'I Really Don't Know How I Will Cope - Do The Government Want Me Dead?'
The small Welsh village of Llangeinor lies in the Garw Valley roughly five miles north of Bridgend. Famous for the IRVIN-GQ Factory which makes parachutes for the Military, the village was served by its own Railway Station up until 1953 and today is an active conservation area. As with most Valley's towns, Llangeinor's football team currently play in the Bridgend & District League after playing (briefly) in the Welsh Football League over 10 years ago.
Llangeinor is home to Gavin Stevens, aged 50, who now faces an uncertain future. Though he lives in Council Accommodation provided by Trivalis, Gavin has been impacted by the cost of living and being solely reliant on benefits and UBI, having been unable to work since he had a 'complete mental breakdown' aged 35 as a consequence of bullying as a child and an adult, he fears that the ever rising cost of living could wipe him out.
It's 10:00 and Gavin is waiting patiently for his mobile phone to ring - it's nothing fancy, as with the rest of his small flat. Gavin runs a very tight ship and only has a few contacts in the directory. 'I used to have Mam and Dad, but they died from Covid in 2021. Ever since it's been a few friends plus my GP and Councillor. I don't go out like I used to, haven't been to town (Bridgend) in five years and haven't got the money to go there these days.'
It's 10:05 and Gavin is getting tetchy; 'If they've forgotten me, I'll go spare... I can't cope without my tablets!' Bad memories of school and bullying as an adult keep flashing before his eyes and in his mind. Gavin shakes and retreats briefly to the kitchen to collect a Cup of Tea. 'I don't like drinking in the front room... never have... easier to keep clean if I go by here.'
The mobile rings and Gavin grabs at it; 'Hello?' he says, expectantly. It's the GP with bad news; Staff are off due to contracting Covid-19 and the local Pharmacy won't deliver to him because the owner got upset with him calling her 'b****y useless' last week. 'Well that's just what I need!' Gavin exclaims; 'Can't, won't, shan't... if this is the future you can b****y shove it!' When I ask if I can collect on behalf of Gavin, he replies 'Nah, don't bother, they'll only try winding you up - they're horrid down there, they don't know anything about what I've been through and they're only there to get paid.'
Gavin then glances over at the TV Guide; 'Not much on these days, load of nonsense, same old same old.' The TV is Gavin's only companion, and living alone he is not allowed pets and by his own admission he finds it hard to cope:
'I used to believe in the world, years ago, but definitely since 2020 it's become too hard to live - you're just waiting for the next thing to go wrong and you know those in charge will mess up and waste our money in the process. They'll look after those they want to look after, people like me don't matter and it's not a race or sex thing, like, there's people here who are black, gay etc. and their lives are the same as mine - they're f***ing miserable as well because nothing ever gets done for them.'
What about the Conservation Area? 'What exactly are they conserving though? You get some 20-something Councillor who has just left University and he/she thinks "I know everything and I'm smarter than others" - well, they come up here and when people like me tell them straight, they don't like it and run off crying! All of a sudden, you're the bad lad and you get a knock at 11pm when you're in bed because they've told the Police on you and now you think "Christ, am I going to get arrested just for telling some hoity-toity person what I think?" They don't want to know, they don't want to listen, they see people like me as inferior and that's why there's a distrust between us.'
Is there anything that could be done to remedy this? 'We need change as soon as possible, and yes if there was a General Election I would vote to change my circumstances and to make certain people in the Council listen to me. I don't ask for much, just that I can eat and drink, have enough on the meter and mobile phone and that I can get my medication when I need it. Beyond that, everything else is a bonus.'
Gavin wants a General Election, will you join him and speak up as well?