Park life Doing the right thing Dave Smith looks at where weve been, where we are heading, and how we get there ince the start of the pandemic, we have all been asked at various times to do the right thing: stay at home and keep away from our workplaces, our family, friends, colleagues, and the people and places we would normally see and go to on a regular basis. Instead, weve spent a lot of time on our own, some of us alone, many of us only with those closest to us. Weve had time to reflect, to think about ourselves and our relationship with others, and how we can make a positive impact on the world we live in now, and for future generations. Self-preservation and self-improvement have been phrases Ive heard many times along this journey. The exceptional circumstances we have all found ourselves in has certainly brought out our survival instincts, enabling us to manage, cope and navigate a path through and beyond the pandemic as best we can. Its been so important to keep ourselves healthy and active, to nurture and care for our mental health S and wellbeing. There have been difficult decisions to take, and its been challenging for many, liberating for some, life changing for all. Where are we going? As individuals, what we most want to do now is reconnect with each other and all those things that provide us with the energy, motivation and sense of purpose that humans instinctively need. Why we exist and where we belong are questions you might have asked yourself. Similar questions of an existential nature are being asked by organisations, as they seek to find their relevance and place in this new world. In its 51st year, the BPA is also asking: where do we want to go and how do we get there? To stay connected with our membership community, we need to listen, learn and recognise that we share similar values: togetherness, spirit, pride, passion values that people across the parking sector have demonstrated so inspiringly during the past 15 months, coming together to do the right thing for the good of society. Our campaigns ask people to do the right thing as well: to park responsibly and follow the rules; dont park where you shouldnt and pay where you should. Now we are calling on government to do the right thing and reconsider its proposal to take away the ability to manage selfish parking with an effective deterrent. As society prepares to open up once more, the importance of these measures, and the need for them to be effective, will become increasingly important. We will all be going places again, expecting to park safely, pay quickly, and go. The BPA is going places too, with a strong sense of community and a desire to make a positive contribution, every day. We are always looking forward, striving to go further, and embracing the opportunity to transform the way we work and how we engage. We all want to get back to creating and sharing experiences that matter, to reconnect with each other. As a community, we can help people to do this safely, easily and with respect for others which feels absolutely the right thing to do. Kelvin Reynolds is away Dave Smith BPA head of communications and marketing dave.s@britishparking.co.uk 44 britishparking.co.uk PN June 2021 pp44 Kelvin_park life.indd 44 21/05/2021 11:52