Alex R on 25 June 2021
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Q. Where do you live and how do you feel about it?
I live in an affluent town near Braemar. Its beautiful with the seaside, a castle and woods with history. My flat is on the main road and the noise of traffic is constant. Its near the town centre and I lie awake listening to the pub goers spilling out. Sometimes there is violence and I giggle at the drunks fighting with the wheelie bins. There is only 12% in the town on or below the poverty line. We are stigmatised and ostracized by the wealthy who work in the oil and gas sector. My daughter has been bullied at school due to not being in their league financially. Its like being stuck in the 1970's here. Conservative rule and the tummy mummy housewives have personal trainers to keep their bodies slim for the eye wandering offshore husbands. The wives rule the school PTA committees and have no concept how it is to live without. The foodbank is called a community larder to spare blushes. Calls go out on social media for requests for vegan foods and coconut milk. My rent is £600 a month for a 2 bed flat. This is the price being lowered from the oil slump. There are after school homework clubs at £32 for 1.5 hrs per night. The tennis club at £300 a month, rugby and football clubs at £270 per month with annual fees on top. There are no support networks for single parents. The council say there is no call to fund this sort of thing round here. There is one small club in the town. Most go into Aberdeen to socialize. There are 3 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 private school that serves the area. The secondary school is full to capacity with pupils. Many wealthy take advantage of free education to spend on luxury cars and socialising rather than pay for private education for their children. The SEN department is understaffed and the bullying is off the scale. There is still a lot of prejudice to anyone with a different skin colour, LGBTQ and single parents around. Its a tourist town, There is a main Co-op and smaller Co-ops dotted around the town. They are expensive and not much variety of foods as they tend to sell mostly luxury meals for 1. The main superstores are out of town 10 to 15 miles away. Thank goodness for home deliveries as not easy getting on a bus with a weeks shopping.
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