00:00My girlfriend moved over here. We've been together 17 years so I decided to come over and live with her.
00:08And what do you think of the place?
00:10I find it quite nice actually. Because when I first moved up to Newtown it was very nice.
00:16It's gone rather a dingy haul now. Because I moved up with mum and dad at 17.
00:23So then it got too bad and my family split up so I decided to come over here.
00:30So Craven Arms is a bit of a breath of fresh air for you?
00:32Definitely.
00:33What is it that you like about the town?
00:35It's quiet, not too many people. I'm brought up in the countryside so living in a city would be a bleep and nightmare to be.
00:43Community wise is there a...?
00:45Well I'm in Shelter's housing so we've our own community anyway.
00:49But I'll get on with most people around here. Even people that I don't even know would know me.
00:54So it's quite friendly, you've been welcomed.
00:56Oh yeah, very friendly.
00:58There's nothing, there's nothing, there's nothing to argue any trouble.
01:01You get the odd one or two but that's that, you've got to get everywhere.
01:05So I'll do that.
01:07Amazing, that'll do us wonderfully, thank you.
01:10David you've lived in Craven Arms for quite a while now. How did you find the place?
01:15Yeah, it's really good. I mean it's convenient for lots of other places. The roads go to Shrewsbury, Ludlow and then you've got the railways that are the main line from Manchester to Cardiff.
01:27Yeah.
01:28So you can get away anywhere and then you've got beautiful countryside, like either walking around the hills, you know it's one of the nicest places around I think.
01:36Amazing. And the community?
01:39The community, it's very diverse. You've got a lot of Pakistanis living here because of the abattoir, because they own the abattoir.
01:49So it's quite unusual in that respect having a small sort of market town with lots of diverse population.
01:56Then you've got lots of Eastern European that most of them sort of work in the abattoir or associated industries around the area which is lots of chicken farms and turkey farms.
02:08Quite a multicultural hub of South Strap, isn't it?
02:10Yeah, it is a bit, yeah. It's an interesting place to live.
02:14Yeah, wicked. And is there a lot to do?
02:17I don't think there's a great deal to do unless you enjoy the countryside. And if you do then it's one of the best places to be.
02:25Yeah, wicked, that'll do us wonderfully. Thank you so much.
02:27You said you'd been here for?
02:29Over 20 years.
02:30Wow.
02:31But we've got others who have been here 25 years, one of our ladies, you know.
02:37And the reason I can't tell you exactly how long I've been here is because I went away to look after an elderly relative with Alzheimer's in Worcestershire.
02:47And then I came back so I broke.
02:49Yeah.
02:50But I joined in 1999.
02:51Wow.
02:52On a Saturday morning.
02:54What keeps you coming back every week?
02:56Well, because we're like a little family, you know, and you meet people all the time.
03:02And when I was in Redditch in Worcestershire, I had my own hospital radio programme.
03:07And I used to visit the patients.
03:10And I did that in Bronsgrove as well.
03:12So when I moved here, I moved to Aston on Clon.
03:15And I was there 16 years.
03:17And then when I was left on my own, I moved into Cravenharts to be nearer the shops and the doctors and that.
03:24By the way, we've got the most wonderful doctors' practice here.
03:27I said to the doctor yesterday, we're so lucky.
03:32So lucky.
03:33Those facilities like the shops or the doctors, is that kind of one of the things you really appreciate about?
03:37I do.
03:38Yes.
03:39The chemists, Lund's chemists, they're all really great in there.
03:43You know, really kind and helpful.
03:47And with our doctors, we can ring at 8.30 in the morning and 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
03:55And you've got a chance of getting an appointment.
03:57I rang at 2 o'clock yesterday and got an appointment to see the doctor.
04:01Quite fortunate, especially for rural shops and other facilities.
04:04Yeah.
04:05And then I'm a member of St Andrew's Church over there.
04:08And they get involved in the community and we run the food bank, the church.
04:13And the people, the people of Cravenharts?
04:15Oh, they're great.
04:16You walk around Cravenharts and somebody will smile at you and say hello.
04:21But of course, my nephew came to visit me years ago on a Saturday.
04:25And we went to the Discovery Centre for lunch because you've got two little girls.
04:30And we walked around Cravenharts and he said, everybody knows your auntie B.
04:37Amazing.
04:38So, yeah.
04:39And, you know, Tuffins is good.
04:41I mean, it'll be quite expensive with some of the things.
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