Two neighbours, six kids and one shared fence.

We’re Jen and Chrissie, next-door neighbours in the Shire, each with three children.

next-door neighbours

2

next-door neighbours

kids between us

6

kids between us

shared fence

1

shared fence

We met when Jen was 37 weeks pregnant and moving in next door to Chrissie, who was heavily pregnant with twins. Two very pregnant women on either side of a fence: it didn’t take long to become friends.

Life, side by side

What followed was a lot of life, lived next door to each other.

1. Moving in

   Jen at 37 weeks, Chrissie expecting twins. Two bumps, one fence.

2. Newborns

   Three babies within weeks of each other, and a lot of sleepless nights.

3. Postpartum

   The weeks when a chat on the footpath could turn a whole day around.

4. COVID lockdowns

   When the neighbour over the fence was the only other grown-up we saw.

5. The toddler years

   Early mornings, scooters on the driveway and borrowed nappies.

6. First days of school

   Matching lunchboxes, happy tears and a coffee afterwards.

7. Work and family

   The never-ending juggle, made lighter by someone who gets it.

Through all of it, the company, the conversation and the support of someone right next door helped more than we can say. A spare pair of hands. A meal dropped over. Small things that added up to a lot.

Our local businesses were part of that village too. The cafés, shops and services around the corner kept our families going through lockdowns, busy school mornings and everything in between.

They didn’t just sell us things. They knew us, looked out for us and gave back to the streets around them.

Why we started From the Footpath

From the Footpath is our way of celebrating that connection: the everyday kind you can have with the people next door and the businesses down the road.

It’s also about growing it. A wave turns into a chat, a chat turns into a friendship, and a quick coffee at the local café turns into knowing the people who run it.

When you look after those connections they don’t stay over one fence. They spread from house to house and street to street, until the whole neighbourhood feels a little closer.

Good neighbours run local businesses too

Local businesses are neighbours, not advertisers. When locals back them, they can thrive, and when they thrive, they can keep serving and giving back to the community around them.

That’s why Back local sits at the heart of From the Footpath: a simple way to find, support and thank the businesses that make your street a neighbourhood.

• FindDiscover the businesses on your doorstep.
• SupportShop local and keep money in the neighbourhood.
• ThankSay thanks to the people who serve your street.

It’s also how we keep From the Footpath going. Working alongside local businesses lets us stay commercially sustainable, community owned in purpose and locally driven.

Starting with the lights, 1 December

Christmas lights are how we’re starting, because there’s no better excuse to get out on the footpath, say hello, and drop into a local business on the way.

See the lights map