Operation Reveal

Hey there

So I guess the time has come to reveal myself, I was going to do this a bit more creatively like they do on Scooby Doo but I’ve just ran out of time. I’m pretty sure a lot of you knew who I was anyway. If you’d have really checked things out you’d have seen the company behind this was Assembly Line International CIC. It purposely meant to sound more impressive and corporate than it is. It’s just a small Community Interest Company I set up a few years ago and done nothing with until now. So here’s a few things about me.

I’m from Yorkshire. I hate lemon curd. I hate Robbie Williams more. I have met Grotbags, Jimmy Cricket and one of the blokes from Eggheads so there! I also saw Russ Abbott outside HMV a few years ago (as you can see I like to show off too). I played chess for Yorkshire but only once. I have a pigeon chest. I’ve never seen a Harry Potter film and I never saw an avocado until I was 21. Hair does not grow on my calves. I have a twin brother and hair does not grow on his calves either. I can only move my lips to the left. I’ve never completed a computer game. I had all the Care Bears. I once put Olbas Oil up my nose when I had a cold not knowing that Olbas Oil shouldn’t go up your nose. I’ll never put Olbas Oil up my nose again. I like cranes and have slept in one. I eat really fast like a seagull. I don’t trust any animal that I couldn’t potentially beat up myself, which means I don’t trust a lot of animals. I sold my childhood dreams on Ebay in my mid 30s (basically I sold my guitar to consolidate my debts).

My name is Karl with a K the German way. I’m not German but my mum once fancied a boy at school called Karl with a K and thought it sounded exotic. I live at 86 Milcote Road. I live with my wife Katie and 2 year old daughter Lena. Lena is a French name. She is not French. We named her Lena after seeing a French zombie series.

So for now, this little experiment has come to end.

I’ve loved (nearly) every minute of it, it’s been very hard at times as I work full-time and had a lockdown toddler to look after. It was especially tough packing and getting 175 bags out at 2am in the morning all by myself. It was more fun than I imagined being a golden disco bear; imagine being a really bad superhero with no real powers, something like a Yorkshire Bruce Wayne but less attractive, less intelligent and with a student loan to still pay off.

I’ve loved every little interaction and message with you all, not knowing who you are has made it all the more interesting and appealing. You’re a lovely bunch of people and I feel blessed to have you as my neighbours.

I fully understand how the mystery of it all could and did put some people off but I was really interested in experimenting a new way to connecting with people on my road. I think on the whole it worked. A bear is much more interesting than Karl with a K. Due to budget and constraints on my own time, some things worked better than others but it was all about testing something out and learning from it

Speaking of learning, I’d really appreciate it if ALL (that’s everyone who took part in your household) spared 5 mins to fill out the survey from the funder of this project, Creative Black Country.

It will make a huge difference to me and Creative Black Country who do some amazing things in communities. Plus I will get some brownie bear points. I can use this data (you will remain anonymous of course) to develop some of your ideas in the future as we have a cracking bunch of Ministers on board now. For example, we could do the 80s Sports Day event, host a retro film night, have a Milcote Minnies Saturday Art Club or have a series of music events on the road. There’s too many great ideas to mention.

It only takes a few mins, so do it do it do it do it now. Click link below

Milcote Assembled survey

For the name of the event, please put Milcote Assembled and write Jun-Aug 20 for the dates.

We had hundreds of messages from 69 different people. Yes 69 people responded to the initial invite letter. I’m aware momentum dropped a little but next time will be bigger, better and less weird and secretive. Hopefully we can do things in person and I can get to meet you face-to-face at some point. Maybe when we put on more events together in the future.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to take part and share things with me. We have some amazing and kind neighbours on this road already doing wonderful things in the community. I’d like to thank them for inspiring me. Community is more important than ever and doing this small project has really brought this home.

It’s been a blast. Some of your bear puns have been paw-some too. I’m sure you’ll see more of me and the bear in the future. I’m definitely keeping my golden disco jacket for my impending mid-life crisis.

Thanks to Creative Black Country for their support.

Big bear hugs

Look after yourself and each other

Take care

Bear, I mean Karl

PS Anyone who had photos taken, I’ll get this sorted soon.

A smiling man with glasses and a beard standing outdoors in front of a wooden fence.

Person sitting on a couch wearing a shiny, metallic gold jacket and black gloves, with a geometric golden bear mask over their face, in a dimly lit room.

Open drawer containing a black glove and a gold metallic mask, with a gold geometric object on the left.

Six black circular buttons with yellow text that reads, 'Something Good is Going to Happen,' arranged on a light wooden surface.

A man with a beard wearing a shiny gold jacket taking a selfie in front of a large wooden sculpture of a sports car surrounded by wooden boxes.

Person wearing a geometric animal mask, sitting on a chair in a room with patterned wallpaper, a potted plant, and a small table with a red object.

Multiple red and white striped paper bags with white circular labels that read 'Milcote Assembled Pick 'n' Mix, suitable for vegetarians and vegans.'

A booklet titled 'TRAVEL' with a white and black device placed on top, resting on a colorful surface.

Colorful display boards with large black text on a wooden surface, featuring words such as 'ASK,' 'ABOUT,' 'YOUR,' 'GOT,' 'COMMUNITY,' 'CHILD,' 'TALK,' and other related phrases

A parking lot with several cars parked in front of brick houses. A green sign with black text is attached to a wooden post, partially obscuring a white car in the foreground. The sign reads: "AND IF I SHOULD FALTER WOULD YOU OPEN YOUR ARMS OUT TO ME.

Window display with various artwork including a pencil sketch of a woman holding her hands to her face, a drawing of a girl with long hair, and other colorful art pieces. Handwritten notes and signs are also visible.

A robot made from a cardboard box, painted to resemble a robot with a blue face and orange accents. The body is covered in aluminum foil and decorated with taped embellishments. The robot is placed outdoors among green bushes in front of a brick hous

Person wearing a bear mask and gold jacket sitting on a green sofa, holding a phone, in a dimly lit room.

Pink and white striped bag of 'Pick 'n' Mix' candies on a yellow background with

Display window with artwork of colorful rocks, framed and hung on paper, outside a house with a green door and pink flowers in the foreground.

Street view showing parked cars, a building with a purple sign, trees, and a poster on a fence advertising community activities.

Person wearing a gold mask and a gold shiny jacket reading a book while sitting at a table near a window with a view of a garden and cloudy sky.