I love it when people stop me in the street to talk about my newspaper column.
I love it even more when they come up with ideas!
Why, he asked, didn’t people living near the bench clean it?
And that set me thinking about social responsibility or community spirit.
Is it really my job to clean a bench near my home or clear a blocked drain in roads around my village?
Isn’t that what we pay our council taxes for?
Or am I lacking a social conscience?
As it happens, I do clear the clogged mud and leaves from the drain close to where I live – frequently.
Yet I am the same person who recently saw a man clearing weeds from a pavement close to his house and commented to my wife: "He really must have nothing better to do."
In our village, former England cricketer Andy Caddick regularly climbs aboard his sit-on mower and cuts the roadside verges.
It's a generous act, appreciated by everyone who passes.
Yet his kindness also raises an awkward question.
If he didn’t do it, would the council step in?
Shouldn't it be their job in the first place?
We seem to be drifting into a society where volunteers quietly fill the gaps left by shrinking public services.
Litter picks, community speed watches, flower tubs, even clearing footpaths, it all depends on willing hands.
There's something admirable about that.
Community spirit is one of Somerset's greatest strengths, and long may it continue.
But community spirit should never become an excuse for public bodies to retreat from their responsibilities.
When residents clear drains because flooding is ignored, or cut verges because the council no longer gets around to them, are they demonstrating admirable civic pride or simply compensating for services that have quietly disappeared?
The honest answer is probably both.
Of course, none of us should walk past a problem believing it's always someone else's responsibility.
If an elderly neighbour needs a hedge trimmed, lending a hand is part of being a good citizen.
That's social responsibility in its purest form.
But maintaining highways, drains and public footpaths is different.
Those are core public services funded through taxation.
Volunteers can enhance a community, but they should not become unpaid substitutes for professional maintenance.
So, if I clear that blocked drain, I'll probably feel rather pleased with myself.
The road will be safer, the water will disappear, and the village will benefit.
I just hope the council doesn't mistake my shovel for a service contract.
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