My god, now i was bought up in a less than affluent place/manner but certainly not on that level or i don’t recall being quite that bad.

I was genuinely shocked at the level of poverty shown in the program, i really felt for the young lad that had to wear his sisters hand me downs including a girls shirt ffs. He had a great character and tried to just shrug it off. Bless him.

Amazes me that Britain has such a high level of children being brought up in poverty like this, it is truly stunning.

Depressing, especially as the kids were bright enough to realise that things are only going to get worse for them over the next few years.

very sad, the bit where one of the girls said she sometimes doesn’t have lunch got me 🙁

i watched it too, reminded me of my own childhood.
but i have to say, just because they are poor, its no excuse for the filty houses that some of them lived in. it doesnt cost anything to tidy up.

I only saw the second half, but Sam’s seemed a particularly depressing story to me as he was obviously so eloquent and intelligent.

Tidy, yeah. But when the walls are sodden with damp and covered in mould its quite hard to keep it clean.

I’ve got it recorded, sounds like a must watch.

Heartening to hear that poverty is being presented in a way that at least invites a bit of understanding and sympathy. Especially if people can see a bit of themselves in it. My girlf is off to meet the director later this week.

Commissioning editors just won’t touch poverty because everything on TV, even documentaries, has to have a happy, hopeful ending. Poor people can only be shown if they are seen to be fixed as part of process – Keith Allen coming into their house and cooking them an organic meal – or Scary Spice buying them a Gym Membership, the Secret Millionaire buys a minibus (whether anyone wants one or not). So long as the poor have been shown to have pulled themselves together (and someone a bit like ‘us’ has learnt something about themselves and had a bit of cry) the ending is ‘hopeful’ and therefore digestible for the rest of us.

Anyway, sounds like its in marked contrast the “The Scheme” that viewers south of the border won’t have been titillated by. That was a nasty piece of work – the sneering media classes turning the poor into zoo animals. BBC Scotland wave a flag for that as the most successful thing they’ve ever done, but its popular in the same way as happyslaps on Youtube are popular. Would happily stab the man that commissioned that.

Yeah, I was shocked & choked, the poor lad getting bullied for his clothes….just sad 🙁

i hear stories like that and worse most days. so sad.

What I find really quite disturbing is that many people have no idea about the reality of the level of economic hardship suffered by many people in the UK. Do you live such sheltered lives?

And this is hardly a new phenomenon; I grew up on a council estate in the 70s and 80s in the East End. Childhood poverty isn’t something that’s suddenly just happened…

The place in Bradford is about half a mile away from where I grew up, and about a mile from where I currently work. The change in the last 40 years is very depressing. In fact, the change in the last ten years is even more depressing – Bradford has become a dumping ground for poor people from the whole world. So, lots of very poor people arriving in an already poor part of the country = even poorer people and a council up to it’s armpits in it. 🙁

Answers on a postcard please to:
City Hall
Centenary Square
Bradford
BD1 1HY

Childhood poverty isn’t something that’s suddenly just happened…

No, but it’s something a civilized nation would hope to be reducing…

Its not a case of reducing poverty its a case making poverty bearable. Poverty is a much more sophisticated phenomenon than the money someone has in their bank account, its a poverty of choice, a poverty of voice and representation, and many, many other things. The damage that poverty does isn’t done by the lack of money – being poor in some parts of the country is more harmful, even in pure mortality terms, than being poor in other parts, so money alone isn’t the (only)problem. Theres the political attack hypothesis, but there must be lots of other forces at play.

It should be possible to have less than others and for that to be a happy, humble, nobel, healthy way to live.

Thats why it frustrates me that it features so rarely in the media, because its such a rich subject, its as complex and insoluble as great art. Totally facinating.

I still can’t get the image of Sam out of my mind. Such a great kid too. As IanMunro said above (I think we were on the other thread at the time), he was so obviously intelligent. Yet, I don’t foresee a good future for him. His stoicism in the face of such hardship was admirable. His birthday is also the anniversary of his mum walking out FFS (I accept that there is probably a more complex story behind that though). The little Scottish girl was a right sweetheart too…living in damp-ridden conditions. I shuddered as I saw the Bradford girl rubbing the cream into her eczema (“…it makes me feel calm when I scratch…”). All in all, I was pretty heartbroken by the end of it. The statistics “graffitied” on the Walls throughout the programme were sobering.

As we were saying last night, Life on benefits…great eh?!

Life on benefits…great eh?!

I believe its a “Lifestyle Choice” 🙂

a very sobering watch.

The maturity shown by most of the kids was what shocked me, kids that age should quite rightly be naive to problems of debt and unemployment. Those kids were clearly aware of the reasons for their poverty. Hope comes really from the possibility that given the right opportunities they can take their experiences and better their own lives further down the line.

Sadly the likelihood of those possibilities being presented to them in any meaningful way is pretty low.

Kids in that situation don’t have a childhood to speak of, a life thats playful. I know kids like that who are now grown up (early 20s) its sobering – “I can’t remember my childhood, but I know it wasn’t good”. You’re grown up for an awful long time, being denied a childhood is bleak.

My wife grew up in poverty in communist Poland. She’s said there were loads of times where her parents couldn’t afford to give her lunch so she was relying on handouts from other kids. Didn’t have any toys so used to make her own.I certainly think that some of those experiences developed admirable character traits in her. She’s lucky because she was loved and taught well by her parents. Perhaps thats whats lacking in some of these cases? will watch and see…

HELP! I have no TV nor recording device. Just watching it oon iPlayer. If anyone could get to me a copy of that on a DVD I would use it in my teaching. Will happily pay costs, email in profile.

do you teach at an FE institution? If so the BBC will probably provide you with a copy for educational purposes.

Comprehensive school

Its not an inhouse BBC production, might be better to contact the production company - True Vision

Very thought provoking indeed, as a country we should be ashamed that children still have to live in abject poverty. If there were a way to contribute directly I personally would be more than happy foregoing some of lifes little comforts that we take for granted just to help a little.

I didn’t see it, but read the stuff in the Guardian on Monday. The profiles of the kids. One of the girls made a remark along the lines of “I think a lot of bad things are going to happen to me”

Imagine having that outlook as a child. Heartbreaking.

I personally would be more than happy foregoing some of lifes little comforts that we take for granted just to help a little.

Tell that to Frank Fields or the guy that used to be Ian Duncan Smith. A bit of equality would make everybody happier and healther. Its a value a lot people hold but nobody will actually express with their vote. We know where we want to arrive but we won’t take the steps to get there

makes me feel pretty fycking ashamed to be honest. how can we allow this to STILL be happening? As elfin says this is not new, how the fyck can it be that that my kids can grow up in relative comfort and sam has to endure that much shit? Its crushing for someone so young to undertsand and accept that much.

and this aint about giving money to charity. Charity does the job that government ignores

Thanks for that MC, it’s not in their shop but I’m sure it will be soon.

whilst it is not a new thing, it is on the increase which is inexcusable.

The proportion of children living in poverty grew from 1 in 10 in 1979 to 1 in 3 in 1998

source: endchildpoverty.org.uk

Thanks for that MC, it’s not in their shop but I’m sure it will be soon.

Don’t wait – just ask them, if its for a school chances are they’ll send you a copy

and this aint about giving money to charity. Charity does the job that government ignores

theres more to it than that. To paraphrase Bob Holman – the best thing anyone can do to tackle poverty is to be the best friend of someone living in poverty.

That could be in quite a literal sense, but it seems to be that the success of this film is that we the viewer have befriended these children. They are one of our own. Lets try keep it that way.

I’ll risk the inevitable flames with CAP
CAP helps families like those shown on the program to find a way out of debt in a way that government never could.

The high flats in the gorbals are being demolished over the next 18 months (don’t know if that was mentioned in the programme? missed it, just saw a clip on reporting Scotland last night).

Couldn’t believe how bad the flats were inside on the clip I saw.

They should move everyone out right now – it’s a disgrace.

For those interested in what the Gorbals looked like before they pulled the worst of it down (yes, last night’s example isn’t the worst) then google Sir Basil Spence and Queen Elizabeth Square development. Awful stuff. Quite interesting to read that the Norwegians came to look at it while it was under construction in the ealry 60s and were totally horrified.

I guess this cant hurt to put up…

We’ve been contacted by many people wanting to help the families in the film. BBC guidelines in this area are very strict, as the BBC cannot single out or promote specific charities or funds. So there are details on the BBC Poor Kids website of various charities active in combatting child poverty and Save the Children has set up a specific fund here for families in similar situations. But if you really want to specifically help the families in the film, then email lisa@truevisionfoundation.org who can give you details.

Bill MC if it is on the iplayer I can record it to dvd for you. I understand this wnt infringe copyright as it is for educational purposes – cant get at my e-mail at work but e-mail me if you want a copy. I can do one tonight if you need it quickly

if you want to see real child poverty go to India, poor in this country means something very different than in the third world.

awwww i realy felt sorry for those kids. :cry:.. but how grown up they spoke… 😉
im so glad they pulled down that tower block.absolutely discusting to make familes live in those conditions,,.. ….that poor girl with excema…..it cleared up didnt it after they moved out….ruddy damp condtions….god awfull to sleep in…
that young lad too i felt sorry for – wearing his sisters blouse for school and ripped trousers…. i did like his new haircut…(at least thats one less name he would be called !

i do think to a certain extent they overplayed the bullying aspect, you can get bullied for all sorts at school, kids can be evil little feckers although i guess there is a certain stigma attached to poverty

Some of those little uns were inspirational. They’re so much wiser than they should be at that age. It was depressing at times but their resilience was uplifting. It is a shame that the majority of the UK population don’t or don’t want to see it happening here.

A brave programme for the bbc to air too as was said before there was no manufactured happy ending, just plain facts dropped in now and then. Very well made programme.

ilovemygears – Member
if you want to see real child poverty go to India, poor in this country means something very different than in the third world.

Thanks for hitting that nail so neatly on the head. Can I borrow your hammer?

I hope Wayne Rooney watched it then remembered how much his hairdo cost