Home is…familiarity

As we only live 25 minutes from the airport, our family take it in turns to drop and pick up each other to the airport. My Dad was due to pick us up from our little trip to Spain. I knew that he’d be waiting for us at Area No. 2 (He’s always early or on time!). I knew he’d have the radio on and wouldn’t turn it off until I got hoarse shouting from the back seat.

And as we drove up the hill toward the house, I don’t know what reminded me of the Dennyis challenge, my mind works in mysterious ways! Maybe it was the steepness of the hill, maybe it was the discarded tayto wrapping that made my blood boil or maybe it was just familiarity that made me think of what home is.

I missed the launch of the Denny ‘What is Home?’ campaign,  their nation-wide search to finding out what home means to the country of Ireland. Craig Doyle was there as celebrity ambassador and gave his own version of home: “For me, it’s my real life outside of work, a return journey, a house full of screaming kids, a window frame the dog chewed and I got blamed for. It’s happiness and warmth.”

It was after midnight when we got back home. My mum had sandwiches made for us (you got to love Mums!) and it was great to know where to reach for the plates, the teabags, the milk while sleep-walking with the tiredness.

Home means lots of things at different times and for me that night, it was familiarity. Denny is set to film real people and real homes as part of its search to find out what really makes a home today. I think it’s a great idea - everyone is different yet it will be interesting to see the commonality between families and homes.

Anyone who wants to invite the Denny crew to their homes can do so by calling 1850 887 00 or 0844 544 3545.

They’ve also set up some interactive channels for people to share their stories about home - check out their page on Facebook, connect with them on Twitter and Flickr.

And what’s great about this campaign is that Denny is donating €1/85p to the Simon Community when every individual shares their thoughts on what home is online, by text or in person. Everyone is welcome to upload photos, videos and comments to www.homeis.ie, texting 51444 (ROI) or 81515 (NI) or by popping into one of the Denny houses. Denny is taking the campaign nationwide with their Home on Wheels tour.

Visit www.homeis.ie to share your thoughts. It’s a bit of fun and your contribution will help make a difference with the Simon Community.

Go on…what is home to you?