1For many years, our street had a reputation for being rather unfriendly and badly neglected.
2Rubbish collected in the alleyways, and hardly anybody ever spoke to their next door neighbours.
3Everything changed when a young couple moved in and organised a meeting for all the residents.
4They suggested that we spend one Saturday a month working together on improving the street.
5At first, only a small handful of people turned up, mostly out of curiosity rather than enthusiasm.
6We painted the old fences, planted flowers, and cleared away several years of accumulated rubbish.
7Gradually, more and more residents joined in, bringing tools, food, and plenty of enthusiasm with them.
8The local council noticed our efforts and agreed to repair the badly broken pavement at last.
9Now the street holds a summer party every year, and every single family contributes something.
10What strikes me most is how little it took to break down the walls between us.
11All it required was one single person willing to knock on a complete stranger's door.