This is people power. In a really imaginative way. Not confrontational. But determined. We don’t have them in Germany. But in Ireland, there are parks that are locked at night. So, what do you do if you want to go for a walk in the park after sunset? Do you break the lock? Do you cut the chain?

No. You do exactly the opposite. You put on plenty of locks and chains to keep the gate open. Ingenious! Who would have thought about this approach? It’s like a double lock and chain …

Pádraig’s friends started what will hopefully become a weekly Thursday evening quiz and fun session with Pádraig. Plenty of tea and biscuits. And an interactive quiz show. From what I heard, it wasn’t really the questions, nor the answers that mattered. But the interaction. The fun. And the biscuits. (Yes, I confess, I just finished them up:)

The approach of the people who kept the gates open, rather than opening the closed gates, doesn’t get out of my head.

Because it’s exactly what we need to do with rehabilitation, therapy, integration, participation and all those things that sABI survivors need. Rather than trying to reverse what the ‘system’ is not doing by trying to cut through their red tape and chains, we just need to put up our own tape and chains and keep the gate open for what our loved ones need. Keep it coming. Never allow any gates, any access to be closed.