Milton Keynes local wins Nextdoor Neighbour of the Year
Abiodun Adeleye brought one Buckinghamshire community together through photography
Following his community engagement in lockdown a Milton Keynes local has been recognised for his neighbourly achievements.
After losing his job in renovations because of Covid-19, Abiodun Adeleye turned to his passion for photography hoping it would help him connect with neighbours and build relationships.
Abiodun started taking photographs of places in Milton Keynes and posting them on Nextdoor. Wanting to create an interactive and educational experience, he asked people to guess where the photos had been taken.
This sparked conversation with neighbours who started sharing stories of the areas they knew.
For those who weren't familiar, it got them out and about and learning more about where they live.
Using the #howwelldoyouknowmiltonkeynes, Abiodun's posts created a space where the community could come together:
"I was going for something that would touch my community, the young, the old, everyone. That's why I went for Nextdoor, I felt it was a good way to connect with my neighbours."
"There is this saying that health is wealth and mental health is key. Yes I was sad, I was down but when I started taking these pictures and I started seeing the way people were responding to them, it encouraged me"
Initially, Abidun didn't believe he had won. His wife broke the news of his win but he thought it was just a spam email.
It wasn't until one of his neighbours told him that he realised it was true:
"One of my neighbours said that the sky is my limit, when I started, I never knew that was going to happen. It makes me want to do more."
Despite lockdown being lifted, people still wanted him to carry on with his weekly posts and a meet up has been planned with some of the regular contributors to the local page with an exhibit also in the works.
Find out more about the Nextdoor Good Neighbourhood Awards 2021