I knew what you meant mate. I was just being silly. Why did my post about hard fish make you sad?No ya daft blighter - I meant "silly accents" "like Tony Pullis`s"
I knew what you meant mate. I was just being silly. Why did my post about hard fish make you sad?No ya daft blighter - I meant "silly accents" "like Tony Pullis`s"
Gresham is no longer like this picture. Part of it has been renovated and those houses pictured have now been demolished (rightly or wrongly) and are now currently being replaced by new builds from Thirteen.Even into the late 80s Gresham was a decent area with young families and people who had lived there decades.
It was when planning blight pizzed on the area`s fire - people started to leave as the revamp and rebuild was halted in 2013.
Its a bluddy disgrace how the whole area has become more like a FIBUA - training area than a place for people to live.
The people of Middlesbrough have been dispossessed by blunders and lack of joined up thinking by the Council, Planners and Social Housing Providers.
St Hildas and Grove Hill still look like the Luftwaffe have been back to finish the job.
Not impressed.
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Its a reaction to when people make derisory comments but like you said - it applies all over the country.I knew what you meant mate. I was just being silly. Why did my post about hard fish make you sad?
I appreciate that Rob - but for years its looked like a bombsite and it neednt have got to that state. You know yourself, every street corner use to have a shop and there were little businesses squeezed into yards and houses. People were busy and they would take a pride in keeping their places neat and tidy. It had a real buzz to the place. Its always good to see the place improving, but it couldnt have got any worse.Gresham is no longer like this picture. Part of it has been renovated and those houses pictured have now been demolished (rightly or wrongly) and are now currently being replaced by new builds from Thirteen.
I thought that I was doing the opposite to be honest. I wasn't intending to be derisory about the area at all and sorry if it came across that way. And that was just a daft attempt at a joke about Wales because I used to work on 'heroin alley' in Swansea for a while and there's only so many times that you can hear the whole 'I just need a quid to use the phone because my mam's been rushed to hospital' story before it gets really tedious. Teesside is fine by me. I love the place. That's why I moved back here when I became semi retired. That and to keep a bit of a close eye on my elderly parents.Its a reaction to when people make derisory comments but like you said - it applies all over the country.
Thats my excuse.
Perhaps Tony Pulis was more than a "silly accent" if you get my drift....
I must admit I prefer them "battered"!!I thought that I was doing the opposite to be honest. I wasn't intending to be derisory about the area at all and sorry if it came across that way. And that was just a daft attempt at a joke about Wales because I used to work on 'heroin alley' in Swansea for a while and there's only so many times that you can hear the whole 'I just need a quid to use the phone because my mam's been rushed to hospital' story before it gets really tedious. Teesside is fine by me. I love the place. That's why I moved back here when I became semi retired. That and to keep a bit of a close eye on my elderly parents.
Edit: I never thought that I'd ever have to type the words 'Why did my post about hard fish make you sad?' in that order. That was certainly a new experience for me.
I can't do batter any more unfortunately. Same goes for pastry. They just don't agree with me any more. No more fish and chips, no more sausage rolls, no more pork pies, no more steak pies. I can't eat ANY of the nice stuff any more. My life is barely worth living these days.I must admit I prefer them "battered"!
I think that may just be a getting older thing. I was completely fearless taking short cuts through back alleys in the middle of the night as a youngster but I certainly wouldn't do that now. But I don't think that that's because Teesside has got any rougher. I think that its just because I'm far more aware of what could possibly happen to me now then I was back then.Grew up in TS1 and whenever I go back I notice the difference in the level of roughness compared to where I moved after.
But all places have their rough parts, or rough people. I thought where I lived now wasn’t that bad until the pubs reopened and all the vermin have invaded the pub near me as it’s one of the only ones open in the area.
I'd certainly agree with that up to a point but there are some nice bits in the town centre too. I just think that the North gets a lot of bad press just for being the North. Having worked down south a lot they often simply don't believe you when you tell them how beautiful parts of Teesside and the surrounding area are.Architecture plays a big part in people’s perceptions. Boro is a relatively new town with largely uninspiring architecture and, couple it with being northern/post-industrial it gets a “rough” reputation based on the appearance of the town centre. It’s far from beautiful but aesthetics cloud people’s judgements.
I've reported you to the police mate. They're still illegal even if you just go foraging in the woods for them.I gather illegal drugs
I think that you make a great point about the whole 'down to Earth' and 'community' thing there. I was trying to get that across to an American friend of mine who has never been to the UK and I think I just said that on the tube in London nobody ever speaks or makes eye contact but in Teesside you get on a bus and some eighty year old old dear will immediately sit down next to you and start telling you about how her Elsie has never been the same since her piles operation and then she'll probably say that you're looking a bit skinny and invite you over to her house for tea because you're pretty tall and you can probably reach that spare set of dentures that she has on the top shelf in the bathroom.I have always felt proud to be from Teesside. There is a paradox to this area I feel. Whilst many would say it is a 'hard' and 'tough' area to live, it is also in my opinion one of the friendliest places to live in the country. We are welcoming, unassuming, and down to earth, and I still feel there is a sense of community in many parts of Teesside. And I can compare to other far less friendly places in the south where I have lived. There are parts of London that are far more scarier to walk at night then 'Boro.
The only time I have really felt frightened and vulnerable was an experience I had in London. I recall walking from Stratford tube station to my hotel late at night and three young black lads kept circling me on bikes, clearly trying to intimidate me. I kept walking ignoring them and thankfully reached my hotel without incident. If that had happened in 'Boro and I was black and the kids on their bikes were white it might have even been classed as racial intimidation?
Of course books that seem to glorify the so called 'hard men' of the area have not helped the reputation. Using the term 'legends' to describe people who were nothing more than bullies does little to change peoples perceptions. We are a tough community because we have high levels of social inequality and social exclusion compared to many other parts of the country.
For perspective this happens in York too. My lads footie pitch was trashed after a stolen car was driven through a steel gate and driven in circles round the pitch.Had the privilege of watching a group of lads on Monday evening joy ride a car on the field near the footbridge over the A19 to Teesside Park then set it on fire.
I didnt ring it in but those new tenants of 'Acklam Green' overlooking this field will have had front row view to ring 999
I dont know how they got the car onto the field as i thought the new housing development (which is still going up) had cut off most the access areas to this area.
I was in view shot of these lads (some on bikes) so didnt want to be seen on my phone as i wasnt feeling comfortable at all whilst on a walk with my partner (who ive been trying to convince to leave Knaresborough so i can return home)