Reflecting on Mosaic in Wales

While sitting in the youth hostel in Llanberis and listening to the local folk singer as he told the stories about the Welsh fairies, I remembered my grandmother back in a little village in Pakistan. Her stories were same, about the fairies, the ghosts and the good and the evil. It made me realise that as humans we share the same nature and all the prejudices about the colour of our skin, language and religion etc are secondary. During these visits to the National Parks, I saw people with completely different backgrounds and cultures, becoming friends, helping and caring for each other. In current times where threats of racism and cultural differences surround us, bringing people together is one of the major successes of Mosaic.

I believe that in life we have different windows around us. Once opened these windows can reveal what is on the other side, Mosaic had successfully opened up a window between the BME community and The National Parks.

My personal experience with Mosaic can best be described in the famous words of Wordsworth in his poem, The Daffodils;

“For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.“

The visits to national parks and meeting all those lovely people along the way do surely bring a smile on my face. 

Zobia Zaman, Brecon Beacons Community Champion

Zobia is a Community Champion with the Mosaic project in Wales. We run Mosaic in partnership with the three National Park Authorities in Wales and the YHA. It is funded by the Big Lottery People and Places Programme.