Holidays with the Homeless 1998

There were always a lot of homeless in Blackpool, and apparently a high proportion were people with mental health problems. The Care In The Community policies of the then Government saw a lot of people who would have benefited from hospital treatment as an in-patient being cared for in their homes.

A paramedic once told me that unwell people often returned to Blackpool hoping to recapture some of the good memories they experienced as a child.  That made me feel sad.

I 've spent a few days on the road myself - through choice though. It surprising how quickly everything you wear gets dirty and begins to alienate you from the rest of society. George Orwell refers to it in Down &  Out in London &  Paris -

Dirt is a great respecter of persons; it lets
you alone when you are well dressed, 

but as soon as your collar is gone it
flies towards you from all directions.