Patty Dumplin

image: Louise Clutterbuck
 

You do a lot of work for the BHF, fundraising and raising awareness. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Me love people so in me spare time me love to chat with me friends and me family dem. Being a very spiritual woman me love de Bible especially de Proverbs. So me like to tek time and read dem so me have positive things to tell me self and de people dem. Me also love to keep fit and active in me garden chasing away de cats dem. So when you say spare time, me never have none of that, not really. Me always busy, busy, busy.

What’s your favourite thing to do around Nottingham?
Well, me very proud as punch to live in Nottingham. Out of all de place in England me could live, me so please me did settle here. When me did young back home in Jamaica, me did always love to hear about Robin Hood, him was a bad boy wid a good heart. So when any of me family come from yard me love visit de castle an de caves an take plenty picture of me Robin Hood. When me show me cousin de council house she say if dat is de size of de council house in Nottingham me coming to live here too. But me tell her imagine de size of de gas bill, and she shout, “Lawd of mercy!”

What me like de most about de whole of Nottingham, is de variety and diversity of de people, de culture, and also de food, oh, an de man dem. They used to say there’s five woman to every one man, so me take that into consideration and say to meself, well if me go England, and me land in Nottingham, me go have competition from all de woman. You understand what me say? It’s a good job me did married to Mr Dasheen!

Are you a bit of a flirt?
Me no know what it is, but me just have a better mind for remembering de man dem. Me attract de man dem. We come like wood and dust but me no make no man make sawdust out of me. Though, Mr Dasheen dead an gone, people think say me available an me have to bash off de man dem. So me make sure me wear me wedding ring. So me say, “Me no vacant. Me engaged.”

Who would be your ideal man?
Well, me ideal man, would be tall, dark, an Irish, but him married. Mr Dasheen was short and round. Me like a man who is articulate and intelligent and hardworking. Me no like no lazy, lazy, good-for-nothing man you see. Most of all, my ideal man must have a good, clean heart and care for people, like me Robin Hood. And me know who dis man is.

Me give you a clue, him is on Kemet FM every Monday morning. Also there is a next man who favours Shabba Ranks and has all de moves. But me very first Nottingham man me have a big crush-in-a-shon on is, well me no call him name, but let’s just say people know him as me sugar plum, plum.

Who is your favourite local artist?
Me favourite is Percy Dread. He come to one of my show once and he sing me a nice song. Me always remember de song him use to sing, [she sings] “In my house dere’s a picture on me wall, Rastafari!” Dis song. Cha! Me can’t believe dat me meet him, and been on de stage with him. Dis make me heart feel good. He’s a good man, a very talented but humble man.

What inspired you to get involved with the BHF?
Well it was when Mr Dasheen passed away with heart problem in 1989. And me consider if we did have de education and awareness of de signs and symptom like we do today, he might still be alive. So is very important to pass dem key message on to de people dem. And you see, me was listening to Kemet FM one day, and de British Foundation Hearts and Minds programme was saying dem need volunteers to go out into de African-Caribbean community specifically, because there is a higher incidence of heart disease and cardiovascular disease within de community. Some of dat is hereditary, some of dat is through lifestyle as well.

When me look back at Mr Dasheen food him did used to nyam, me realise him was eating too much salt, and oil too. He used to say, “Patty, a where deh juice? Me no like me food dry! Bring come de juice, put pon de rice!” And when me look back me consider it was oil, not juice or gravy. So him suffer with angina for a long time. But we never knew much about it and de sign and de symptom dem. So when me hear dem advertising for volunteers, me say to meself, dat is it. Mi put myself forward.

image: Louise Clutterbuck

What kind of stuff do you do in your sessions? I’ve seen that you do a lot of dancing…
Yes. You know what, all de while me dancing reach de internet, but me do a lot more then dance. Two time now me put on me sell-off Patty Dumplin show, wid me dam good Love Heart Volunteers, at Nottingham Contemporary where me invite all me friends. Me a big fan of emerging talent in Nottingham so me always invite de artist to sing, and we fundraise while having fun. Me love it because me audience is made up of black, white, old, young and everything in between.

Me also love me Come Nyam Wid Me sessions. You ever watched Come Dine With Me? It’s a little bit like dat. But we choose two African-Caribbean restaurants, Chez Coors, an Jamaican Ways, and we invite local people to come and sample some of de nice recipes we select out of de British Heart Foundation Traditional Foods, healthy dishes book. We do a two-hour session, an we talk about what is de recommended amount of salt to use. We have fun, of course. And then we do a bit of dancing, and we nyam de food. We have 200 or something people dat come to those session.

We do other sessions where we go around de UK, to de luncheon club with de elderly, and we do an interactive health session but wid out de food. Dem cheeky you know, dem say to me, “Patty, how you can talk about de British Heart Foundation and getting physically active, when you’re big like so?” So me tell dem, “Me tryin’!” And me lose one half of rock-stone, is what me tell dem and dem laugh you see. Me hear dem say, “If Patty Dumplin can do it so can we.” Listen, when me go Reggaerobics Bubble-it or Walk Good sessions, me no just sit there you know, me get up, whine me waist and get involved. Yes!

You’ve been shortlisted for an EMAHSN Innovation Award under the category of Improving Access, Experience and Outcomes for Underserved Communities. How did that come about?
First of all let me tell you what all dem letters stand for. It stand for de East Midlands Academic Health Science Network. Dem say me is an innovation of creation and dem love de way me work with de British Heart Foundation to reach, engage, and help improve de health of de people dem.

What’s the best part about your work with the BHF?
What me really impress with, and what de community really enjoy, is hearing and seeing de patois language. You don’ hear it very often these days, and we have a lot of very wise word and proverbial saying: “De older de moon de brighter it shine”, “De higher de monkey climb, de more him batty expose.” What me really like, is we have developed resources and information about de heart but in patois. De BHF head office have had people calling in to say, “TONKS!” Dem so appreciative to see information in dem language.

Me have to big up de BHF. Dem leading de way when it comes to effective ways of engagement wid diverse communities. Dem respect dat de communities are de experts at knowing how dem want to be engaged. Yes de BHF have proven dat to reach de heart of de communities dem want to serve, dem need to pump through de veins. Dem examine de heart of de community, identify de professional resources within de community, and develop those partnerships and networks on an equal partnership and dat is why dem make a success.

We’re very proud to have you in Nottingham.
Did me tell you me going to meet His Royal Highness? Yes. Well me get one invitation last week to a reception wid HRH de Duke of Edinburgh at St James’s Palace. De Duke of Edinburgh is de patron of de BHF charity so me will be honoured to meet him.

You’ll have to get a new dress for that!
Yes! Now me loss a little weight! Maybe me get a nice new frock from de frock shop on Forest Road.

What would you like to do aside from BHF?
Me very passionate about health especially mental health and wellbeing. Anybody at any time can become anxious, stressed, depressed. Me love to make people smile you see. Me would like to do some work in de community to help people look at how dem life choices impact on dem mind health. We living in critical times hard to deal with.

What are your top tips for a healthy, heart-lovin’ life?
Be kind to people and remember to be kind to yourself. Make sure you eat healthy, because what you put inna your body, is what you will become. And not just de food me talking! What you put inna your mind, is what you will become. We are earthen vessels, like a clay pot made from de earth. What you put in de pot, is what you will get out. Recognise de heavenly father. We are his children, he has set a way dat we must live so dat we can benefit we self.

Anything else you’d like to say?
Me like to say TONKS and respect to all de people dem who show me nuff love outta road, pon me FaceOff an me Twitter. Me a big fan of LeftLion because it give a good platform, to show de richness of de diverse talent here in Nottingham, so it’s very good work dat you do. And me hope you continue long and good. Me love me Nottingham. When me go London dem say “Patty Dumplin you can’t go back a Nottingham, stay wid us!” and mi say, “Never, me proud to be a Bulwellin, me Nottingham through and through me duck.”

Patty Dumplin's website