[speaker001:] Right we're ready to start. Erm how long have you lived in the flats?
[speaker002:] Er two year.
[speaker003:] Two years you've lived in the flats?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] So so've you and your girlfriend and daughter came in moved into f into the flats two years ago. Erm where did you live before?
[speaker002:] Er down at Farm,.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So did you actually decide you wanted to come to the flats, was it was it a decision
[speaker002:] No, what actually happened was er, we was at with her mum
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And then we had er our daughter [noise background] and so the house was a bit packed cos her mum's got a lot of kids
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] So we asked council if they could get us a place and... they offered us a flat at first over the other side, I don't know what walk it was on, and they says, You can stay there until we get an house for you.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Cos there weren't supposed to be moving people into the flats with kids, you know with them falling down stairs and things like that. And then that one fell through because they hadn't done the repairs on, so they gen us this flat. And so we moved into it and then we've been here ever since.
[speaker003:] Mhm. Did you did you originally when you actually erm applied to get a council place did you did you s did you want to move to the flats here or did you apply for put other
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] names down.
[speaker002:] No, we didn't want to move to the flats. We we wanted somewhere round the area, or Valley, but we didn't want to come to the flats, no way.
[speaker003:] But it was a case of suits it's a case of actually it was here where it was easy to get a flat than places anywhere else, it was a case of less waiting
[speaker002:] Well
[speaker003:] time.
[speaker002:] The case was that her mum's house was overcrowded.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So we had to get out anyway, and
[speaker003:] And it
[speaker002:] the sooner the better. But actually it was worse [LAUGHTER] coming here.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So erm how old how old are you and your girlfriend? Are you both?
[speaker002:] I'm twenty five, she's twenty. Daughter's two.
[speaker003:] Daughter's two.... Erm terms of living in, you've lived here, obviously where you lived before, how does it compare? How do you find it living in the flats compared with anywhere else you've lived?
[speaker002:] Er bad. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker003:] Yeah, in what ways?
[speaker002:] Bad. Er well compared with erm and Valley, there's more violence round the flats, more litter, there's more everything really, you know. More trouble and everything.... You see at at you can walk around, go in a pub, have a drink, come out and nobody'll say anything to you, there's no trouble round there. I know they've got a bit of crime rate with burglaries but it's not actual violence round, and round Valley you can do the same, go in a pub and come out, and er no one 'll say nothing. But round here you could just walk er to the shop and get mugged or you know your girlfriend could get raped, kids can get assaulted, anything. So i it's a bad area. It's a no go no go area.
[speaker003:] Do you ever do you ever go out to the to pubs round here?
[speaker002:] Yeah but I always, we always go out with her family. There's al, it's like next Friday we're all planning to go out but there'll be fifteen of us, see we all go out in a big group.
[speaker003:] So you go, I mean round here is that?
[speaker002:] Yeah, well we're starting off round first, we have a drink in
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So you know we've got enough courage to come down this end. Even though I live down here, you know, but I don't go out. I never go out on me own.
[speaker003:] Mhm, so do you fi, yeah, do your family often come down here?
[speaker002:] No, this this' ll be the first time they've come down here in about three or four month.
[speaker003:] Yeah, whereas, whereas it would be
[speaker002:] Like it's her mum's birthday.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] She likes to go to the nightclub er across the road from the, at the bottom of Road it is.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] She always likes to go there when it's birthdays and things like that, special occasions.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] That's the only time we come down.
[speaker003:] Mhm. But they wouldn't they don't come down normally to?
[speaker002:] No. They'd never come down.
[speaker003:] And is that cos of the
[speaker002:] That's cos of all the trouble round this area.
[speaker003:] Any worries of that to come down
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] they they might be at risk. Yeah. So have you ever, in terms of the crime, have you ever been affected by it in any way
[speaker002:] [cough]
[speaker003:] in person? You know or anyone in your family? Yeah?
[speaker002:] No not really. We've only had one bit of trouble once, and that was when we first moved on. There's some people at the flat out there and they used to bricks at the windows and things like that. Still got an hole here, that was just with a pellet gun that was.
[speaker003:] How long di how long ago did that happen?
[speaker002:] That was when we first moved in.
[speaker003:] That was when you first moved in?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Never bothered repairing it cos it's a waste of time. It's gonna get [LAUGHTER].
[speaker003:] Do you know when you actually go out does it actually, you know cos it used, you said in terms of, does it actually worry you going out, do you actually f think there's a risk?
[speaker002:] Yeah, when I go to the shop, I either take the wooden rolling pin or a knife.
[speaker003:] You do, is it cos that's
[speaker002:] yeah. And that's just over to the shop there, just over the at the other side of the road. I always take some sort of you know defensive thing.
[speaker003:] And did you ever do so when you lived elsewhere, di you ever feel you, the need to
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] o, so it's
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] just since you've been living here?
[speaker002:] It's just here,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] yeah....
[speaker003:] Erm in ter in terms of the erm crime why do why do you think that there is so much crime here?
[speaker002:] Well I think it's er an area that's most of the people are unemployed for a start
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and there's no facilities for kids, you know young kids ranging up to the age of er about sixteen seventeen. I mean there's not many discos round here what you can see for kids. I know they've got a community centre but that don't you know have everything for people. Nowadays there's varied taste isn't there? Er I mean some people like reggae music, some people like body popping and things like this, there's all different taste. So
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] the council have got to try and cater for every one. Cos it's gonna be a
[speaker003:] yeah.
[speaker002:] community.
[speaker003:] Is it that encou, do you think that encourages people to get in trouble, the fact that there's so little
[speaker002:] Yeah, I suppose it does in a way. I mean cos
[speaker003:] That, yeah.
[speaker002:] the the flats is er a a no go area sort of thing and a kid'll come along and spray summat on a wall and next day three kids' ll come along and spray things on the wall, so that you've got more and more graffiti going all over the place, more and more rubbish, more and more people coming to the flats just to get into trouble.
[speaker003:] Mhm. How do you fell as a person that in here do you feel any diff, as a person sort of living here compared to with erm... with your prev
[speaker002:] No, I just feel more frightened, that's all.
[speaker003:] Feel more frightened?
[speaker002:] Cos you never know if someone's gonna bust your door in one night and raid your house or anything like that. I mean you could be laying in bed, which are downstairs, and someone could throw summat through a window. Which is.
[speaker003:] So do you any kind of precaution to actua against that kind of thing happening?
[speaker002:] Well I've fitted extra chain locks on the door, and extra locks on me door downstairs. I'm not so bothered about the windows so much cos if they break someone's bound to hear them smash. I don't know if they'd be bothered, but they'd hear
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] them.
[speaker003:] In terms of facilities you you've got a young daughter, what about, what are the facilities like round here in terms of erm I mean.
[speaker002:] I haven't seen any anyway.
[speaker003:] Nothing at all?
[speaker002:] Nothing. I suppose if there was I wouldn't take her anyway, not not round this area. See at I can just let her go and play out on the park, or at anything, you know with the other kids, but round here you can't.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Cos you never know if they're gonna get into trouble with other people, or whether they're gonna get er sexually assaulted or raped or mugged or owt. In streets you can never tell round here.
[speaker003:] So what do you, if had er, in terms of, how do you feel about bringing up children round here, what do you what do you feel about that, bringing up?
[speaker002:] I wouldn't, I'd have
[speaker003:] You wouldn't.
[speaker002:] to move.
[speaker003:] you've said it's that
[speaker002:] If if my daughter was say seven or eight now she wouldn't be attending any of the schools round here cos I wouldn't let her. No chance.
[speaker003:] Mm, so what kind of damage do you think you could do if if you say you wouldn't let them, so what ma what makes you feel that way?
[speaker002:] Well it's just that the fact that there's more muggings and things going round this area than any other part of.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I mean there's proof there cos five just in four days.
[speaker003:] Because that's a list he's, of erm, he's showing there of crimes that have been committed in this area er since
[speaker002:] That's just within a week.
[speaker003:] In the last week, yeah.
[speaker002:] I mean there's five robberies there and er assault on a five year old kid.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And you can't bring people up in that environment anyway.
[speaker003:] Mhm. Yeah, how do f, in terms of the police, I mean how do, what kind of work do they do in d in response to the crime?
[speaker002:] Well I don't know cos I've never actually seen any police in these flats.
[speaker003:] Yeah so do they do they walk around at all or?
[speaker002:] I've never seen them walk round the flats, I've seen the odd one or two with the security guards,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but then there's about four or five of them then. They never come round on their own, and you you see them in the daytime, you know probably one or twice a week.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But at night-time you never see them at all.
[speaker003:] Yeah and what do they do, I mean do they s
[speaker002:] They just walk round, they don't do nothing, they'll probably just walk up this and then c come out the other end and go back to the police station. And they never actually see them walk round where the all the empty flats are as well.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And some people that's where you'll probably get mugged anyway, if you're safe from well from one road cutting through the flats where all the empty flats are that is the point where they'd probably get mugged and assaulted and raped and God knows what.
[speaker003:] Mhm. And i in terms of, you know in terms of the image that Green's got, the flats, do you, can you remember before you came into here you you knew you had, obviously had a cer the area had a certain image, do you think that image is fair or not?
[speaker002:] No I think it's worse. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker003:] Think it's worse than the...
[speaker002:] I think it's a lot worse.
[speaker003:] A lot worse than you expected?
[speaker002:] Yeah. I mean when I when I first heard about Green flats, I thought, Well it can't be that bad you know. you know just cos there's a few fights and drunks down there, I thought it can't be that bad. And when I come here and I lived here for a few year and then really saw what it was like, I thought, God, never again. No way am I living in another flat, no chance. I mean my parents won't visit me cos I living here. So I have to go up and visit them, but her parents never come down here, only once in a blue moon when they feel like it. So we're losing out as, you know we're losing out all the time. No one that no one 'll visit you. So you have to keep spending your money to go and visit them. And yet you know you think families' d stick together in this day and age. You know like if you go and visit them sometimes they come down and visit you, but they don't. Cos they're frightened of coming down here.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] My dad he he usually goes to a pub er it is on I think it's Road but instead of coming this way he goes all the way into town up the other end, you know past the Hotel, he lives at
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Valley. And he goes all the way down that end and round. Right down past the big dole office in town, up that way, and then that way, instead of coming through Green.
[speaker003:] Just to avoid Green?
[speaker002:] Just to avoid it.
[speaker003:] So how do you so how do you feel of the fact the fact that the flats are coming down shortly, how do you feel about that?
[speaker002:] Relieved. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker003:] You feel relieved?
[speaker002:] Yeah.... Cos I know that once the flats are down it's bound to be a better area but ten again it'll probably shove trouble to another area, say like. Or Fields, it'll just shoving trouble at somewhere else.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] You know when they pull the flats down they should say, Right, we'll put fifty families in, fifty families in, fifty families at, you know what I mean, to to split all the people what's in the flats up into different areas cos most of the people in the flats, you know they all stick together sort of thing.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And if if a certain family gets stuck in with another family and they're both trouble causers and they both get moved to the same area it's gonna cause trouble in that area so they ought to say, Right fifty there, fifty there,
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] you know. Split them up that way.
[speaker003:] How do you find the actual, what do you f do you think of the actual flat itself, leaving out the problems that outside that you've, in terms of crime you've referred to, what do you think of the actual flat itself?
[speaker002:] Rubbish.
[speaker003:] Rubbish? Yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Erm
[speaker002:] I mean the front room's a a long, you can't put your furniture how you really want it you see cos you've got a bit sticking out there and then you've got this big sticking out here. I I mean if these petitions weren't in it'd just be a square room. And then you've got the stairs which haven't got no door on, so the kids can fall down the stairs. And then the bedrooms are cold and damp. You've got a lot of damp in these houses. And big draughts coming under the doors. I can't complain about the windows cos o you know, I haven't had no draughts really but then you get parasites you know like fleas and bugs coming through these ventilations.
[speaker003:] And is that, does that, is that ma, is that a major problem, has that been through since
[speaker002:] I've I've no idea if it's a major problem or not. But every every time we put our heating on you can guarantee you always get fleas,... so we we d we don't have the heating on no more, we just leave it off. I don't know where they come from, they're breeding.
[speaker003:] Do you leave it off even though you're paying, you'll be paying won't you for the heating and it's
[speaker002:] Yeah but you st no you you we pay er twelve pound fifty four a fortnight,
[speaker003:] That's for that's for heating, yeah.
[speaker002:] That's for the heating, whether we use it or not.
[speaker003:] So therefore you're a you're actually
[speaker002:] So you're still losing out
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] anyway. I think they should've had meters on the heating or summat.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So you're paying for he you're paying for the
[speaker002:] Yeah. We're paying for the heating.
[speaker003:] heating and yet you're finding that because of the fleas that you you don't want to put it on so you're los
[speaker002:] Yeah, we can't put the heating on.
[speaker003:] you're losing out, yeah.
[speaker002:] Mind it's pretty warm anyway without the heating on really. But when you want to heat the bedrooms up you can't, unless you only have it on for a bit you know. And then you have to keep, see in one bedroom we've got a, you've got a ventilator
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] and that's where the back door is, in the other bedroom you've got a ventilator you know but it's not actually facing into the bedroom, it's facing outwards towards the bathroom, you know and the stairs
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] so you're not getting no heating there, in that bedroom at all. cos there isn't no ventilator in it, and that's the one we sleep in cos we're frightened of people coming through the back door in the night, you know kicking in the back door, so we sleep in the other room. And our our the baby she sleeps in bed with us, you know cos we're frightened in case owt gets bunged through the window, you know it might hit her, so we put her in bed with us.
[speaker003:] To in order to protect her.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] See, she's got a single bed down there but we don't let her sleep in it just she's stopping in bed with us, cos no way am you know we might be sleeping here, petrol bomb might come through your window on a night when there's a riot on. You know it might land on her her bed, see if it landed on our bed at least you can chuck the blankets off and protect her and take her out of the room, but when she's in her own bedroom in a single bed you can't, you can't do things like that.
[speaker003:] Mhm. Do you does she ever does she ever play out at all or?
[speaker002:] No. We never let her out, the only time she goes out is when I take her to the shop. And when we go visiting her mum and my mum, that's the only time she goes out.
[speaker003:] Mhm, going back to the actual erm house itself, you ever had, do you, have you had any problems with repairs at all or have you found them okay when ever you've had any. Have there been minor things that have gone wrong?
[speaker002:] things that are a bit, the repairs have been alright really.
[speaker003:] Yeah. Have you ever had to, have you ever had to actually, have you had any major things that have gone wrong in the house or had it been okay?
[speaker002:] No, the only thing what went wrong really was er a woman but that was in the top flat.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] She had a bust pipe and it all kept dripping through our ceiling.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You know and it even went through to the next floor you know into the bedroom like.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But they repaired it. It took them what she reported it as soon as the office opened and they'd done it at about ten twelve time. It took a long time for the plumber to come round but at least it was done, you know that day. So I haven't no quarrels with about the repairs.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And they come round and sweep up outside or you know near enough every day. So repairs and in general 's alright.
[speaker003:] Since you since you came into the flats have you have you been working at all or have have you been erm
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] unemployed, yeah.
[speaker002:] I've been unemployed.
[speaker003:] Do you think, yeah.
[speaker002:] There's another problem is, say if you want to order a catalogue
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] from a you know a mail firm, you can never get one.
[speaker003:] You can't?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] So you've tried that have you tried that?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] We've tried loads. We've ever tried renting the television.
[speaker003:] You can't
[speaker002:] You know a colour television, cos you know we've only got that one. But you can't, it's just impossible, cos you live in the ar, you know Green, you're like a second class citizen, you know.
[speaker003:] yeah.
[speaker002:] You're classed, you're classed as a reject sort of thing cos you're living in these flats.
[speaker003:] Is that by er do you, is that just, is that with rental firms or is that, do you think that's general, full stop?
[speaker002:] I think it's in general. You know just cos, it's just cos it's a bad area, that's that's all it is. It's not I mean when someone calls
[speaker003:] Do they tell you
[speaker002:] Green a bad area, it's not the whole of Green, it's just the flats. Cos this is where most of the trouble comes from, when the riots are on, there's people come out of the flats to join the riots. You know most of the people what was in the riots come from the flats. [cough] And what happened then do you know? All the shops was boarded up and everything. So I think th the flats is the main problem round the Green area
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] anyway.
[speaker003:] So when you said about a second rate citizen yeah?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Is that are you saying that you fee you feel living here that as a second rate citizen or you think other people see you
[speaker002:] I think other people see you as a second class citizen. You know cos, it you was living at
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Like her mum, she's sent off for a cat catalogue, she got it, you know within thirteen days I think it was. But she got it. And she could order from it
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] and get things from it. And her sister who lives next door but one from her mums, she done the same thing. So we've had to get things out of her sister's catalogue if we want them. Cos the mail order round here you can't get one. You just can't get one. I've tried it, just about every s catalogue there is, near enough.
[speaker003:] And they've just said, and and they've said no they're not giving you a reason or
[speaker002:] They they just reject it, you know they just say no. Sometimes we don't even get a letter back.
[speaker003:] And with with when you s said in terms of renting a T V, what's happened with them when you tried?
[speaker002:] Well I went down to a rental firm, you know
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] in town, and I gave them me name and me address, and then they sent a letter saying, No, you can't have one. So I went down and said, Well why I can't have one? And they says, Well a person who lived in your flat before you had a telly, you know and they gave me some excuse, you know that the the the person who lived in here before me had ripped them off and they says, How do we know that you're not that person, you know things like that. So I tried another one and they says, We can't give you one cos it's a bad address. So
[speaker003:] So they said it's a bad address.
[speaker002:] Yeah, so that means that people who've been living here before has has been ripping catalogues off and things like that. Cos I I as soon as I moved here I wanted a catalogue and a telly. Cos I never had one anyway. You know cos we was more or less forced to move into the flat, erm under the circumstances, but we just heard no can't have one. Bad address, bad area, bad everything.
[speaker003:] Do you use, in ter in terms of going onto erm local shops, do you use those at all?
[speaker002:] No I usually shop at myself,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but if I find I want little bits an bobs what I need I just pop over the road.
[speaker003:] Is that, why is it that, is it because you don't think the, why is it you don't use the local shops, is it because erm you you prefer to go elsewhere?
[speaker002:] Well I I go to cos it's it's cheaper anyway.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And... we we go in car shopping and we always get our s shopping from, you know with it being cheap, and we go in her brother's car, and so we don't have to carry it back all the way from, but round here you see you'd have to go out, you'd have to take the kid with you, and your girlfriend, and then you've got to come back with all the shopping and your kids as well. So
[speaker003:] So it's more convenient for you. Yeah.
[speaker002:] It's just more convenient, that's all.... I think the shops are alright round here but... you know it's just a few of the shops are a bit, you know, funny.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] T er erm moving onto erm... the area of erm, the fact that obviously a lot of people round here have got very limited incomes. Erm... in t, how di, does that in any way affect you know the kind of things you eat or in terms of diet? Well I suppose so yeah cos when you're on supplementary benefit
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You don't get in enough money anyway really.
[speaker003:] So wha
[speaker002:] I think that leads to crime in s as well in a way.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So getting back you know the fact that you said about a limited income so what does that... in terms of foods you buy, what kind of things do you find... do you buy actually s
[speaker002:] Well I I don't I don't go out and buy biscuits.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Cos to me that is wasting money, you know we just, I just buy the essentials. You know what you need for your dinner. I never buy it of fortnightly so... I I'll go to the shop and I'll say, Right, probably seven tins of beans, seven tins of peas, er you know a few tins a few beans er tins of spaghetti and things like that you know, bits and bobs, but I'll still get a joint for me Sundays.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You know for me Sunday dinner. And food a week we'll have fishfingers or beefburgers or things like that, pastas. So I have to I I sit there the week before I get the you know before I get the money, I sit there and work it all out. You know what what I'm gonna have for each meal over the
[speaker003:] So that
[speaker002:] And I have to sort it out, sit there, sort it out and then work out how much it's gonna come to, and then I know then when I go to the shop I know what to get, and I know when it goes in the cupboard I know that I'll have a meal for every day of the week. [cough] You know at least one big cooked meal. And I always buy a bag of potatoes, you know a big
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] bag, rather than keep buying it in, a couple of pound and a couple of pound there. Cos
[speaker003:] And that lasts you?
[speaker002:] That lasts me about two and half week.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] A fifty six pound bag.... Milk, we get milk tokens anyway. with being, having a kid not long ago.
[speaker003:] So do you have milk delivered?
[speaker002:] No I nip over to the shop and get it from near. You know you get seven bottles for a token. And you have to pay a penny for each bottle, summat like that. But in one, in another shop you see, it's twenty five pence. So I was caught with these milk tokens [LAUGHTER]. At it's two pence.
[speaker003:] In ter in terms of getting milk delivered, I mean do many people get milk delivered or
[speaker002:] I've never seen a milkman round here
[speaker003:] Isn't?
[speaker002:] I've never seen one. [cough]
[speaker003:] Do you do you think you said that you're not sure whether the milkman comes round the flats.
[speaker002:] No idea, I've never seen one round here. And I've been down here two year.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I've only seen an ice cream van about four times since I've been here.
[speaker003:] What do you think when you actually erm... when you look ahead to erm moving out of the flats and finding somewhere else, where do you w where do you want to go to anyway?
[speaker002:] Probably back round to.
[speaker003:] You'd like to go back to?
[speaker002:] Yeah, cos it's a better atmosphere, at least you can walk round the streets safe.
[speaker003:] Have you managed to make, have you made any friends at all, in the flats?
[speaker002:] No. [LAUGHTER] None a well I I don't associate with people in the flats. I just keep myself to myself.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So why do f why do you feel that... why why is it, you said you don't associate with the people in the flats, why is that?
[speaker002:] Cos I might go out one night and I might say I might meet up with a with a another white man or another you know a black man or something,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And the next thing I could be on to drugs, you know er, putting heroin in me arm, I could be doing anything. Which is stupid you know.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] So I just keep myself to myself. Cos the area's got a bad name for drugs anyway.
[speaker003:] In terms of drugs, yes, I mean is that, do you actually know of of erm... is it is it what you've actually seen that makes you
[speaker002:] No, one of our friends she's on drugs.
[speaker003:] Yeah. And
[speaker002:] He he's been on everything here.
[speaker003:] Yeah, how did he... does he live?
[speaker002:] He's he's still on them. He lives in the flats.
[speaker003:] So is it, was it, was she on dr erm drugs before he came to the flats or is it
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] since coming to the flats?
[speaker002:] No, he wasn't on drugs before cos he used to live at Valley. And he was alright then. It's just since he's been in the flats. Now he's associated with the wrong sort of guys, so he's gotten on to that stuff. And when I see, I thought, No way, no way am I gonna do things like that.
[speaker003:] So that's the main reason why you keep to yourself,
[speaker002:] Eh?
[speaker003:] you don't think, you think
[speaker002:] I mean he's been round here a few times,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You know and smoking his joints and things like that, but I never touch it.... I used to tell him, I used to say, You you're stupid. You're stupid taking things like that cos it ruins you.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] See he has to send his his missus out shoplifting and things, just to get money so he can buy drugs.
[speaker003:] And you say that it's it's since he's co it's the since he's come
[speaker002:] It's since he's been
[speaker003:] here.
[speaker002:] Yeah since he's been in the flats yeah.
[speaker003:] Is there much in terms of drugs do you actually... are there many people in the flats who actually that are actually involved in drugs or
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Or take them, yeah.
[speaker002:] Well I've seen I've seen guys walking along balconies with joints in their hands, you know smoking the joint as they're walking along.
[speaker003:] As they're walking along
[speaker002:] Yeah, this one here,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] just out there.
[speaker003:] Just outside you see them walking through with drugs. Yeah.
[speaker002:] And there's a flat over there on that walk what deals with drugs. Er there's one up one er on the next walk down. And there's another one somewhere cos my friend he used to come round here with his drugs, he used to tell me where they was you know. Probably thought that I'd go an get some but I, no way. [cough]. That's one thing I want to try and keep off. You know being round here you might be tempted to do it but that's why I just keep in me flat and out of the way.
[speaker003:] What do you fee, as a person do you feel in do you feel any different living here to elsewhere?
[speaker002:] Ah, I'm just more alert at night times you know.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Cos you never know what's gonna happen. So I I'm more alert, I wake up earlier.
[speaker003:] You wake up earlier, yeah.
[speaker002:] See at I'll wake up about eight or nine o'clock, but round here you wake up at six. Five and six in the morning, and you're always waking up in the middle of the night cos you don't know, you know, if summat's happened or summat's gonna happen. I'm always waking up in the night. Like last night I couldn't get to sleep.
[speaker003:] You couldn't get to sleep
[speaker002:] I didn't, I didn't get to sleep till about two o'clock. And then I woke up again, and I come upstairs to look at the clock and it was half past three. And I went back down to bed and I got up again at five, went back there then the baby wake up at seven so I come up and stayed up.
[speaker003:] So that's because of erm
[speaker002:] That's just cos she's tensed
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] you know you don't know what's gonna happen next. You're not sure you know what's happening and what's going on.
[speaker003:] So that's very different, so you feel different, very different to when you lived in?
[speaker002:] Oh yeah, cos when we lived at you see you could just go to sleep and that's it you knew that nowt was gonna happen. You knew nothing was gonna happen at. Could just go to sleep and enjoy a good night's kip and wake up in the morning. And everything's
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] just the same as it was the night before, you know. But round here you could go to sleep, wake up in the morning and half the flat's have been burnt down and shops have been looted and you don't know where you are.
[speaker003:] If you if any of if you have say er any problems with the people in the flats that you could actually go to would help you in any way?
[speaker002:] Oh I've no idea really.
[speaker003:] Is it, I mean do you know many people in the flats who you could actually rely on if you ever if you were
[speaker002:] No, I don't know anybody in the flats.
[speaker003:] So you so the two years you've been here you've not managed to really get to know many people. wouldn't want to know
[speaker002:] I wouldn't want to know anybody anyway round here. [LAUGHTER] I mean cos if you got to know someone they might be might be muggers, or you might get in, you know et to know somebody else and they might be a big crime organization.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Never know. [cough]
[speaker003:] What do, in terms of erm, terms of prostitution, is that act, is that, does that bother you or are you not bo bothered really about the fact that that goes on in the area?
[speaker002:] I'm not really bothered about prostitution meself. I mean som you know I suppose they've got to make a living some how you know with the money you get off social. But the only thing that does bother me about it is when they get you know school kids coming out of school and going straight on streets on Road. You know little kids coming out of school and going straight on the road. That's the
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] only thing that bothers you, you know.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So I can say that really what worries you is more the crime and the drugs much more than prostitution, as far as prostitution you're saying that basically there's a
[speaker002:] Ah, no, I mean cos violence and drugs is more harmful than a load of girls, you know, doing stupid things on s street corner.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I mean you know drugs and violence they're the things in life what can really hurt you and damage you.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I mean prostitution can't hurt you, they can't damage you I don't think.
[speaker003:] Mhm. You know when you actually, when you er finally when you leave here will you be... obviously the flat's coming down, you're gonna be... leaving it here
[speaker002:] And they told me my flat's and go, you know I can move I'm gonna pack everything before even a house comes through. I'm gonna go round and collect everything up and pack it up. I'm just gonna leave certain things out what I need to use, till my house comes through....
[speaker003:] Do you since as soon as you've got any clue you're gonna start packing stuff up ready and
[speaker002:] That's it, all the pictures are coming off the wall and everything. They're all going in boxes.
[speaker003:] Oh yeah.
[speaker002:] I'm just gonna pack them in one bedroom and leave them there. Even if it takes four week they're stopping there.
[speaker003:] You've told me abou quite a lot about er yes quite a lot of the bad points, are there are there any, is there anything at all, any good points at all, about living here?
[speaker002:] I don't think so [LAUGHTER].
[speaker003:] You've not found any at all?
[speaker002:] No.... I mean some of the pubs are quite nice.... But then again you see you always get trouble in an in another one.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] You can come out of a nice pub and go into another bad 'un.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So when you've actually gone into pubs have you... do you ever go just you and your girlfriend, into thi into this pub?
[speaker002:] Never go on us own. We always go out in a group.
[speaker003:] Because why is, is that, is yeah.
[speaker002:] For the simple reason you know you one of the if someone starts on one person in our group all the rest of the group can get together and get them.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And [cough]
[speaker003:] What's it like, have you ever, have you ever, when you first came here did you go did you ever go in the pubs?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] With just your girlfriend then?
[speaker002:] We never went out.
[speaker003:] Didn't go out at all?
[speaker002:] The only time we went out is ice skating and that was in town, just go out ice skating now and again.... The only time we've ev you know in pubs round here is like I said when it's someone's birthday in the family
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] and we all go out together. That's the only time we'll come round Green.
[speaker003:] Yes is that is that because of erm fear that
[speaker002:] Fear really you know violence you know.... I mean her her s her dad he he come down Green not so long back to go onto the market, what's that you know just outside the flats.
[speaker003:] To the market that's here every Wednesday
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And he went into the... to the Pub
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and he went into the toilets and there was a lot of coloured men there, Do you want to buy some dope? You know he only went to he only went for a pee you know what I mean that cramming five pound and ten pound deals at him, and he's going, No you can, you know [LAUGHTER].
[speaker003:] in terms of erm the blues parties have, what's your view on those? Do you hear much about them or
[speaker002:] Well there used to be one.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] On the end of this walk that used to bother me, cos it used to be going till four and five in the mo you know in the morning. And then when it finishes you've got all the guys coming out shouting and screaming and running about through the flats, the music never bothered me, it was just the you know the guys coming out after that bothered you. Cos you didn't know whether they'd had er you know had a lot to drink or had a load of drugs and start going on the rampage or something.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But they'd never have bothered me.
[speaker003:] It's the blues that never been never been much of a problem really.
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] Bothered you.
[speaker002:] It's like that one there they they left er i they left the blues and then the tr trouble was caused you see.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] So you're saying yeah
[speaker003:] See it's not the blues that bother me I don't think it's just the fact that there's there might be trouble afterwards. You know like then. Mhm.
[speaker002:] Like a couple there they got robbed.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And that was after the blues finished.
[speaker003:] When you had the blues erm near by you said at one time that it was just away from here, was there, was there any, was it, was there any bother after that after the blues then or was it okay?
[speaker002:] No I never heard no more.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] You know you could hear you could hear them shouting you know goodnight and things like that.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But there was never any trouble.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Not with the blues.
[speaker003:] Is it you know in terms of erm in the flats f erm is there any... how how do people you know of different... you know white and coloured people do do they get on o okay or is or is there is there a problem there or not?
[speaker002:] I don't really know myself but I
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I find that I I I get on with coloureds anyway quite well. You know cos I know a lot of coloured from different areas.
[speaker003:] Yeah and that's the
[speaker002:] And most of them moved down to Green as soon as it was built.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So I find that coloureds and whites get on alright anyway.... So I don't think there's any problem with that.
[speaker003:] So you don't think there's any problem at all there.
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker003:] No.... I think we'll just... Right erm [cough] you lived in, you were born in, is that alright saying that?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Or and you you lived there right through until you were fifteen. Then you went to Valley, and.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] Yeah. So do you fe obviously in terms of particularly because you lived there right, throughout right up right up until you were fifteen, how did it c how does it compare living there with here?
[speaker002:] Well it's a lot better.
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I mean there's no drugs and prostitution and there's not much violence round. There's a lot of burglaries round I admit yeah, but there's not much violence and drugs and things like that, so I I used to think it was good living round. You know cos at least you've got a few fields for the kids to play on and you've got a decent park, you've got a nice pub just down the road and then you've got the big sports hall. You've got a golf course, you've got quite a few things round here, you've even, you've got your school just a bit, you know up past. You've got the church, community centre, infant school and junior school combined, and a nursery so you know it's all within a little community sort of thing.
[speaker003:] Mhm. And how does that compare?
[speaker002:] But I think got worse when Valley was built cos you know there was more families moving from different parts of t to move you know live at Valley. That's when you know they got more crime committed round and Valley then, cos there was a lot more kids up there.
[speaker003:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But before that it was best, you know it was just all farm land, it was brilliant you know.
[speaker003:] Mhm. And does it compa Yeah.
[speaker002:] Wake up to the sound of chickens, you know sheep and horses and things like that. It was just great.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So what how does it compare now would you sa is that kind of erm the other places that you've lived at you know you've lived at, Valley and. How do the, how do you see those areas as comparing, you mean you were sayi you said they bit they were better, how do they compare with living here do you think?
[speaker002:] Well I think if I had a if I had a choice where to live
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] out of them four,
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] , Valley and Green, I'd pick first, and then second I'd pick Valley, third would be and last would be Green.
[speaker003:] Mhm. would be the last place possible.
[speaker002:] It would. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker003:] Yeah. If someone a obviously it's it's what I'm asking is hypothetical anyway because I mean the flats are coming down so no one new can move in, but say you actually if if it was possible for other people to move into these flats and you knew someone and they said erm, You know I'm thinking of moving into Green flats, what would you say?
[speaker002:] I'd tell them, No. I'd say, You don't want to move here. I'd I was I was glad when they said no more can move into Green, cos I was thinking, Well my sister's getting a house soon and my other sister she's getting a house and I don't want them two living round here as well cos the me mam and dad won't be able to see them either, you know if they move into the flats so I was glad.
[speaker003:] Mhm. So how did they react to you when you your mum and dad when you actually when you moved in here. You said they haven't been round round do they do they tend to keep away from here so how did they react when you actually first
[speaker002:] Well
[speaker003:] got the flat, yeah.
[speaker002:] They just says, Where you living again? So I says, Walk at Green. And they says, Is that near the Pub? I says, Yeah. And they says, Oh well we're not coming down that area then to visit you. I says, Why? She says, Cos there's a lot of drugs and that being you know pushing round that Pub. And I says, Well there's nothing wrong with that, I mean I says, I'm not taking them or owt. She goes, No but the point is that people kill for drugs which probably is right, I don't know, so she says, We're just not coming down. She says, You know it's not being funny or owt, but she said, But you could still visit us but we're not coming down Green. No way. It's just the area. But we still get on alright you know we're still a close family, ever though she don't come to visit.
[speaker003:] Mhm. Do you find yeah the fact you said that you've got your close family, do you find the fact you're a close family, does that, that, does that help you, you know the fact that you you said that you haven't got
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker003:] many people round here
[speaker002:] No. Yeah it does help us
[speaker003:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You know cos at least I can still go out and visit all my family even if they can't come down here.
[speaker003:] Mhm. How will it be actually living here? You know cos you you said that you di there's no there's no one who you really know round here. And if you didn't'have a close family. I think it would be some who doesn't have a close family because there'll be some people round here who probably won't.
[speaker002:] I don't know, I I just think, we'd be a, lonely you know on us own. Sort of thing cos I wouldn't mix with anyone round Green. So I think we'd just stay here and ourself. And then you know till we move.
[speaker003:] Right. Thanks very much. [recording ends]