our working lives, then and now

Podcast: Download (Duration: 14:33 — 8.3MB)

Eleanor was born in Nailsea, near Bristol. She left school with 3 A Levels and went to Leeds University to study journalism. Her ambition was to work in broadcasting or the media and she graduated from university with an honours degree.

Eleanor then struggled to find a job. She did a lot of unpaid work in radio hoping that relevant work experience would lead to a permanent position. She spent several months doing this, while also acting as a carer for a neighbour she liked. However she needed to earn money to pay off some of her student debts so she went to a temping agency. Nothing very satisfactory transpired and she ended up in a factory environment for a short time, doing recruitment. This she found was a rather daunting experience.

Eleanor then did some recruiting in a recruitment agency and felt that she was in a dead-end situation. Her original ambition to be a journalist had changed and she was uncertain which way to turn.

She was then offered a graduate job doing headhunting and in desperation she took it. The job progressed to PR, which she was pleased about, as it was relevant to her journalism degree. As it was in Bristol she was still living at home and longed for her independence. Unfortunately, the company folded due to the recession in December 2008, so her job only lasted for six months.

When she had worked in an agency her wage had only been £6 per hour. In her last job her salary was £16,000 per annum. The initial headhunting job was tough. There were four working in the office and Eleanor did the entire admin and office organisation. She arranged meetings, typed, proofread documents and saw to the post. She was given a sort of DIY pamphlet for headhunting and was shaped into the role. Occasionally she was allowed to have some input. The dress code was smart and casual.

At the moment Eleanor is working for an agency and she is only paid for the hours worked. There is no sick or holiday pay. She quite likes the job, but is worried that it has no prospects. It is a gloomy outlook in the present recession and she hopes that, like her grandmother and parents before her, she will bounce back and get a proper career structure.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:16 — 4.9MB)

Sheila was born in South Wales but the family moved to Parkstone. She attended Kemp Welsh School and left at the age of 15 with no qualifications and no particular career in mind.

Her first job was at Bealson’s in Bournemouth as a sales girl in the underwear department. Smart dress was required, black dress and black shoes. It was hard work initially doing all the menial tasks, and you had to work your way up. Training was given on the job. Sheila went to work daily by bus and the journey took about 15 minutes. She stayed there for a few years and then went to a confectionary shop in Poole High Street. This she loved as she enjoyed dealing with people.

However, age 17, she moved to the Ryvita factory to earn more money. Her job was on the conveyor belt – after the biscuits had been sawn into pieces. She had to block them in so they could fit into their wrappers. They then continued down the line until the final wrapper was put on. The girls worked shifts, either 6 till 2pm or 2 till 10pm. Ryvita was an extremely good employer – it was owned by a Canadian firm called Westons. Sheila only left their employment when she moved to West Howe.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:08:10 — 78.0MB)

View sonic bus tour in a larger map

This was the FINAL Our Working Lives event!

A unique, one-off, bus tour of Poole’s working landscape was organised. Where passengers got the chance to travel through time on a 1959 Routemaster bus for a mystery tour to hear a soundtrack of Poole’s working landscape.

The tour  took visitors to areas in Poole not usually visited by commercial tour packages. Snaking through Poole’s industrial estates, as well as other interesting features of Poole’s economic landscape. During the tour passengers could hear everyday people talk about their working life, about Poole history and how its infrastructure has developed. Mixed with life today and its possible economic future.

Download audio: http://www.archive.org/download/SonicBusTourOfPoolesWorkingLandscape/coachTrip.mp3

Start at Poole Museum

1. Head west on The Quay toward Thames St
2. Turn right to stay on The Quay
3. Continue onto W Quay Rd/A350
4. Continue to follow W Quay Rd
5. W Quay Rd turns slightly left and becomes Holes Bay Rd/A350
6. At Holes Bay Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Broadstone Way/A349
7. Slight left onto Cabot Ln

Route to Creekmoor industry estate

1. Turn right onto Balena Close
2. Turn right to stay on Balena Close

Nuffield industry estate

1. Starting from Cabot Ln/A349
2. Head northeast on Cabot Ln/A349 toward Technology Rd
3. Continue to follow A349
4. Turn right onto Waterloo Rd/A349
5. At A349, take the 1st exit onto Dorset Way heading to Bournemouth/A3049/Ringwood/A348/Christchurch/Nuffield/Newtown
6. Keep left at the fork
7. Turn right onto Morris Rd (Destination will be on the left)

Starting from Nuffield Rd

1. Head north on Nuffield Rd toward Hatch Pond Rd
2. Take the 1st left onto Hatch Pond Rd
3. Turn right onto Stinsford Rd
4. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Canford Heath Rd/B3074
5. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Adastral Rd
6. Keep left at the fork
7. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto the A3049 ramp
8. Merge onto A3049
9. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Old Wareham Rd
10. Slight left onto Yarrow Rd
    Go through 1 roundabout
11. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Mannings Heath Rd
    Go through 1 roundabout
12. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Ringwood Rd/B3068
    Go through 1 roundabout
13. Turn right onto Albion Close
    Destination will be on the left

Starting from Fancy Rd

1. Head southeast on Fancy Rd toward Old Wareham Rd
2. Turn right onto Old Wareham Rd
3. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A3049 heading to Poole/A350/Dorchester/A35/Upton/Hamworthy
   /Nuffield/Fleet
4. Take the exit toward Nuffield/Creekmoor
5. At A349, take the 2nd exit onto Fleets Ln
6. Continue onto Stanley Green Rd
7. Turn right onto Sterte Rd
8. Take the 1st left onto Holes Bay Rd/A350
9. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto West St/A350 heading to Hamworthy
10. Turn left onto New Orchard
11. Turn right onto High St

and back to Poole Museum.

Filmed over a 12-month period, this study of children’s games played in London streets and playgrounds stands out for its freshness and spontaneity; it remains an important companion piece to Peter and Iona Opie’s classic studies of children’s games and rhymes.

Director Leslie Daiken demonstrates considerable skill and understanding in the way he captures the children, whose games range from the repetitive tongue-twisters chanted by the girls to a small boy trailing a stick along iron railings.

Made over a decade after the end of the war, the film also stands as a record of the bomb sites that pockmarked London and provided many urban children with a place to play. (Robin Baker)

You can watch this and over 1200 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque – http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque This film is available to buy as part of the BFI’s ‘Free Cinema’ DVD – http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_150.html