Alfred Focke

Alfred Focke is particularly committed to the city

When Alfred Focke talks about Lüdinghausen, he bubbles over with enthusiasm. "The town is highly attractive," he says. "Especially for young families."

He himself contributes a lot to making the town what it is. Alfred Focke is active in twelve associations and clubs. He sits on the jury when it comes to shaping the city. "It's great that I can have a say in architectural competitions," says Focke. This was the case with the redesign of the market square and the Regionale area between the castles and the Borg. "I was particularly involved in the redesign of the Borg," says Focke. There were many critics back then, but hardly any today. "The new Borg is really great," says Focke. And if the project had been given the green light earlier, much more could have been realized. Focke is absolutely thrilled that the Cafe Extrablatt is coming to the market. "This is a huge win for the city."

Co-design, co-decide

"Thanks to my involvement and my contacts, I am informed about a lot of things that are happening in the city. And I think that's great," says the Lüdinghausen native. Helping to shape and decide - that's his thing

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His whole life is about volunteering. It all started with the Messdienser. Today, Focke has been chairman of the local association for many years. He is a member of all three shooting clubs in the town, Blaupunkt Heide, the fishing club, the Hegering, the Seppenrade local history association... For years, he gave cooking courses at the family education center. He has already been the king of marksmen and carnival prince. He also spent 25 years on the board of the Mühlenpoat community. "That's where I come from," says Focke. But he has never ventured into politics. That wasn't his thing.

Germany's second-oldest regulars' table

Tradition all the more so. That's why the regulars' table "Gesellschaft Reichstag", which has been held every Sunday at the Hotel zur Post for 125 years and is the second oldest regulars' table in Germany, is very close to his heart. In the past, the mayor, important craftsmen, entrepreneurs and politicians were represented here. That's why the people of Lüdinghausen used to say: "This is our Reichstag."

The work for the local heritage association keeps him on his toes. He is very involved in nature, putting up stork nests and laying out paths. "If a path is not in good condition, people call me," says Focke with a smile. That doesn't bother him at all, he enjoys it.

Volunteering is still alive and well in Lüdinghausen. "Although we're also struggling with recruitment problems here," says the Lüdinghausen native. "Association work is different today. You have to reorganize yourself and use new communication channels, such as WhattsApp. Board meetings that take hours will be history at some point."

Renaturalization of the Stever

His big wish for the city is the renaturation of the Stever. "I think that would be really good," says Focke. However, the EU water regulations are extremely complicated. You need some experts.

Focke is a huge fan of the town. "Lüdinghausen is a cool place!" he says. "I could never move away from here. That would be a total uprooting." Nadine Wenge