Episode 1 The Mount: A Welsh Estate

Milford Haven on the Pembrokeshire coast, and this is the Mount estate.

For the last year we have been following the lives of some of the

people who live here. Council estates built in the 60s and 70s

followed an American design and they came to be characterised by

high unemployment and a number of people living on benefits. We meet

the people behind the statistics. Most of the 400 homes on the mind

are flats with no gardens or garages and no direct access to the

road. When Ben men, on a Monday morning, everyone has to carry

their rubbish to a central collection.. Four seagulls, it is

breakfast time. -- for the seagulls. Jane and her family are in London

this week for the royal wedding. Dai Jones is in trouble with the

council. I've heard it on now! Bethan has a difficult conversation

with her mother. I need �10. This is the home of Dai Jones and his

family. They have been here for 18 years and Dai and his Dog are well

known faces. Dai has not worked for many years. He used to be an

engineer working on for almost in Milford Haven. I was there when it

finished. I went from there and took an HGV test and went to the

lorries for a couple of years and ill health beat me. We are

extremely happy here. We do what to move. Unfortunately, Dai and his

family are facing eviction. One of the young lads came into the house

and he was followed more or less immediately by the police. They

searched him and he had cannabis. Was it? He had cannabis on him and

because he had been called in our house with drugs, we were told that

we could be evicted for it. For allowing drugs to be an house. But

it wasn't our fault. We had not given any body permission to come

in here with drugs. They have given us a year's probation to be on good

behaviour, basically. My daughter's put a petition in the local shop. I

think there were 600 odd signatures on a petition. We have got some

friends on the mound. -- on the Bethan Phillips is 16 today. She is

a pupil at Milford Haven comprehensive school and is sitting

her GCSEs next summer. Are you getting up? She lives with her

mother and a parrot. Don't be lazy! For her birthday, her mother has

bought her a blackberry mobile- phone. -- Blackberry. See in a bit,

bit by! -- see you in a pit, goodbye! It is a five-minute walk

to school. Bethan's mum, Cafe, has been unemployed for five months.

She used to be the manager of the estate's Resource Centre but lost

her job when the funding ended. is a struggle. You have to manage.

You have to shop wisely. She is a teenager and they want the best of

everything and it's hard to say no. She understand that we haven't got

it at the moment. She wanted a Blackberry for her birthday, and

that was �170. I had to save when I was working to make sure that I had

that because it is what she wanted. Gone are the days when you could

just have a �10 phone from wherever. Happy birthday Sweet 16!

For many months, Jane has had problems with her help and she has

got to be careful not to overdo it. As long as I take things steady and

don't rush about too much am all right. I've just got to take an

extra amount of time doing things. All in all, it's not too bad.

Keeping going. Jane's nieces also lead on the mad. They see a lot of

their Auntie Jane and they are planning a trip to London to see

the royal wedding. Me and the girls are off to London for the day

because I'm going to have a day out if it is the last thing I do. It

probably will be! We are going to wear a couple of Union Jacks or

something. Like a lot of teenagers, Bethan is not sure what she wants

to do with her life. At school, her favourite subject is drama. What

are you doing? Homework. What have you got today? Business studies.

Soon, she sitting her mock GCSEs. She will need to work hard. We have

to do maths, science and English. We get to GCSEs for trials, just

one for maths and English, then business studies and drama. I have

to do science resits. We messed around in your 10 and we have to

redirect. -- year 10. -- and we'd do it. The family centre on the

estate, for different groups used to meet, is still closed after a

fire in the flat above several months ago. It did eventually open

one day a week but there are few takers. There is better news for

the resource centre which is the reopening of thanks to sponsorship

from a local company who have offered to pay the running costs.

It is a very special day, but hardly anyone from the Mount has

turned up. It costs �10,000 a year to open this place. The government

have got no money, so we rely on grounds and things like that. You

have to find sponsors. The centre is here to offer advice and

training to young people living on remand and near by. There are

opportunities for voluntary work as It is the day of the royal wedding

and Jane and her nieces are on their way to London to be part of

this historic event. The coach left Milford Haven at 3:30am. They have

been travelling for six hours. are am 94 miles away from London.

It's a big say. We're looking forward to it. It is their first

time and they are all looking forward to it, seeing the sights, -

-. Are you looking forward to it? It yes. I think we all are. They

have been saving for weeks for their spending money. Every week.

She has been bribing us. I am treating myself there and there.

is a lovely day it bad Roger and Stacey's two boys have to stay

indoors and watch television. television: These lovely

Jane is going to be meeting her daughter, Simone, who is coming to

London from Cheshire, where she is a teacher. She is going to let us

know when she hits Leicester Square. We have been by their. Most things

must be shot off. -- shot up. isn't a limo, it's a taxi. It's not

a taxi! Attacks the! Imagined in a taxi, I don't think so! Gene and

the girls have arrived at Victoria coach Station in London. I am sure

this is not the way to Buckingham Palace. I Fink it's this way. -- I

think. The flowers are small, aren't they? I bet she is a bag of

nerves. It is you never know five IBM and Jane is lost. -- it is five

past 11. Excuse me, is this the way to Buckingham Palace? You need to

turn right. I knew I didn't recognise this bed. I know it has

been a few years but I did not think it had changed that much.

Excuse me! Buckingham Palace? Cheers, mate! Mum, tell him to shut

up. 10 past 11, still lost, and they haven't found Simone. We are

near be there. Carry on, Cruz. Finally, there are at the back of

the palace. I expected to get a bit nearer, I must admit. Can you see a

big yellow thing? Oh! There are there! Hi, sleety! By the time we

got round to meeting man they had already gone in. I just thought, we

can settle down and see what it's all about. Rabbit in, why don't you.

She says the dress was straight forward. My taxes helped to pay for

it, I don't want to be watching it. Roger would rather spend his days

I was brought up to watch the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day.

I've brought my kids up to watch it. It's interesting. Its history for

these. They will grow up and say, I can remember the day they got

married. Because we are having this party this afternoon, it's only

right that they should see why they are having this party. They look as

miserable as sin! You can go out in Jane and the Gulls have finally got

to the front of Buckingham Palace, just in time for the case on the

balcony. Back on the Mound, a solitary rambler is also enjoying a

nice day out. And Stacy's sister and law, Janette, is getting ready

for a party. I just thought we'd do a party for the Royal Wedding. I've

done it before for different royal weddings. If the street doesn't do

it, you have to do your own. I started at about 9:30am. They are

still making the sandwiches in there for me now. Got all the way

he and got as far as the corner and didn't get any further. We didn't

see anything. At least they can say they went to London on a Royal

Wedding date. For them, I think it's a been a completely out of

this world experience because they are not used to it whatsoever. It

will be a day for them to remember. Have we had a good day, girls?

forced what did you think of Buckingham Palace? Was it as big as

I can't believe there is no salad in the sand ridges. Most of Rogers

big family live on the Mount. As his sister's house is one of the

few of the garden, it's an ideal Dai Jones is no longer threatened

with eviction. The probation period is finished. But his health

problems are getting more serious. Despite this, he's decided to build

some decking in the garden. Just a little platform so we can come out

and sit in the sun and have a cup As ridiculous as it sounds, I'm

A stroke, it's something very difficult to explain to people what

it does, what happens. I'd gone down as they do every morning to

get the paper. Coming back up from the paper shop, within maybe 200

yards from the paper shop I just got totally lost, didn't know where

I was, how I got there. Then the other half of my brain turns round

and says, Roxie is with you, she knows her way home. Home to mam up.

She brought me home of. She even took me across the road. When I

came to the top of the rolled up here I was suddenly back, I

remembered when I was. I can laugh at it now but it is frightening at

I suppose I can just about forget it for today now. I'm starting to

get a bit... It's getting a bit much. Now that the resource centre

is open again, young and unemployed people are being sent here on work

placement schemes. Kathy Gray is qualified to manage these training

programmes. Whatever Capabilities you've got, we can cater for you.

It doesn't matter if you RE was third at would work or not, we can

find you something that will give Adam and Jimmy are unemployed. They

are on a course at the centre. Basically, we're building tables

from recycled wood. Instead of those steps going to waste, we can

They will be on the place and for 10 weeks. At the end, they will get

a certificate to say they've done it. They hope this will improve

their chances of getting a job. Jimmy, you'll never guess what.

What? I've cracked the wood. don't get paid much but doing it,

it's extra on the dole but it helps you along. I'm on a work placement

here. I get �50 training allowance a week. That is all I get. I have

an assessment done every six weeks to see proof. I've only got two

weeks left of this course but I think I will carry on volunteering

to get all of these done. They don't give us young people much of

a chance. There is nothing around here. IMA doubt now and I've got to

spend my time on that. When I was 16, I wouldn't care, I would go

gallivanting. I would do nothing. Adam has now moved off the estate.

An application for the army. Bethan is thinking about joining the Army.

I've lost it now. There is no objection to this application being

forwarded for process. I need a passport. It wasn't an interview,

it was just to see if I wanted to go in or not. Did you agree with

anything, were you happy? Didn't ask any questions, just sat there.

You have to make a decision - 6th form or army. You have to make it

soon. In the last few months, Bethan's attitude to school has

changed, and she's one the school prize for most improved people.

It's nice, isn't it? And nice memento. I haven't changed

dramatically. You have! I just turn up to lessons. And you get stuck in

rather than messing about. I got a letter today. CSA. Bethan's father

has not been paying. They keep sending me these letters telling me

how much he is supposed to pay. So nobody is supposed to take him to

court or anything like that? court over CSA. Haven't you got

better things to do? Why shouldn't you pay? I do pay for you. Who do

you think pays for you? Actually, a child's tax - the government pays

for me. Bethan, how much do you think I get in child government tax,

child benefit? �20 a week. Yeah. Which you spend more than that.

need �10. Look at the state of my head. It is not purport. -- purple.

Can I have �10, please? Go and see I finished that a few weeks ago.

Would you believe there are nearly 700 matches in the wheels. I've had

motorbikes since I was 16. I just love the freedom of it. The whole

family rides bike - daughter, I sons. One boy was killed on 17

years ago. But you can get killed crossing the road, can't you? Next

Wednesday years the anniversary. -- is the anniversary. That is going

Turn that down a bit, will you? Dai's son had an unusual nickname.

When he was about 12 or 13, his Nana used to smoke it would find it

cigarettes. She always kept the box and put them in matchboxes. She

used to give them to him. He used to roll them up and smoke them.

That is the fag butt. That's where it came from. Everybody knew him as

The bad part about it is we'd had a row a week or so before. We haven't

been talking for those few days. -- we haven't been talking. It makes

I can't even remember what we had been arguing about. There was no

problem because when we came face- to-face we would have both

forgotten about it. It just didn't happen. Jimmy's ten-week placement

making tables at the Resource Centre has finished, and he's

looking for a job. At 16, he has no formal qualifications. I go on the

website, jobseeker's, the careers service. They do apprentices.

Assistant receptionist, shop assistant, trainee butcher, Trinny

customer service and trainee riding instructor. There is a trainee

customer service but that's inside, I wouldn't be able to hack that

every day. I like outside, hands-on work. Trainee boccia, not really. -

- Butcher. No. And then riding instructor, I don't like horses. I

am scared of them. I went down to Thornton industrial estate but no

one has got any jobs anywhere. is the end of the school year.

Bethan and other year 11 pupils at Milford comprehensive are having a

big night out. It's the end of the school, the Proms. She looks really

good. She's very excited. She does look a picture. Nails, hair and

eyelash has done. She has been planning this for about six months.