People

“It is good people who make good places.” (Anna Sewell, Black Beauty)

I was born just over the border in Dumfries and spent most of the next 25 years living in the northwest before work took me to live in London, Tokyo, Brussels and then the Surrey commuter belt. Meanwhile, my parents moved to Kirkhouse 30 years ago since when it’s been the place to which we all return. Now, having effectively been here full time since last summer, I’ve witnessed first-hand the very special Hallbankgate community.

The people at the Hub - both sides of the counter – are the most welcoming and helpful I’ve ever met. In just nine months it’s become a central and meaningful part of my life. Rarely does a good day start without a walk up here with the dogs, a cup of strong black coffee and a scrumptious piece of flapjack!

I now know the truth of Anne Sewell’s words. It is indeed good people who make good places – and there’s no place better than the Hub. Thank you all so much.

Going clockwise from top left, these people pictures are of a couple photographing each other with Venice’s Grand Canal and the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore as a backdrop; the Boscolo Hotel in Milan with its matching doorman; people flowing through the Louvre, Paris in search of the Mona Lisa; and a young novice monk near the Wat Pho temple in Bangkok.