I Guess It Does Take A Village To Raise A Child After All…

…mainly because the parents themselves just can’t be bothered:

Scores of neglected children trapped on deprived council estates (Ed: you spelled ‘depraved’ wrong…) have never been taken to the seaside – despite living within half a mile of the beach.

Many are now visiting the sea for the first time as concerned charity workers offer them free trips to see the outside world.

OK, two things here – firstly, you’re ‘deprived’ if you’ve never been to the seaside?

And secondly, we have charities designed to remedy this awful state of affairs even for families that live within walking distance of the seaside?

I…

I just…

Lynn Bennett, the chair of the Whitehawk Manor Farm South residents’ association….

Oh. Right. Whitehawk. I should have known.

…said many children on the estate had never been to the sea even though some live just 600 metres away. To tackle the problem, she regularly takes groups of children down to visit Brighton beach for the first time.

She said: “Many of the kids think there’s going to be sand there because they’ve seen exotic beaches on TV. They’re sometimes quite disappointed when they see the pebbles. Recently I had an 11-year-old boy whose parents just weren’t interested.

I couldn’t believe it when I found out he’d never been to the beach. ”

I know how you feel. I couldn’t believe it when I realised that ‘deprivation’ was considered to be ‘never been to the beach’…

Anne Bickmore is the founder of the ABC Fund, a charity that takes disadvantaged children in Brighton and Hove out on day trips. She said many of the children she meets have never been to the beach or the pier.

She said: “It’s very sad and it’s neglect really. ”

No. It’s not. Just ask little Sanjit….

And besides, other mothers seem to have no problem:

Zoe Hine, 39, from Whitehawk, said she takes her daughter Phoebe,to the beach almost every day.

She said: “It’s surprising because a lot of people here don’t work and you’d think they’d spend all their time on the beach.

“It’s true that there are bad parents here - but that’s the same everywhere.

“Maybe a lot of people are struggling but I don’t think many people are neglecting their children.”

Clearly, enough are that it’s keeping a charity in ‘work’!

Down in the comments, there’s fun to be had:

Saz24 says...

This is utterly ridiculous. Blaming poverty for not going to the beach where in some of these cases, the family has been 600 meters away. It doesn't cost money to walk and it doesn't cost money to pack up a lunch that would have been eaten in front of the TV. Poverty is blamed yet further in the story "They all seem to be stuck indoors playing on their computers". Can't be that poverty stricken then! Massive contradiction there. What has this country come to when a charity has to be put in place to take children out for the day... Totally agree with some of the points Ligand raised, some people should think twice before bringing children into the world.

A good point!

deanaprior says...

I am a founder of a charity to help people in Whitehawk who haven't started a charity start a charity. There are still scores of deprived people in Whitehawk without their own charity, please help them.

Heh!

danielsreef says...

Sorry but; `in poverty` yet stuck playing on their computer? Parking and buses too expensive? WALK!!!!!! Its only down the road! people need to get a grip on reality. Pop over to India or any war-torn country , then say not going to the beach because you`re stuck on the computer is poverty and the worst thing in the world!! Laziness and greed is the reason.

Well said!

But it’s when one of the Whitehawk mums joins the conversation that things really start to take off:

joanne_77 says...

kids cant do right from wrong in whitehawk, you let them play out and you get letter through the door like i did today from the housing telling you not to let them play outside and to send them to the park,yet they cant play in the park because of nasty kids,smashed glass,motorbikes wizzing around,fires being lit etc,what paly equipment there is is either dangrous to play of or gets burnt/damaged.

Which draws a few pointers for the future:

mimseycal says...

Ummmm ... now this may be a rather zany suggestion but ... how about going to the park with them? That way you can keep them safe from nasty kids,smashed glass,motorbikes whizzing around,fires being lit ... you could at the same time make a note of all the dangerous play equipment and organise a protest to get them fixed ;)

But oh, no, that’s too much effort:

joanne_77 says...

they have just replaced the stuff just waiting for it to be damaged again,being there doesnt stop anyone from misbehaving,still goes on even with cctv and sometimes its not possible to be with them, my husband works and im at home sorting dinner out,kids should be able to play outside thier own home where you can keep an eye on them,plus park is full of dog s*** because some owners cant be bothered to clean up after them.

Hmmm, one has to wonder what amazing, medieval-type banquets are served up in that household, that take so much preparation?

mimseycal says...

Maybe a bunch of mothers could set up a rota so that while 8 cook dinners 2 watch all the kids and act as a sort of patrol on the equipment. If there are such feral elements, intent on wrecking playgrounds, then surely it would be to the benefit of the community as a whole, and especially those children who only want to play, to reclaim your local playgrounds from those feral elements? An eye witness to criminal damage is of far more value then the often blurred images from a CCTV camera. Further, the message that the community will, in a very active manner, no longer tolerate such behaviour in its midst would be far more effective then merely shrugging your shoulders and saying that you have to cook the dinner?

That just brings yet more whining about how the world is against her, blah, blah, blah…

mimseycal says...

So you keep going ... if at first you don't succeed, try again. You don't like what is happening, you change it. You don't appreciate your children not being able to play in the park, then do something to make it possible for them to play in the park. You want your children to grow up in a decent world you teach them that it takes guts and commitment and determination to make it a decent world. You don't sit on your heenie, whinging about the bad kids, the crappy dogs and their irresponsible owners ... you get up and do something to change it!

Sadly, I think poor mimseycal is talking to a brick wall here.