Goodbyes The Tracy Beaker Survival Files - Tales from the Dumping Ground

My name is Tracy Beaker, and these are my survival files.

Your essential guide to the ups and downs of growing up.

-Tracy?

-Tracy!

Life in the Dumping Ground has taught me a lot about stuff.

Tracy Beaker.

Scary stuff...

complicated stuff...

stuff that can make you want to scream.

If you can cope with the stuff that goes down in this place

you can cope with pretty much anything.

I've spent most of my life here.

First when I was a kid, and now it's where I work.

I've learnt a lot about friends...

about enemies...

..about what life can throw at you.

It's not always been pretty, but it's made me who I am today

and now I'm passing on my wisdom to you guys in a video blog.

Pay attention, I've lived through all this so you don't have to.

On the Tracy Beaker Survival Files this time, saying goodbye.

How to deal with unexpected farewells and how to cope

when you're the one saying the goodbyes.

There's a lot in the Dumping Ground

that can bring a tear to your eye, like Mike's cooking.

SMOKE ALARM BEEPS

Or Justine's fashion sense.

As it's the front cover I'm going for, like,

a moody yet vulnerable look.

What do you think?

But if there's one thing that's always guaranteed

to bring on my hay fever, it's people saying goodbye.

Bye, then.

Yeah, bye, Peter.

That's the Dumping Ground for you. There's that many comings and goings

they should install a revolving door.

Don't forget me!

Yep, goodbyes are often tough, but the worse ones, I think,

are those that take you by surprise when you've got no time to prepare.

That happens a lot in this place. Everything's going along fine

and then suddenly someone has important news.

Right, girls, stop it.

Settle down, all gather round. Mike's got something

-he wants to talk to us about.

-Whatever it was, I didn't do it.

Nobody's in trouble.

I've been asked to be an emergency replacement at a bigger care home.

Someone had to leave suddenly, they've asked Mike to step in.

-For how long?

-It's permanent.

When are you leaving?

They say they need me for Monday.

But this is your weekend off here!

This is going to be Mike's last day here.

Sorry it's so sudden, guys, nobody knew until the last minute.

We're all going to miss Mike, but this is a great opportunity for him.

So let's all wish him lots of luck.

'I couldn't believe it. How could Mike be so selfish?

'How could he leave me? I mean us. I was gutted!

'Not that anyone could have guessed(!)'

Taking that job was one of the toughest decisions of my life.

-It was hard to leave you all.

-We know. That's why we all made

-such an effort to make things easier for you.

-Really(?)

Yeah, by being supportive, and stuff, so you knew

we were all right behind you.

Hang on, possibly it's my old man memory here,

but I remember things slightly differently.

About my leaving. There wasn't any time...

-Is this a face of someone who cares?

-I care if you're upset.

You get paid to care, Mr Care Worker. I don't!

Ouch!

And don't bother begging me to forgive you cos I'm not listening!

Oh, are you still here?

You really don't care about me, huh?

Watch my lips.

Ow!

HEAVY THUD

I'm really sorry, I do care, I didn't mean to hurt you!

He-he, got you! All right, OK.

Ah, the old falling-down-with-the slamming-door-in-the-face routine,

always a winner.

Hm, some care experts might say you should have been focusing

on the grieving children you were leaving behind?

-Instead of doing circus tricks.

-I was lightening the mood!

You can't put a price on morale.

Sometimes change can be good. Makes life interesting, anyway.

So you're leaving us because we're boring and you want a change?

You're definitely not boring.

Look, if someone moves on, doesn't mean they're going to forget you.

Everyone forgets Dumping Ground kids.

I won't. I promise.

I kept my word. I didn't forget you. I came back, didn't I?

Yeah, why did you do that?

I thought to myself, Trixie Becker and the others need me...

-Ha, very funny.

-..And my cooking.

-Now that IS funny.

-Thank you.

Dinner is served!

-Urgh!

-What is it?

It's mystery stew.

What's in it?

That's the mystery.

'Yeah, I suppose when you went away, it did have its upside.'

can see now that it was hard for Mike telling us he was leaving,

but compared with some others who have moved on from this place,

he had it easy.

# Bye, bye baby, don't make me cry. #

When Chantal Wellard was leaving to go and live with her dad,

she knew her brother and sister

would hit the roof when she told them.

So she came up with the perfect solution...

she didn't tell them.

How are Rio and Roxy taking it?

-I haven't told them yet.

-Would you like me to talk to them?

BOTH: No!

I can't say I blame Chantal for keeping it quiet,

nobody wanted to upset Rio and Roxy Wellard.

It was worse for your health than eating Mike's mystery stew

but, of course, they had to find out eventually.

Rio?

Thanks for telling me.

-I didn't know how to.

-Everyone's pointing and laughing,

-Rio's the last to know, made me feel great!

-Sorry.

-Some loser wants

to play happy families and you can't get away fast enough!

-He's my dad, he wants to try again.

-He's useless. All our dad's

-have been useless. That's why we're here.

-I'll come and visit.

Don't bother! I never want to see you again, ever.

This was not going well and, worst of all,

I wasn't around to sort things out.

I was on holiday in Egypt with a love struck Cam,

So this time the Dumping Ground

young people had to sort out their own problems.

'Luckily, I trained Crash well.'

Listen, she'll always be your sister, wherever she is,

no-one can take that away from you.

'And even Justine Littlewood did her bit, for once.'

Don't tell me - hay fever?

No, chopping onions.

Right. Must have been some onion?

Chantal can't go, she's the only family we've got.

It's OK, it'll all work out.

What, like it did for you?

Point taken.

I'm sorry, it's just, I'm scared Chantal will forget about us.

I was told the Wellards weren't scared of anything.

Finally the big moment arrived, and guess what?

An unexpected twist in the tale. You almost come

to expect them in this place. Chantal suddenly changed her mind.

You know what? I can't go.

Course you can.

We're family, we always will be.

Chantal?

Everyone, this is my dad.

ALL: Hello.

Hey you, baldy, look after her.

-Or you'll have us to deal with.

-We're the Wellards.

BOTH: And we know where you live!

Whoa, I bet the poor man couldn't wait

to say his goodbyes and get out.

Saying goodbye is unpredictable. Sometimes you don't feel a lot,

sometimes it's like being kicked in the stomach hard. Just ask Johnny.

He learnt the hard way when he had to say goodbye to Tee.

Go on, Tee, you've got to go.

Jump in.

I always said goodbyes didn't bother me.

People came and went, you just got on with life, you get used to it.

But not any more?

When Tee went to live with the Watsons, it was different.

'Johnny doesn't like anyone to see that he's hurting,

'but when Tee left we all knew exactly what he was going through.

'And he knew that we knew.

'So he was even more determined to keep his feelings to himself.'

It was the right thing to do but I miss Tee more than I thought I would.

It was so hard leaving Johnny behind.

I just wanted Tee to be happy.

I wouldn't be happy unless Johnny was OK, too.

Of course, as it turned out, they weren't saying goodbye for long.

Tee's dream move to live with the Watsons didn't work out,

so this goodbye was soon followed with a hello.

Welcome back, Tee.

Thank you.

I'll see you soon.

Anna?

I was happy to be coming back

but I had to say goodbye again to Hannah and the Watsons.

I suppose it was rubbish for Hannah too,

having to say goodbye to Tee, but I wasn't bothered about that.

I was just so happy she was back.

How you doing? Your room is just as you left it.

But saying goodbye isn't just about whether you go or not,

it's also about how to go.

Should you just slip away, or make a big fuss about it?

Do you take loads of stuff with you to remind you of the old days?

Or cut all ties for a completely fresh start?

When Louise got fostered, she had to make all these choices

before she left the Dumping Ground for ever.

You can't just leave everything behind you.

It's like you're pretending you were never here.

I won't forget the Dumping Ground, Justine, I'll think of it

-every time I have a nightmare.

-But what about all the good times?

All the fights and disappointments? People laughing at you at school

because you wear rubbish clothes

and live in a stinky children's home with...

Stinky children?

I don't stink! I smell of cornflakes.

Louise was confused. She couldn't wait to get out

of the Dumping Ground and yet she couldn't bear to leave.

What she needed was a clued up, brilliant and imaginative mate

who understood just how she was feeling.

'Yep, luckily for her, I was on the case.'

Never mind, Lou, I know what it's like.

It's just I want to go without any fuss, without anyone getting upset.

Lou, that was never going to happen. Not here.

People get upset when Duke buys the wrong kind of beans.

You should make as much fuss as possible.

Is that all your Dumping Ground rubbish?

It's just stuff that reminds me of...stuff.

We should have a ceremony. Set fire to it all!

No, better not. Wait, yes!

And we come to lot 12 in the Louise Govern leaving auction.

An exercise book containing some very disturbing drawings of members

of the Dumping Ground staff. What am I bid?

I'll take charge of that, thank you very much.

Sold to the lovely lady in the cheap cardigan.

To our next item, a monster mask.

I'll have that!

Very nice, I'm afraid that this item has suddenly been

withdrawn from the sale.

-What?!

-I wanted that.

Just taking my fee!

To our last item, a small, battered teddy bear named...

-Tony.

-Tony Bear.

'The auction had been a triumph and it was nearly over.

'One more item to shift and it would be time for Louise to go.'

He's cute!

Any advances on cute?

No! I mean, I don't want to give him away.

I remember, it was a present from the staff.

It was her first Christmas, she cried for hours.

I... I don't want to leave.

Louise,

you're talking like a crazy person, you have to leave.

Yeah, I mean if someone as boring as you can get fostered,

then there's hope for all of us.

Tracy!

Tracy!

Possibly not my most sensitive moment ever

but after that Louise seemed much happier about leaving us all.

Once again, I'd helped somebody deal

with the total rubbishness of saying goodbye. I hope she was grateful.

So what have we learned about goodbyes

to put in the survival files?

Well, they're a part of life that none of us can avoid

and they can be really hard to deal with.

Most people don't like change, especially if it means

saying goodbye to someone that means a lot to you,

and it can be even worse if it's unexpected.

It's usual to feel a bit down when someone goes,

because it's a big deal. That's why it's good to have a party

or presents and stuff. It can really cheer you up.

But when you leave somewhere, say if you're moving house or school,

it doesn't mean that part of your life is over.

Make plans to keep in touch with your old friends if you can

and you will always have your memories,

there's no need to say goodbye to them.

So it can feel rubbish when people leave you,

but what if you're the one making tracks?

That's happened to me a lot. I've left the Dumping Ground

more often than Mike and Duke have made lukewarm dinners.

Bye, bye, have a great time. Come on!

I never want to see you again!

'But sooner or later, I always came back.'

I hate your half-dozen brain cells for rubbing together.

If you're having headaches

wondering why I came back, it's because I wanted to!

-'And then left again.'

-What are you doing?

I'm going to live with Cam, since nobody wants me here.

Don't you think Cam might want a say in that?

No, it'll be a lovely surprise for her.

'And then... Well, you get the idea.'

-Tracy! How nice to see you.

-Believe me, it's great to be here.

There was this one time

when I thought I was finally going for good.

No, not back to Cam's yet again, for once.

I thought I'd found the foster parents of my dreams.

-They want what?!

-It's true, Ben's aunt and uncle want you to think

about them maybe fostering you.

Tracy!

-I can see this is bit of a shock.

-Thank you, Elaine, thank you.

For realising at last that your job was to find me rich,

good-looking, foster parents.

It hadn't been working out with Cam, I'd been bouncing

like a yoyo between her place and the Dumping Ground,

but now I had the chance of a fresh start with Kate and Jasper.

# I'm on my way, from misery To happiness today. #

'And it looked like money was no object.'

The other kids are mad with jealousy.

Make out to them you're going to buy me heaps of stuff.

He's been looking for an excuse to buy the latest computer game.

This is going to be great.

And going to Scotland? You wouldn't mind?

Scotland? I'd prefer to go somewhere hot, with a beach and...

Scotland it is, I'm afraid.

It'll be great. We can check out the Loch Ness monster's hang-out!

BAGPIPE MUSIC

It just got better and better. Loads of holidays, too.

Today Scotland, tomorrow the world, especially the sunny bits.

As for Cam? I thought she'd be glad to get rid of me.

I wish I could say let's try again, but...I'm sorry.

It's OK.

I do want to be your friend, always.

It was hard, the thought of saying goodbye to you, Tracy.

Yeah, but at the time I didn't really get

why you were making such a fuss.

That's because someone, a certain social worker,

mentioning no names...

Apart from pain, Elaine and 'the'.

That anonymous someone had not told you the whole story.

You didn't tell Tracy she was going to live in Scotland!

'Live in Scotland? I hadn't expected that.'

Suddenly everything turned upside down

and I didn't know what I wanted anymore.

But if I go to live in Scotland I wouldn't get to see you anymore.

If you want to stay with your friends...with Cam...

..we'll understand.

But I don't know what to do! Tell me what to do!

if you were a true friend you'd tell me what to do.

You are getting a very special kid.

You better give her everything she's ever dreamed of

or you'll have me to answer to.

This wasn't, "Goodbye, see you in a couple of weeks."

This was, "Goodbye, maybe not see you ever again ever."

Cam could have lost me for good

and she was just letting it happen. I had to know why.

Cam!

Some friend. You didn't even put up a fight for me!

They're good people.

Foster parents aren't all they're cracked up to be. You proved that.

Of course I didn't want to lose you.

You didn't exactly beg me not to go.

I just wanted you to be happy, have the best life you could.

Hundreds of miles away? That didn't bother you?

It bothered me a lot, but I was thinking of you, not myself.

'I had to make some big decisions.'

I am going to go to Scotland with Kate and Jasper.

'But really, it was a no-brainer.'

For a holiday.

Then I'm coming back home to the Dumping Ground.

Looks like you're stuck with me now.

I chose Scotland and the Dumping Ground,

so there were no goodbyes just yet.

Cam and the rest of them must have been relieved,

bet they couldn't imagine this place without me.

Although there was another time more recently when it looked like

we were going to part for ever.

Listen up.

I've been offered a job in London as a junior reporter on a newspaper.

Wow!

So I'm leaving.

Look, I've dreamt of this job ever since I lived here.

I'm sorry, I can't turn it down. Means too much.

Oh, and we don't?

Well, that's put us in our place.

I didn't mean it like that.

Don't beat yourself up, Beaker,

you're just one in a long line of care workers.

Easy come, easy go.

Bye, bye, Tracy.

I'm not leaving yet.

I always thought you'd understand when I got offered that writing job.

You've always said that you can't wait to get out of here.

Listen, I wasn't bothered that you were clearing off.

I just thought that some of the younger ones might miss you.

Jeff was really upset that you were going.

But he tried not to show it.

I didn't want you to go, nor did anyone else.

I think that's why we all reacted the way we did.

I think this is great. You can write about us all, make us all famous.

Well, I don't know about famous,

but I would like to write about you.

I want you to tell me what it's like to be in care.

-You already know what it's like to be in a care home.

-Yeah, but

the editor wants the article to be from your point of view.

It's kind of a test.

Hold on, hold on. You want to leave us, but you want our help?

Sorry, Tracy, that sucks.

Liam, please!

You want out? Fine, go.

You ain't getting my help.

SAD MUSIC

Carmen.

Got it! Ow!

You dropped a bombshell there.

You know how it is. I try my best to keep it interesting.

Well, it worked. You shook this place up.

You are just using us so you can move on to something better.

Is that what you all think?

You promised me you would help me get back with Poppy and Rosie.

Lily, I'm sorry.

Guys, we're all in his together.

No-one helps.

Not good. To move on to my new job, I needed to do those interviews

and the kids weren't even talking to me.

Without their help, I couldn't go.

But now they hated me so much I didn't want to stay. What a mess.

'And then, on top of everything, my laptop went missing.'

You sure you haven't seen it?

I don't want to get Mike and Gina involved in this.

Don't threaten me, I ain't seen your skanky laptop! All right?

I never said that you had!

-Just cos you met me down the nick, doesn't mean I'm a thief.

-I know!

-Liam, please, will you just calm down?

-I'll show you, yeah?

I'll show you I ain't got your laptop.

See your laptop anywhere, do ya?

What's going on?

-Have you asked her about your precious laptop?

-No...

No, cos I'm your prime suspect.

-She's the one who handles stolen goods!

-Bang out of order, Liam.

Not from where I'm standing, it's not! Go on, have a pop at her.

What are you having a go at me for? I'm not the enemy, she is!

-Get out of my room, all of ya!

-Wait!

Look, I'm not stupid.

I can see the damage that I've done by saying I want to leave.

OK, so you won't help me with my article.

Maybe it was unreasonable for me to ask.

I'm obviously not going to get the job.

But it's clear none of you lot want me here.

So I might as well just leave anyway.

But just when I thought I had blown it completely,

something amazing happened.

-So what's the first question?

-Hm?

'One by one, everyone decided to help out after all.'

Thanks, guys.

Where you going?

-Well, I didn't think you'd want to be in here with me.

-We don't mind.

I came to do the interviews.

-Only if you...

-Promise not to tell the others?

Yeah.

-What made everyone change their minds?

-Well, once we calmed

down a bit, we realised that I guess we were being a bit selfish.

Saff, that's really big of you to admit that.

And plus we realised

-that this was our one big chance to get shot of you for good!

-Saff!

I'm only joking.

Maybe.

So this was it, goodbye time.

Nothing was holding me back from my new life.

As long as I was up to the job.

That's amusing.

And that.

Well, you've covered all the bases.

Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, there's social comment.

But the big question is,

is it good enough to get you a full-time job on the paper?

'The moment I'd been waiting for all my life had arrived.'

Were all my dreams of being a writer about to finally come true?

Tracy!

Did you get it?

Yes!

Well done, Tracy.

But...

I didn't take it.

-Why?

-What?

I thought I'd miss you guys too much.

So you're staying?

If Mike will have me?

Yes! He-he!

It was a great job, but I already had one of those, so I decided

to stay here a little bit longer. But goodbyes are a part of life

and I know that one day I will say goodbye to this place for good.

But at least I've had plenty of practice. Who knows?

Maybe when the time comes, I'll finally get it right.

So what have we learnt about goodbyes

to put into my survival files?

Well, saying goodbyes can be a big deal

and just how much of a big deal can take you by surprise.

And that can be equally true

if you're the one leaving or the one being left behind.

There's a bit on all of us

that doesn't really like things to change,

so when you've got used to someone being around,

it can be tough to see them go.

But moving on from time to time is just part of life.

None of us can stay in the same place doing the same thing for ever.

If you are leaving and are worried how others might react,

don't beat around the bush like Chantal did,

it's better to get these things out in the open so everyone can start

to get used to the new situation. When it comes to saying goodbye,

it's good to mark the occasion with a party or leaving presents.

That can turn what might be a sad day into a happy occasion.

So that's the Beaker guide to goodbyes safely uploaded

to the Tracey Beaker Survival Files.

And they'll be plenty more gems of wisdom from my experiences

next time we say hello.

Remember, I've been through all this so you don't have to.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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