During one of our daily walks last year, our dogs and I met Ken, a local octogenarian, who lives just around the corner from us. Initially, he mistook me for someone else, who apparently looks like me...and has similar dogs 😁. Having lived in Runcorn all his life, Ken has a wealth of local knowledge at his fingertips, and was keen to share some of it at that first meeting. It was some time before we bumped into each other again, but the dogs greeted him like an old friend 🐶. Since then, we regularly stop for a chat, us on our way for our walk, Ken on his way to or from the corner shop. Since the lockdown, of course, our time outdoors has been limited and we had not seen Ken. After leaving a note with contact details, he was keen to continue our chats over the ‘phone. I have learned so much local history from Ken. He has lots of stories and anecdotes, about his family, work, horse racing...and of course, Runcorn past and present. Ken has a close family and is a long standing member at a local club, so is missing this very important part of his social life. Living alone, except for his parrot and fish, Ken has been keeping himself busy reading the paper, listening to his favourite music and doing jigsaws. Although this fills some of his time, he is finding that he is missing his wife even more. Another person to talk to, share stories and a laugh, seems to have had an immediate, positive impact. The dogs are missing seeing Ken in person, but like to sit and see him through the window 😁