Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in 2up2down?
I’ve lived in the area all my life – my mother was born in Granton Road and then the family moved to Allroy Road – my gran bought the property in about 1923. I was born in the house that I now live in so this is the third generation living in this home and also the third generation of women who have owned the property, which I think is pretty impressive. I retired about a year ago and I was looking for something I could get involved in and one of the things I am keen on is baking. A flyer came through the door which said ‘Are you interested in baking and DIY?’ and it had a little information about 2Up 2Down. So I came along one of the day Mitchell’s was open, not really knowing what was happening and just got involved with it since then.
The area has been for a long time – around 15 years – in decline. It’s been blighted by empty houses, properties being boarded up and communities have been lost, broken and fractured. This project seemed to me something that was growing, something alive and that would involve the community. That’s what has kept me going and also the people that I’ve met and the passion that they have has kept me coming back. It’s also exciting to be involved in a project on the ground level, from the very start and watch it grow.
What does living well mean to you?
Living well means having a community and people around you that you know. I have lived in my street the longest and there aren’t many left of us now. A part of the community has gone although there are still a couple of people I know I can go to if I need help. So living well is that and also having friends and a range of spaces and shops. It would be lovely to have the greengrocers back again, a bakery again, a chemist and a butcher instead of going to the supermarket. I also think a community is more than just a bunch of homes, what we need is jobs and people so that Anfield feels like a community again.
