersion blender my mum gave me as a birthday present some years back & I love it for soups, hummus, smoothies etc. A few months ago, I blew the fuse when the cord touched a hot ring in my cooker. Very sad. 3/

Off we went to Kilburn today, me & 🐶, where the queue was 90 minutes for repairs! There were loads of people! So, we took a number & just hung out in the community centre. We chatted to lots of regulars, including several men with learning disabilities who helping out. 4/

I was also signed up to a cohort for a big health study by Imperial College and had a very interesting chat about how to recruit people for a big health study, dementia and diet-related interventions, and knitting. 5/

I signed a petition to stop the Royal Free Hospital moving some of its surgery functions away. I chatted to three Irish ladies about whether ginger cake was superior to polenta cake (I had the ginger cake, very good.) 5/

We, me and the 🐶, had a very good, hot lunch, cake and tea for £2. Which involved table service, proper cutlery and crockery, free fruit on offer, and communal tables, each with a crocheted rose in a vase. 6/

We were looked after by two extremely friendly, competent, attentive staff who were everywhere, keeping all the various activities flowing, attending to individuals and marshalling volunteers in the kitchen. 7/

And then, finally, I got to see our expert, an electrician who volunteers for @RestartProject, and who very helpfully talked me through everything he was doing. Watching him work was like being a kid helping their parent do DIY - he allowed me to pass him things. 8/

After a bit of trial and error, it looks like I might be back in the immersion blender business! 9/

So. If you need an antidote to atrocities, hostile environments, overwhelming despair & generalised gloom, may I suggest heading out into your local community & find the fixers, the helpers, the organisers and & carers. They'll restore your faith in humanity, pronto. 10/10