How to meet people by walking your dog | Rob Bentley | TEDxGosport

When the world shut down, one man and his dog reopened it, one walk at a time. Rob Bentley shows how rediscovering your neighbourhood and your neighbours can rebuild community, connection, and joy. Rob is a writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist…and legend in his own lunch break. Officially a Gosport resident, and unofficially its most enthusiastic pub quiz menace. When not walking Hollie, his infinitely more glamorous dog, Rob can be found lurking in A Slice of Vinyl record shop on Stoke Road, pretending he knows what “first pressing” means, or wandering the aisles of Alverstoke’s finest hardware store, spending his pocket money on things he has absolutely no practical use for. Like many of us, Rob found his social circle shrank dramatically during the 2020 lockdowns, but this has been more than compensated for by his rediscovery of all his wonderful Gosport neighbours and fellow residents who generously tolerate his tall tales and shaggy dog stories. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx