Where people live

This is an area of Barry called Gibbonstown, we were leafletting yesterday. It was a slightly strange place. On one hand you can see how awful these 60s buildings are, with the whole layout of the place which all faces inwards on itself like an overground warren. Lots of fly tipping, loads of broken toys in gardens, cigarette packets and butts scattered around front doors, graffiti ("you no us dangerous") and empty cider cans laying around in a cliched attack on the small 'green' areas where no ball games are allowed.

Yet you also see what some people have done to make the best of it, ignoring the creeping green mould up the front of the house, the cracked concrete, broken fence and the letterbox hanging off and placing garden ornaments around, attempting to do something nice with the junk yard garden at the front, putting OTT Christmas decorations up outside.

I also saw more kids out playing together here than I have in most other areas I've leafletted. Certainly in the affluent areas you rarely see any kids outside. They are either being carted off to weekend sports clubs or dance classes or being kept inside where they can be 'safe'.

Me, I loved being outside, it fires the imagination running around pretending to be on an adventure with a pocket full of string and a bouncy ball.

The whole place had a feeling of being shut down, yet alive. And in one sense I don't want to be some outsider making a judgment on someone elses patch but I figured that people deserve better than that, and no wonder there are so many social problems as it is.