On my visit to Leeds I passed under a bridge and saw this plaque. Simon on the Streets is based in the Leeds area and gives front line support to people who are homeless, at risk of being homeless, suffering from addiction or dealing with mental illness. The street plaques campaign not only seeks to raise awareness of the charity but also to remember those who sleep rough. One of the subtle features is that the plaques are placed at street level to signify the exact points where people would have slept.

I think it is nice to remember those who for a variety of reasons have been less fortunate than most of us. There is a dignity to the theme of plaques too. Initially there is a description of the aspect of the person, be it a toothless smiler, the captain of the school hockey team, a man with a lust for life, the fastest runner at school or even a peacemaker before noting that they slept rough. I'm sure that if any of us fell on hard times we would prefer not to be defined by our circumstances but by who we really are. 

But also not to forget the point that we may need help.

I had a weekend away in Leeds and after I checked into my hotel I went for a walk around the town, partly to get my bearings and partly to work up a thirst. Yorkshire is famous for its ales and by one account there are around 150 breweries in the region. One pub had this sign on the counter.


 Whilst not novel it still made me laugh.