h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello my real name is Katrine and not only I am an ex LDer but I used to live in Ashington 15 miles away from Newcastle between the years of 1965-1971 and then again in 1995-2000.

If you want any help about anything I will always try and help.

See you later.

JA

aaww hi hun ,
thanx 4 the offer! i've had offers f help from others as well but i just can't get into their msgs to reply!! it usually lets me write n then as i press 'send' it automatically switches
the digibox off! clever eh? lol
well let's just c if u get this one otherwise i'm wasting my time!! :0)

Yes I have received your message now.



JA

hi katrine
fraid to say born n bred geordie here n i've never (knowingly) been to ashington......(hangs head in shame!)

i live about 9miles outside nexcastle
on a place called Jarrow
(home of the Jarrow marchers n the Venerable Bede??)

so where do u live now if not in the north east(nosey geordie rearing it's head!!)

Trish

I live now in Grays in South East Essex.

I lived in Ashingon twice 65-71
and 95-2000.

When I went back in the 90's the place changed dramatically all the pits closed, hardly any jobs and there was so much competition for the few jobs that were availabe if there were you either had to have your transport and in some cases had to know someone who worked there. They had destroyed the place, uprooted all the trees and covered all the wide open spaces with new housing estates. The job that were supposed to have been created after the mine were paltry. The miners jobs that were destroyed were never replaced. The whole of the community in Ashington it has been totally destroyed and shops, cinemas, markets and post offices have all been closed never to open again. The companies that were started after all the mines were closed many of them had gone bankrupt in at least 5 years of starting up or had to slash the amount of people that they were employing.

My grandfather helped to raise funds for the Jarrow Marchers.


JA

really??

yeah, fraid the mining communities were ripped apart after thatcher decided to bring in coal from overseas,so WHOLE communities, not just towns, were lost 4ever!!:0(

fraid it's the same with the ship industry.....although that hasn't totally gone.....but it only employs
100s now rather than 1,000s.....n only
intermittently!

but i know wot u mean about not recognising places recently!
all these new buildings n 'regeneration' makes u feel like a stranger at times!lol

so do u work?
i'm a nurse but not working at the moment,...full time mam.....(bit of a contradiction there i think!)

I am a full time carer for my parents and sister but before that I had a very patchy work record. I mainly have been doing admin/clerical work experience and training courses. I have been on that many Job clubs and seminars. I have always tried to find work but when I left school I did not have any qualifications not because I did not want to take them but that through the education authorities taking me out of the school system for two whole years because in their opinion I would not be able to cope with taking exams. Then I went on two courses and it was case of then not having enough experience, not having enough or the right type of work or training experience, then being too old or not having my own transport.

I have been a child minder to my neices when my sister was at work or when she was going out at the weekends. I have also done retail voluntary work and factory work in the past. In the last 3 years have been totally devoted to looking after my elderly parents and disabled sister.

JA