A video investigation into poverty on the estates of Meadow Well in North Shields and Scotswood in Newcastle carried out by Tom Laws, Beverley Office and Wayne Ryder with the assistance of Swing Bridge Video. Young people along with youth workers from both communities are interviews about how poverty affects their lives and what they see for their futures. Vox pops are also carried out not only with residents of North Shields near to the Meadow Well estate, but also residents of the...

A video investigation into poverty on the estates of Meadow Well in North Shields and Scotswood in Newcastle carried out by Tom Laws, Beverley Office and Wayne Ryder with the assistance of Swing Bridge Video. Young people along with youth workers from both communities are interviews about how poverty affects their lives and what they see for their futures. Vox pops are also carried out not only with residents of North Shields near to the Meadow Well estate, but also residents of the prosperous neighbourhood of Jesmond in Newcastle where they are asked to give opinions not only on the poor in general, but also the people living on both estates. Kieron McGarry and three young people sit watching a video of a heated public meeting about young people taking place inside Meadow Well Primary School in 1992. Kieron features in the debate defending the young people. A montage sequences featuring various individuals who feature in this film intercut with views of both the Meadow Well estate on North Tyneside and the Scotswood area of Newcastle in 2001. In a gym a group of young men taking a class in kickboxing; one man kicks a bag hard. Title: Poverty: It’s a Crime A shopping precinct at North Shields and a busker sings The Beatles ‘Hide Your Love Away’. A vox pop with older people about their experience of poverty and what they think of poor people. Many can remember hard-times from their past, they all consider themselves to be poor. Two young people, Sam New and Sonia Crow, talk about being poor, not having enough for food or decent clothing, being skint. Title: Poverty is relative. What do you need? / Can you afford? A list of some of life’s necessities such as having two meals a day, having a damp-free house and fresh fruit and vegetables daily. Sam New lists some of the necessities he feels he would need such as a washer or washing machine and a TV. Anne Nixon, Youth Worker at Scotswood Area Strategy states that she couldn’t survive on what money young people get on the dole. Another young man, Lee Appleby, talks about the need for clothes for the week. Over the following titles a phantom car ride through both the Meadow Well and Scotswood estates. Title: Average earnings per week in the UK - £435 Title: Income Support £41.45 Title: Over the past five years the incomes of the rich grew three times faster than those of the poor Title: Cost of prison per week - £500 Title: £55 million has been spent of improving Meadow Well Another young man, Jimmy Mason along with Sam Neil talk about the lack of money they get on the dole, Jimmy’s family run out of money a few days before his next payment, it isn’t enough for clothes and food so must go without some necessities. Inside his constituency office two young people interview Alan Campbell MP for Tynemouth who talks about the current government emphasis is getting people back into work which, over time, will increase the amount of money people get on benefits. A leafy suburban street in Jesmond and a shopping centre with a local grocer and butcher. Interview with a young man who talks about the differences with locations like Jesmond compared to Meadow Well and Scotswood. Interview with Kieron McGarry, Community Play Worker who states those born in Meadow Well are born with a disadvantage because of where they come from. Sonia Crow and Sam New say that the people of Meadow Well are nice and it is a good place to live, but it has a bad reputation because of the riots. On the Scotswood estate derelict and boarded up houses with some missing tiles on the roof. Anne Nixon says that it is a depressing area to live, especially for the young, as they don’t know if the estate is to be knocked down. A phantom car ride past a factory in the process of being demolished. Daniel Walton, a schoolboy from Byker, simply states that estate is ‘crap’. Interview with Andy Dumble from the Byker Neighbourhood Youth Project who believes Byker hasn’t the same issues as Meadow Well as it doesn’t have a negative label attached to it, he believes it's his job to make sure it doesn’t develop one. CCTV images of the Meadow Well estate and three boys riding through it on their bicycles. A man lying on the ground says that many of the kids in Meadow Well are miss-understood. Vox pop with people on the streets of Jesmond about the people of Meadow Well and Scotswood. No one would want to live in either area with Meadow Well having a scary reputation. However, one woman believes places like Meadow Well has more of a community spirt than places like Gosforth and Jesmond where people are more individualistic. Back in his office sitting under a New Labour banner, Alan Campbell speaks how people moving out of the region has led to it being the poorest in England. Vox pop again on the streets of Jesmond where those interviewed admit that the poor are undervalued, and that it is money that dictates where you are in society. On the North Shields shopping precinct, a young man says that the rich look down on people like him as ‘peasants’. Inside a park in Jesmond three women sitting in a park bench, one says that the rich often have a bad attitude to those on a ‘lower level’. Sonia Crow and Jimmy Mason also talk about the differences between the rich and the poor like them. At the end of the day, states the woman in the bench, they aren’t any better than us. Kieron McGarry and three of the young people talk about the good people that live on Meadow Well, they talk about what makes them bad such as with school, family issues and low aspirations. School and education are discussed with none of the young people interviewed thinking school has helped them, several have been excluded. However, Kieron McGarry states everyone is entitled to an education, but there is a lack of opportunities. The exterior of Norham Community Technical College changes to a vox pop with a group of young people on the streets of Meadow Well about school. They say it’s boring, they don’t learn anything, and they get picked on by the teachers. Alan Campbell talks about how secondary schools are too big with young people losing their identity. Kieron McGarry states that schools could take the easy or difficult option, the difficult being a holistic approach to help problem children rather than exclude them. The nameless square off Waterville Road in Meadow Well with it district concrete balls. Several young people from the area talk about the lack of facilities for them and getting into trouble for visiting or using some of the places they do go to. Andy Dumble at Byker talks about the need for a safe space for young people, inside a local community centre Andy speaks with a young girl who is sitting at a computer while two boys learn to become DJ’s on a set of tables. Kieron McGarry askes where are young people meant to go. Jimmy Mason along with Sam Neil talks about drugs on the Meadow Well estate. No one is forced to take them, but people know it is available and where to get it. People take them out of boredom. Jimmy swears when telling a story of someone stopping him on the street asking him where they could buy heroin. He talks about the 50/50 pressures on young people to take drugs. A caged CCTV camera on a high pole. Two schoolboys from Scotswood are asked does crime affect them. They talk about people getting in trouble as there isn’t enough money and because they are bored. Anne Nixon reiterates what the boys say about the lack of money being a reason to go into crime. Another young man talks about it being a thrill for youngster, but for older people it’s the money to buy drugs or other things. The two boys talk about the downside of crime as in getting into bother and prison. On the streets of Jesmond, a vox pop with people asking them if they could get away with robbing a bank would they do it, they all say yes if the money was big enough. CCTV footage from around the Meadow Well estate, in the control room a hand moves a camera. Many of the film’s participants have issues with these cameras, they feel harassed and being watched all the time. One boy’s think’s the camera isn’t being used to find the real troublemakers. More views from a series of CCTV cameras around the estate with Alan Campbell stating that many estates want camera like those on Meadow Well. He believes it is a trade-off between being spied on or feeling secure. A policeman walks along a street, several boys talk about the issues they’ve had with the police. They see them as nothing but bullies, several have stories of harassment by officers. A CCTV camera watching over a Meadow Well Street changes to inside a local youth centre where a young boy is performing a grime song with a friend working a DJ table. Around them a group of boys sit listening. They are asked where they think they will be in two years, one boy says ‘a secure unit or jail’. As the music continues views of derelict houses on the Scotswood estate. Back inside the centre a young man, Tony Tinnion talks about growing up after getting into trouble and rebelling as a youth. He wants to be a youth worker so he can teach boys like those sitting in front of him, some of them smile at the suggestion. Outside the Byker Neighbourhood Youth Project office a group of young people work to build a small garden area, several painted stones are placed in the earth. Sitting nearby is Andy Dumble who talks about how he got into youth work after getting in trouble as a youth. He is looking to work towards new qualifications. Many of the young people featured talk about the future with several looking to move on from their areas. Andy Dumble agrees that it is important that young people look at moving on, making things better for the future. Kieron McGarry believes that if a little bit of money is spent on young people it will pay dividend by raising their esteem, giving them new experiences of a life outside Meadow Well. Nancy Peters MBE states that older people could learn a lot from the younger people. In a garage one of the two schoolboys from Scotswood seen previous works on a car watched over by an instructor. The two schoolboys and other in the film are asked about what they would need to lead a normal life? A house, a job and money are their rely. Sonia Crow says that she is only bothered about the things that see needs for herself and her son. Alan Campbell believes people deserve a decent house to live in, but also decent services such as schools and hospitals. The two Scotswood school boys are asked about what job they would like to do, they don’t know. Inside a youth centre a young DJ Ryan O’Neill is working his decks, he talks about teaching DJing to others in the centre, on the wall behind him a series of photographs of young people around the Meadow Well estate. In the final part of the film all the participants are asked about they would like to see change on their respective estates, what could be done to improve their lives. Back in the gym from the start of the film young men sparing and working out. Credit: A video investigation by Tom Laws, Beverley Office, Wayne Ryder Title: Thanks to all the people of Meadow Well, North Shields, Jesmond and Scotswood for their contributions Title: Thanks to Alan Campbell MP, Byker Neighbourhood Youth Project, Pat Hope, North Tyneside Council, Scotswood Area Strategy, Staff at Cedar Wood Trust, Waterville Project Title: Funding include: A social inclusion project in the United Reform Church working in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills Scheme of Grants for National Voluntary Youth Organisations, and Millfield House Foundation, RW Mann Trustees Ltd Credit: A community video production by Swing Bridge Video. John Allen, Joe Caffrey, Hugh Kelly, Stuart Wright. © Tom Laws, Beverley Office, Wayne Ryder and Cedarwoods Trust 2001 Sam New is asked will any of his friends end up in prison if they stay living on the Meadow Well estate, he says yes. End title: This video serves as a memorial for Sonia Crow who died on 21 August 2001