Bl**dy Hooligans?

spen666

Pensioners told tea-time chats in the park are 'anti-social' - and unless they talk quietly their benches will be removed

It's a simple pleasure that brings a little extra joy to these pensioners' lives.
Once a day the seven friends meet up for a cup of tea and a chat on the benches outside the sheltered accommodation where they live.
But their get-togethers could soon be banned - because of claims they are an anti-social nuisance.
Ann Reddy (front) and her friends have been told the benches they use to chat over a cup of tea in the fresh air will be removed - because their talking is anti-social
The housing association which owns their homes says it has received several complaints over the past two years about noise from the group, the oldest of whom is aged 96.
It is warning them that the four benches they sit on could be removed unless the friends keep it down.
Yesterday one of the pensioners - who is recovering from a stroke and has had 45 operations over the years - said she was horrified at being branded a troublemaker.
Ann Reddy, 69, who also has rheumatoid arthritis, said the accusations of anti-social behaviour against her and her friends were incomprehensible.
'How could I possibly be capable of anti-social behaviour?' she said.
'When I told my doctor that we might be having our benches taken away, he asked me if I had been drinking. We don't drink and sit on walls throwing cans of lager around the place.
'We don't sing in the middle of the night. It's unbelievable.'
The retired medical secretary, who worked for the NHS for 40 years, added: 'We just love sitting outside in the fresh air enjoying each other's company and talking quietly about our families, the weather, and the cost of living.'
The pensioners - most of whom live alone - meet on the benches so they can escape the isolation of their flats. They are unable to walk to the benches in their nearest park because some are too frail.
But Broomleigh Housing Association, which owns the flats in Mottingham, South London, is refusing to back down.
The pensioners were told their teatime chats outside are too noisy and that they disturb nearby residents
Another member of the group is 96-year-old Rose Anderson. Mrs Anderson, who has nine great-grandchildren and five grandchildren, said: 'I would be devastated if I was stopped from meeting with my friends.
'I'm so old now and I have got nothing else to do with my day.
'I would just have to sit in my flat all day long and I would go mad. We all deserve to be treated with a lot more respect than this.' Julie Schoon, assistant director of supported housing at Broomleigh, said: 'As a registered social landlord we are responsible for ensuring that any complaints of noise nuisance or other forms of antisocial behaviour are acted upon.
'Following a number of complaints from residents over the last two years we have worked hard to try to mediate between those involved.
'We are very reluctant to remove any of the benches and would view this as a last resort. We are currently talking to residents and considering various solutions to try to resolve the issue.'
Last week a report by Help The Aged found a third of over-65s - some 3.6million people - live alone and have little contact with their friends and family.
But something as simple as a having a chat with friends can greatly improve their lives, it said.
Amy Swan of Help the Aged said: 'It's such a tragic state of affairs when older people tell us that the only person they see from week to week is the postman.
'Isolation and loneliness are not inevitable side-effects of the ageing process, but the life events associated with older age can leave people vulnerable.
'Once the clocks go back and the nights draw in, older people can feel even more cut off from society, but we know that something as simple as getting out of the house to meet and chat with other people can have a lasting effect.'

Hooligans?


BTW for those who are hard of reading and comprehension, I am not calling anyone scum

chuckcork

I worked on a design for a retirement home for nuns, I think it got something like 46 objections. I never saw any statements bu t I always wondered what people were objecting too.The building wasn't too big etc. Was it the parties with the loud music to 2am, groups of nuns doing burn-outs in the street in their scooters, the streaking?

Its sad really, the things that make the character of an area, like a bench seat in a shady spot in a street, allow people to come together etc, are also seen as being a recipe for anti-social behaviour. Unfortunately also correct a lot of the time, but this is slegehammer - nut territory.

OffTheBackAdam

They live in London, SE9, Greenwich and complain about a few old biddies yakking.
OK, so they're probably half deaf (& dead, by the sound of it) and talk a bit loudly, but they'd have to talk loudly to get heard over the traffic on the A20!