Gleadless Valley named bad area in The Star

[Plain Talker 11]

hemsworth junior school is at the top end of gleadless, nearer norton than the actual valley. you getting your edges blurred.

 

I have lived on the valley for nearly 50 years now and top half of blackstock road not classed as the valley. its at the top.

 

is a shame what people will think after reading the star. from my house I have the most amazing views. the glorious greenery around here is just beautiful. its a shame some people do not appreciate it and try to ruin it for all of us who do love living here. I have had no problems whatsoever while living here, none and am proud to say I am from Gleadless Valley.

 

I'm a valley lass.

 

brought up at the back of the John O'Gaunt. Grandparents moved there in 1957, into the brand new build, on Gaunt Close, and I lived with them til my parents got their own maisonette on Gaunt Road.

 

ok, continuing the OT bit, (Sorry)

 

t'valley starts at the top end of blackstock road, and does actually cover sub-districts like rollestone (near bankwood school - which incidentally, IIRC was originally called rollestone!) and Hemsworth (covering mawfa/ constable/ gaunt/ ironside) as well as Herdings:- Raeburn, morland etc and parts of leighton.

 

my uncle's maisonette was on Sands Close, at the very top of gleadless hill, opposite ashleigh school, and that was also classed as "valley" , despite being i) the virtual summit of the hill, and ii) toward townend/spring-close / ashleigh.

 

Newfield green is also "valley", albeit on the periphery.

[Plain Talker 11]

The Star headline about GV being the 'worst' sells newspapers, and it's probably an exaggeration, but its pretty obvious that there are real issues that need sorting out. I just hope the people on here (and others) who feel strongly about the future of this estate can stop being so defensive, and work positively with any help that is available.

 

news sells, bad news sells more, Ms Macbeth... and the star are the best at sensationalising stories that are basically "owt-and-nowt's"

 

they never let the facts get in the way of a good headline.

[Ms Macbeth 76]

news sells, bad news sells more, Ms Macbeth... and the star are the best at sensationalising stories that are basically "owt-and-nowt's"

 

they never let the facts get in the way of a good headline.

 

You're right about bad news and The Star is just like most newspapers. But even though its exaggerated, the council SNIS link shows demographics relating to every area of Sheffield and GV isn't doing very well. Its always sad to hear of an area that was once really popular going down hill. Other estates suffer from the same negative publicity, but by accepting there are problems, and working to improve things, the next time they are in the news could be for something positive?

[danradclife0 10]

what a joke its no worse than other places like manor parson cross and others

[sezemeseeds 10]

There are no "official boundaries" here. some of us, if you read, are saying that we consider the valley to be the bottom area of the estate. CONSIDER i said. this is what we think of it. this is not an official here saying my god you all wrong, is one resident saying how she see's the estate and has seen it since a baby. is all.

 

now forget that. Gleadles (all of it) is not that bad and we are not blind to the problems and are not being defensive about it. We sticking up for it. we saying it not that bad because it actually isnt' that bad. no worse than most areas. we love gleadless thats why we all getting hot and bothered. we all obviously proud to live there. we all saying the same thing and yes we getting carried away about what bit is what, myself included, and that not getting any of us anywhere. its all gleadless, valley and all. and I love it.

[Plain Talker 11]

You're right about bad news and The Star is just like most newspapers. But even though its exaggerated, the council SNIS link shows demographics relating to every area of Sheffield and GV isn't doing very well. Its always sad to hear of an area that was once really popular going down hill. Other estates suffer from the same negative publicity, but by accepting there are problems, and working to improve things, the next time they are in the news could be for something positive?

 

when me and my ex hubby got our place on GV, we were thrilled to little pieces, as it had been such a great area, when we were growing up (I grew up on Gaunt, he grew up at Townend). we had this idea of it being as good as when we were growing up.

 

sadly with the drug dealers, the section we were on had totally gone "down the nick". On a block of 20 maisonettes, there were four that housed (hard-)drug dealers / addicts. That was one-in five, 20%... isn't that a frightening level?

 

They were not just dealing/ using, they were involved in all sorts of other anti-social behaviour, including Burglaries, Car thefts, other thefts, handling of stolen goods, stabbings and other violent behaviour. the children and animals were horrendously neglected. We had to endure them them "pulling donuts" with stolen cars on the communal green in front of our block, churning the grass up into a mudbath.

 

We were often knocked out of our beds by potential buyers, banking on our doors in the wee small hours by mistake.

 

There were often incidents of ASB, noise, fights, threats to the decent" tenants,whom the dealers believed were all "grassing" them up, left right and centre. I know of one incident where there was an attempt made by these scummers on one of the council staff, from the local council offices. (his car was interfered with) MY dog and cat had lit fireworks thrown at them, one bonfire *month* and they were doing nothing more sinister than simply enjoying the garden.

 

It is hard to stand up to ASB when you feel that you are the only one to stick your neck out, and getting the flack. It's even harder when you see the council staff despairing, as they try to get these AS tenants out, and they, as staff are not getting backed up by the poweres above them, feeling like they are onto a hiding-to-nothing.

 

We regularly had these cretinous ASB tenants banging on our windows, threatening us, as they were convinced it wwas us that wee reporting them to the council (Despite the fact that the council had been collating info against them about their criminal and AS behaviour since before we lived there)

 

It got to the stage where we were scared to leave the property unattended. My hubby and I were like the weather-house couple. when hubby was inside, I was out, and when hubby was out, I was inside. it was worse after the blind lady a couple of doors down from us was burgled, by them. They were crafty. They used the cover of the sound of the fireworks going off, to hide the noise of the glass breaking, and getting into her property. It really was a nightmare.

[gritter1960 10]

There are no "official boundaries" here. some of us, if you read, are saying that we consider the valley to be the bottom area of the estate. CONSIDER i said. this is what we think of it. this is not an official here saying my god you all wrong, is one resident saying how she see's the estate and has seen it since a baby. is all.

 

now forget that. Gleadles (all of it) is not that bad and we are not blind to the problems and are not being defensive about it. We sticking up for it. we saying it not that bad because it actually isnt' that bad. no worse than most areas. we love gleadless thats why we all getting hot and bothered. we all obviously proud to live there. we all saying the same thing and yes we getting carried away about what bit is what, myself included, and that not getting any of us anywhere. its all gleadless, valley and all. and I love it.

hear hear sezemeseeds spotswood lad hear spent all my childhood on valley and i love that estate, many many happy memories and would not change them for the world still got lots of mates live there, its only the scrotes they have moved on valley over the last few years thats spoiling it, and to say its the worst in sheffield is a complete joke:loopy: ex valley lad.

[Ms Macbeth 76]

And now the good news about Gleadless Valley: http://www.thestar.co.uk/letters/Gym39ll-fix-it-for-us.3788798.jp

 

This is exactly the sort of thing that can help. Getting youngsters involved in something they like is half the battle. Maybe there could be a few more activities organised by parents & youth workers?

[sezemeseeds 10]

hear hear sezemeseeds spotswood lad hear spent all my childhood on valley and i love that estate, many many happy memories and would not change them for the world still got lots of mates live there, its only the scrotes they have moved on valley over the last few years thats spoiling it, and to say its the worst in sheffield is a complete joke:loopy: ex valley lad.

 

am a spotswood girl myself. and the place will always hold special place in myheart. have to agree 99% of the scum have moved into gleadless in last 10 years or so. is only odd native gleadlesser that turned very very bad.

[fox20thc 10]

I may be totally wrong and am just thinking out loud, but it has been said that issues began in the late 80's. Now opening out the idea, does this not have any connection to the fact that this was when unemployment levels shot through the roof and many people were put out of work.

 

Subesequently we have seen a generation of parents who were not in work after leaving school and became career claimants?

 

The example set by this minority plus the movement of people onto the estate in a similar mind set has led to a concentrated group of families who have never worked and not really bothered with education or stricts codes of moral conduct. Which in turn has led to feral kids or kids with no objectives in life, they are of the assumption that there is no future other than the path their parents have taken?

 

Now Gleadless residents, don't have a go at me, I'm just theorising but those families who are bringing the rep of the area down could derive from this sort of evolutionary change in attitudes to work and their local community.

 

So, getting them back into work and getting the young people engaged might be the answer to changing attitudes from within the estate.

[sezemeseeds 10]

understand where you coming from. but have to disagree to some extent. think in some cases that could be right. but not in most cases. I was unemployed for a short time, with a young son to support. and yes I claimed benefit but I also went to college to retrain and got a better job than I had before. one that gave me a great career. I was 30 when I went to college not a young 16 year old. I did what I had to do to support my child. I didnt wallow in self pity cos no job and claimed all benefits i could. I was brought up to support myself and my family and I did just that. I got off my backside and worked hard at college so to get off benefits quicker.

 

I know a woman who has lived on the valley all her life. she comes from a very decent family. she has a son, grown up now, got in to drugs and her son one of the people who causes trouble in the area. he had no support growing up and was brought up in a very unsecure environment. that I would say was because of the drugs his mum was on. drugs, umemployment all adds to the trouble in the area.

[fox20thc 10]

It's not everyone, but as we know it doesn't take lots of people to affect an area and gain it a reputation. Unemployment, and the unwillingness to change generationally as I have seen happen personally is a soul sapper and some folks see smoking weed drinking and doing little else as the norm.

 

Hopefully the investment and work taking place in the area will go some way to alleviating some of the problems. Don't give up, things can change and even if you can't reach everyone the good people shine through.