It is ALWAYS windy in Hanstholm! The water and the waves are fascinating. The scenery is a good excursion destination for our little family. Here we can see Hanstholm Harbour and we often talk about the ships, whether there are sharks under the water surface and how strong the waves are. The kids love the view and not least the harbour.
But my view of Hanstholm Harbour has changed. Despite the fact that the Hanstholm fish auction is still Denmark's largest, the harbour itself is more and more reminiscent of a newly paved desert - depopulated and barren. In stark contrast to the town of Sennels, which has been overtaken by its own success. There is life in abundance here, but the municipal buildings in Sennels are worn out and do not accommodate the town's children. It is easy to be wise in hindsight, but today I am bitter that it took several years to convince politicians and the civil service in Thisted municipality that the growth in Sennels was not a flash in the pan. In the same way, it took several years for even the same politicians to discover the lack of success at the port. Now we are all in deep water. The postponed kindergarten project in Sennels is one of the very concrete consequences of the fact that Hanstholm Port is in such serious disrepair that Thisted Municipality has chosen to take over the operation and pay the port's overdraft of 65 million.
The mayor of Thisted has stated time and again that the takeover of the port will not affect the welfare of the citizens. But in Sennels, bricks and more square meters have become equal to the well-being, learning opportunities and health of the youngest citizens. Because it is all too easy to neglect the needs of children and families with children... because "they will manage".
Sennels kindergarten has announced a stop to admission for a period of 9 months. Søs is one of the children who will be pushed out of the city's natural ecosystem which consists of local daycare, kindergarten, local leisure activities and later the start of school in Sennels. Many of us are families with children who are now considering the consequences this will have on family life and our personal finances. Where will we be offered childcare? Can we drop off all the children before the shift starts at 7 am at the hospital? Can our finances support a leave of absence and home care? Should we save up to buy an extra car? Will my employer let me report later? How many institution changes will I offer my child? How much less time will I have with my children each day? Maybe it is in the child's best interest to opt out of Sennels school if my child has established friendships from another area? Will growth in Sennels stop?
Annika Frøkjær Kanstrup is a mother of three, a midwife and a resident of Thisted Municipality, where she has previously been a radical lead candidate for the city council. She is also a former chairwoman of the parents' council at the local kindergarten Sennels.
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