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| Confused? You should be | Confused? You should be |
| (4 months later) | |
| My month started with a busy, busy week – finding emergency overnights for Leeds asylum-seekers, path-clearing work on the North York Moors and a proper Fairtrade shop in Malton. All in five days. Tuesday and Thursday were Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network, and two very young people looking for beds, one 18, the other 19; I can only imagine what drives young people from the only home and family (if they have one) they've known to a strange country, where they are homeless and penniless. I found places for them to stay after several 'phone calls. It was half term and lots of our overnight providers were away, one lucky family walking in sunshine in the Brecon Beacons. Wednesday was dry despite a damp forecast , but very windy all day. Our Coasties footpath-clearing team was at the old alum works in Ravenscar, continuing work on the Cleveland Way alternative, which should open next spring and give direct access to the old industrial site. | My month started with a busy, busy week – finding emergency overnights for Leeds asylum-seekers, path-clearing work on the North York Moors and a proper Fairtrade shop in Malton. All in five days. Tuesday and Thursday were Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network, and two very young people looking for beds, one 18, the other 19; I can only imagine what drives young people from the only home and family (if they have one) they've known to a strange country, where they are homeless and penniless. I found places for them to stay after several 'phone calls. It was half term and lots of our overnight providers were away, one lucky family walking in sunshine in the Brecon Beacons. Wednesday was dry despite a damp forecast , but very windy all day. Our Coasties footpath-clearing team was at the old alum works in Ravenscar, continuing work on the Cleveland Way alternative, which should open next spring and give direct access to the old industrial site. |
| We were clearing tonnes and tonnes of stone from collapsed sections of the works and their associated buildings – including housing for the workers and a pigsty. Many years ago the rubble was dumped where the new path is going to go, so now they have to be moved again Some stones are fairly small and go in wheelbarrows; others are huge and have to be moved in a small caterpillar wheeled truck. By about 2 o'clock we had run out of places to take the stones and many of us had also run out of energy, so we downed tools an hour earlier than usual and piled into the mini bus back up the hill. We debated the merits of a hot shower versus a bath to iron away the aches, I went for the shower, on power mode. | We were clearing tonnes and tonnes of stone from collapsed sections of the works and their associated buildings – including housing for the workers and a pigsty. Many years ago the rubble was dumped where the new path is going to go, so now they have to be moved again Some stones are fairly small and go in wheelbarrows; others are huge and have to be moved in a small caterpillar wheeled truck. By about 2 o'clock we had run out of places to take the stones and many of us had also run out of energy, so we downed tools an hour earlier than usual and piled into the mini bus back up the hill. We debated the merits of a hot shower versus a bath to iron away the aches, I went for the shower, on power mode. |
| Thursday evening several of us worked until after 11pm to set up the two-day branch of Fairer World in the Friends Meeting House in Malton. All the goods are fairly traded, giving a social premium to the communities producing them, as well as a fair price for the things we are selling. The shop is an annual event on the first Friday and Saturday in November. Both mornings, two of us tied green arrows advertising the event round lamposts in Malton's centre, but most people came by word of mouth and because they know we will be there. There was a steady flow of people all day, buying cards and presents for Christmas, as well as stocking up on the usual tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well dried fruit and sugar for baking. We seemed to do as well as most years; there was certainly less to pack up on Saturday evening than when we began. I have two more small stalls before the end of the year, one at the local council offices and another in a village primary school. All good news to those producers in developing countries. Trade not aid is what they want. | Thursday evening several of us worked until after 11pm to set up the two-day branch of Fairer World in the Friends Meeting House in Malton. All the goods are fairly traded, giving a social premium to the communities producing them, as well as a fair price for the things we are selling. The shop is an annual event on the first Friday and Saturday in November. Both mornings, two of us tied green arrows advertising the event round lamposts in Malton's centre, but most people came by word of mouth and because they know we will be there. There was a steady flow of people all day, buying cards and presents for Christmas, as well as stocking up on the usual tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well dried fruit and sugar for baking. We seemed to do as well as most years; there was certainly less to pack up on Saturday evening than when we began. I have two more small stalls before the end of the year, one at the local council offices and another in a village primary school. All good news to those producers in developing countries. Trade not aid is what they want. |
| The following day, I did a voluntary national park ranger patrol in one of my favourite places, the Cleveland Way between Ravenscar and Hayburn Wyke. There was still a frost on north facing areas, but the sun shone and it was a glorious yomp south along the coast. However, the walk was not just for checking steps, gates and general path maintenance, although I did plenty of that. Today was also my sloe-picking day. At first I thought that the blackthorn was getting revenge for all my cutting back over the last year, but patience was rewarded and I picked just over a kilogram in about half an hour. | The following day, I did a voluntary national park ranger patrol in one of my favourite places, the Cleveland Way between Ravenscar and Hayburn Wyke. There was still a frost on north facing areas, but the sun shone and it was a glorious yomp south along the coast. However, the walk was not just for checking steps, gates and general path maintenance, although I did plenty of that. Today was also my sloe-picking day. At first I thought that the blackthorn was getting revenge for all my cutting back over the last year, but patience was rewarded and I picked just over a kilogram in about half an hour. |
| The following week I was back in Leeds, dealing with an early call from Positive Action For Refugees and Asylum Seekers - both case workers were going on a course, and there were four people to place. After lots of voicemail messages and two or three lovely chats with people I have never met but are becoming good 'phone friends, everyone was placed. Two of them are the very young people I helped with last week. My long-standing asylum-seeking friend in Leeds meanwhile finally got news about her move to a new home: it would be 9.30am the next day and no one knew where to. However, friends rallied round and when the G4S staff arrived her stuff was packed and she was as ready as possible. The G4S people on the ground were lovely, as is usually the case; it is the people at the top, earning most, who are the problem. | The following week I was back in Leeds, dealing with an early call from Positive Action For Refugees and Asylum Seekers - both case workers were going on a course, and there were four people to place. After lots of voicemail messages and two or three lovely chats with people I have never met but are becoming good 'phone friends, everyone was placed. Two of them are the very young people I helped with last week. My long-standing asylum-seeking friend in Leeds meanwhile finally got news about her move to a new home: it would be 9.30am the next day and no one knew where to. However, friends rallied round and when the G4S staff arrived her stuff was packed and she was as ready as possible. The G4S people on the ground were lovely, as is usually the case; it is the people at the top, earning most, who are the problem. |
| My friend has been moved into an old terraced house, hard to let, but she is pleased that at last the move has happened. She and a friend have already scrubbed it to their very high standards and it is within walking distance of her doctor and other support networks. | My friend has been moved into an old terraced house, hard to let, but she is pleased that at last the move has happened. She and a friend have already scrubbed it to their very high standards and it is within walking distance of her doctor and other support networks. |
| I am delighted as, although it is in an area of back-to-backs, it is a 'through' house in the Leeds vernacular; it has a back and a front open to the air. Those of you not familiar with the city may have thought that back-to-back houses with no such double frontage had been consigned to the museum or the dustbin of housing history. Oh, no. In Leeds there are still more than 20,000 back-to-backs still in use. The numbers are so high because, when building new ones was finally banned early in the 20th century, Leeds found a loophole in the law and carried on well into the 1930s. | I am delighted as, although it is in an area of back-to-backs, it is a 'through' house in the Leeds vernacular; it has a back and a front open to the air. Those of you not familiar with the city may have thought that back-to-back houses with no such double frontage had been consigned to the museum or the dustbin of housing history. Oh, no. In Leeds there are still more than 20,000 back-to-backs still in use. The numbers are so high because, when building new ones was finally banned early in the 20th century, Leeds found a loophole in the law and carried on well into the 1930s. |
| My friend and I drank tea and she tells me how, when she has got the inside clean and sorted - although it already looked spotless to me - she is going to start on the small plot outside. The move that potentially could have been so disastrous has turned out to be fine, in part down to the lovely people from the local housing group who actually did the practical work of moving her and her few but precious possessions. Some of these she has restored to good use after finding them dumped in alleyways. | My friend and I drank tea and she tells me how, when she has got the inside clean and sorted - although it already looked spotless to me - she is going to start on the small plot outside. The move that potentially could have been so disastrous has turned out to be fine, in part down to the lovely people from the local housing group who actually did the practical work of moving her and her few but precious possessions. Some of these she has restored to good use after finding them dumped in alleyways. |
| For new readers, the contract to house asylum seekers is now with G4S, who cannot use the properties that were previously used, so at unnecessary expense everyone has to be moved. They in turn subcontract the work to another group. Confused? you should be! | For new readers, the contract to house asylum seekers is now with G4S, who cannot use the properties that were previously used, so at unnecessary expense everyone has to be moved. They in turn subcontract the work to another group. Confused? you should be! |
| Janice Gwilliam blogs monthly for the Northerner on her volunteering experiences and views. | Janice Gwilliam blogs monthly for the Northerner on her volunteering experiences and views. |
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