I AM a life-long Littlemoor resident. I was born here, went to school here, grew up here, go to church here and still live here.

My family has called Littlemoor home for three generations.

I have the honour to serve as one of two Dorset councillors for Littlemoor & Preston.

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Lately, it seems an old, prevailing narrative of Littlemoor being just about rat infestations, drugs, crime and thuggery is re-emerging.

This narrative does not fit with the overwhelming majority of Littlemoor people.

I boast to my fellow councillors of the community I live in and represent.

I have walked the streets with councillors from every party, the leader of Dorset and Weymouth Council included. All praised it.

The Littlemoor I know and love is the one that during the first lockdown rallied to support everyone through the foodbank, collecting prescriptions and doing shopping.

The Littlemoor I know is the one that put together the memorial garden project to honour those who served this country.

The Littlemoor I know re-opened its closed youth club, saved its community centre, supported each other in times of grief and came together in times of celebration.

2022 will be Littlemoor’s year to shine and break that narrative.

Events to celebrate the jubilee will out-do all that has gone before it, the youth club will be back and better than ever before, the annual summer fun day will be outstanding as always, the new Nest project will be up and running, bingo, discos and quizzes will be regular events to help raise much needed funds and bring us together as a community.

The problems we face now have been faced before and we dealt with them – and we will deal with them again as a community.

The vast majority of people on Littlemoor are good, decent, law abiding, honest, hardworking people who this year will show that through the good works we do.

Louie O’Leary

Littlemoor, Weymouth

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