It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon and I am in Bury Park, the predominantly Asian district of Luton. I grew up here and often return to see my family, so there is nothing surprising about my being in Bury Park, but what makes this particular Sunday unusual is that I am not with my family or friends but with 20 strangers who have signed up to walk with me through my home town.
The walk is part of Heritage Open Days, supported by the local council, and the broad aim is to share the history of Bury Park with the wider community. I was asked to lead the walk, which begins outside the central mosque, because I had written a memoir of growing up in Luton – called Greetings from Bury Park – which had later been adapted into the feature film Blinded By the Light.
