I WAS watching The One Show the other night and saw a film about the comedian Benny Hill.

I was shocked to learn that his life came to an end, alone in his flat in Teddington, and his body was undiscovered for two or three days.

Surely somebody would have noticed he hadn’t been seen or at least have been a little suspicious?

Obviously I don’t know the ins and outs of his story, but it does beg the question, where were his neighbours?

His story isn’t unique, which fills me with deep sadness. After watching the show, it really got me thinking about where I live, what I bring as a resident to my area, and would I be noticed if I hadn’t been seen for a few days?

One of my neighbours has had a tough year and although I may not see the family all the time, we look out for them and help whenever we can.

This week, I had a text from her and at the end she signed off ‘#lovethyneighbour’ which really struck a chord with me.

Obviously if you take the meaning of the phrase to its literal sense, you may only assume you need to reach out to those who share a connecting wall with you or those who are a stone’s throw away.

But why should loving our neighbour be restricted to the people who live right next door to us? Maybe a rethink is needed.

Maybe we all need to take time to ponder on our wider localities and how the effects of this fast-paced, social-media consumed, self-gratifying period we live in is affects our family, work, government and society.

Maybe this has led to the breakdown of the way our communities used to thrive?

You can see pockets of cohesion for example in areas like Surbiton and New Malden which is so enticing.

You get the sense that people know each other’s names and don’t mind stopping for a chinwag.

At the end of the day, maybe it’s not about the big gestures but simply the little things we could do that would make a difference – a quick hello to someone, a smile or even supporting an local event.

I’m guessing It probably wouldn’t take much to get the ball rolling.