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Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Scottish Sun
I live on UK's best council estate – I wake up to the sound of cockerels & views of rolling hills, there's no ASBOs here
A highlight of Erica's day is smoking her ciggies while taking in the view HOME SWEET HOME I live on UK's best council estate – I wake up to the sound of cockerels & views of rolling hills, there's no ASBOs here Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) OPENING my front door I breathe in the smell of red and pink roses as I watch the sun rise over our woodland-side crescent. The only sound comes from the neighbour's chicken coop as I hear a rooster calling out cock-a-doodle-do. 10 Erica Crompton says that Parksite is the best council estate in Britain Credit: Supplied 10 Her gorgeous home costs her just £380 a month Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She says that a morning stroll is like a scene from The Waltons Credit: Erica Crompton It's like stepping into a scene from The Waltons as I make my way past fields and rolling hills. However, it is not a family homestead I live on but rather a council estate and Britain's nicest in my opinion. I live on Parksite, in North Staffordshire's Silverdale, a village near Stoke-on-Trent and in the suburbs of Newcastle-under-Lyme, my local market town. While naysaying locals will be quick to tarnish its name, they're just being snobs, if they didn't know it was a council estate they would be fighting for a set of keys themselves. Why do people look down on council estate tenants like me, I'll never know - who doesn't want a peaceful home surrounded by countryside? With cheap rent? And friendly neighbours? I live at the top of a steep hill on a long private drive in my shared ownership bungalow and pay my way with a little journalism, and state benefits like Universal Credit and PIP. It only costs me £380 a month and I boast two gardens to the front and back, with blossom trees and flowers, lovingly cared for & nurtured by myself and my boyfriend, an aspiring Capability Brown. It's not just our gardens that are green, floral and verdant with the neighbours pruning their rose bushes most mornings. There isn't a tower block in sight as Parksite has Keele - a small countryside University village - next door. And Scot Hay - another country village with a farm - to the other side. I feel incredibly lucky to live on Parksite and pinch myself most days to check I'm not just living in a dream. You'd never know I live in a council house thanks to how good it looks - I shopped in IKEA & an Amazon tip saved me cash Aside from Parksite's abundant nature, it is the residents that make the place. Far from teaming with chavs and ABSO-slapped teens you find friendly families and people have time to stop and say hello when they're taking a stroll. I've even put a tangerine and fuchsia egg chair outside my front door so I can greet passersby as I smoke one of my 40-a-day ciggies. There's a 2.5K-strong community of local Silverdale residents on Facebook, who help each other out with missing pets, free household items, and lost bank cards and smartphones. Far from getting mugged, on our council estate residents make it their mission to keep your valuables with you. Not long ago, local campaigners, academics and MPs also clubbed together to get a nearby stinking landfill closed down. They finally won, and it was closed last year. Today the air is more fragrant and the streets much cleaner here than when I lived in cities like Birmingham and London, too. The bins are always emptied on time (Hackney Council take note!) I've lived on several estates in my time, here in Staffordshire and all over London and none of them are a patch on Parksite. 10 Erica has a view of rolling hills from her back garden Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She boasts two gardens with rolling hills as her view and the sound of the neighbour's roosters Credit: Supplied 10 Compared to previous council properties Erica says she has way more space Credit: Supplied 10 The surrounding streets are leafy and green Credit: Erica Crompton In London, I lived in a shared, one-bedroom council flat on the Roman Road in Bethnal Green which I rented for £75 a week. I enjoyed the fish market and cheap winkles. But not the community. Once a car was blown-up on the estate at 2am. It was terrifying to wake up to a bang and flames lighting up the entire estate. Another time, while a student, I lived on one of the high rises on Shepherd's Bush Green. While it was lovely to be in central London, the flat always stank of weed and I'd often hear next door arguing. When I returned to Staffordshire to help care for my mother in 2010, I lived on the Highfields estate in Stafford for a year. It was cheap, but the one-bedroom flat had no flooring down and I found the grey pebbledash facade of my Cul de Sac really depressing. It's different here on the Parksite estate. Visitors always notice how quiet it is: "It's so peaceful here" They'll coo. What It's Really Like Growing Up On A Council Estate Fabulous reporter, Leanne Hall, recalls what it's like growing up in social housing. As someone who grew up in a block of flats on a council estate, there are many wild stories I could tell. From seeing a neighbour throw dog poo at the caretaker for asking them to mow their lawn (best believe they ended up on the Jeremy Kyle show later in life) to blazing rows over packages going missing, I've seen it all. While there were many times things kicked off, I really do believe most of the time it's because families living on council estates get to know each other so well, they forget they're neighbours and not family. Yes, things can go from zero to 100 quickly, but you know no matter what you can rely on your neighbour to borrow some milk or watch all of the kids playing outside. And if you ask me, it's much nicer being in a tight community where boundaries can get crossed than never even knowing your neighbour's name while living on a fancy street. Thanks to support from the local council, Aspire, I'm able to afford the rent and upkeep of the property. But the real difference from the pokey flats I once afforded is that it's the first time I've had my own garden, and my own drive. As I write this, the sun is rising over the council housing rooftops - all red-orange glow, and also rising over the green parkland and bushy trees of Silverdale. It's so peaceful. My favourite memories here include sitting outside when the sun's out on my secondhand sunlounger. I'll be in the back garden, surrounded by green and just soak it all up. I so enjoy all the forest, all the nature, all the woodland sounds like a sparrow or the breeze among the grasses and buttercups. The only other sound's the tiny waterfall in the pond we've built to the left, overlooked by a red, Japanese Acer tree and a big silver Buddha head I bought from TK Maxx some years ago. My boyfriend also bought a TV when he moved in but we tend to just watch the wildlife in the forest over the bank, from the bifold windows that frame our sitting room - squirrels, nuthatches, woodpeckers. We have a birdfeeder here and can sometimes hear an owl in the dead of night. I believe I'll be here until I retire now and - after decades of struggling with shambolic, overpriced rentals in inferior council flats and dilapidated terraces - I finally feel complete and at peace. 10 Erica can sleep peacefully as there are no noisy neighbours nearby Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She has created a sanctuary in her enormous back garden Credit: Erica Crompton
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Irish Sun
I live on UK's best council estate – I wake up to the sound of cockerels & views of rolling hills, there's no ASBOs here
OPENING my front door I breathe in the smell of red and pink roses as I watch the sun rise over our woodland-side crescent. The only sound comes from the neighbour's chicken coop as I hear a rooster calling out cock-a-doodle-do. 10 Erica Crompton says that Parksite is the best council estate in Britain Credit: Supplied 10 Her gorgeous home costs her just £380 a month Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She says that a morning stroll is like a scene from The Waltons Credit: Erica Crompton It's like stepping into a scene from However, it is not a family homestead I live on but rather a I live on Parksite, in North Staffordshire's While naysaying locals will be quick to tarnish its name, they're just being snobs, if they didn't know it was a council estate they would be fighting for a set of keys themselves. Read More on Real Lives Why do people look down on council estate tenants like me, I'll never know - who doesn't want a peaceful home surrounded by countryside? With cheap rent? And friendly neighbours? I live at the top of a steep hill on a long private drive in my shared ownership bungalow and pay my way with a little journalism, and state benefits like Universal Credit and PIP. It only costs me £380 a month and I boast two gardens to the front and back, with blossom trees and flowers, lovingly cared for & nurtured by myself and my boyfriend, an aspiring Capability Brown. It's not just our gardens that are green, floral and verdant with the neighbours pruning their rose bushes most mornings. Most read in Fabulous There isn't a tower block in sight as Parksite has Keele - a small countryside University village - next door. And Scot Hay - another country village with a farm - to the other side. I feel incredibly lucky to live on Parksite and pinch myself most days to check I'm not just living in a dream. You'd never know I live in a council house thanks to how good it looks - I shopped in IKEA & an Amazon tip saved me cash Aside from Parksite's abundant nature, it is the residents that make the place. Far from teaming with chavs and ABSO-slapped teens you find friendly families and people have time to stop and say hello when they're taking a stroll. I've even put a tangerine and fuchsia egg chair outside my front door so I can greet passersby as I smoke one of my 40-a-day ciggies. There's a 2.5K-strong community of local Silverdale residents on Facebook, who help each other out with missing pets, free household items, and lost bank cards and smartphones. Far from getting mugged, on our council estate residents make it their mission to keep your valuables with you. Not long ago, local campaigners, academics and MPs also clubbed together to get a nearby stinking landfill closed down. They finally won, and it was closed last year. Today the air is more fragrant and the streets much cleaner here than when I lived in cities like Birmingham and London, too. The bins are always emptied on time (Hackney Council take note!) I've lived on several estates in my time, here in Staffordshire and all over London and none of them are a patch on Parksite. 10 Erica has a view of rolling hills from her back garden Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She boasts two gardens with rolling hills as her view and the sound of the neighbour's roosters Credit: Supplied 10 Compared to previous council properties Erica says she has way more space Credit: Supplied 10 The surrounding streets are leafy and green Credit: Erica Crompton In London, I lived in a shared, one-bedroom council flat on the Roman Road in Bethnal Green which I rented for £75 a week. I enjoyed the fish market and cheap winkles. But not the community. Once a car was blown-up on the estate at 2am. It was terrifying to wake up to a bang and flames lighting up the entire estate. Another time, while a student, I lived on one of the high rises on Shepherd's Bush Green. While it was lovely to be in central London, the flat always stank of weed and I'd often hear next door arguing. When I returned to Staffordshire to help care for my mother in 2010, I lived on the Highfields estate in Stafford for a year. It was cheap, but the one-bedroom flat had no flooring down and I found the grey pebbledash facade of my Cul de Sac really depressing. It's different here on the Parksite estate. Visitors always notice how quiet it is: "It's so peaceful here" They'll coo. What It's Really Like Growing Up On A Council Estate Fabulous reporter, Leanne Hall, recalls what it's like growing up in social housing. As someone who grew up in a block of flats on a council estate, there are many wild stories I could tell. From seeing a neighbour throw dog poo at the caretaker for asking them to mow their lawn (best believe they ended up on the Jeremy Kyle show later in life) to blazing rows over packages going missing, I've seen it all. While there were many times things kicked off, I really do believe most of the time it's because families living on council estates get to know each other so well, they forget they're neighbours and not family. Yes, things can go from zero to 100 quickly, but you know no matter what you can rely on your neighbour to borrow some milk or watch all of the kids playing outside. And if you ask me, it's much nicer being in a tight community where boundaries can get crossed than never even knowing your neighbour's name while living on a fancy street. Thanks to support from the local council, Aspire, I'm able to afford the rent and upkeep of the property. But the real difference from the pokey flats I once afforded is that it's the first time I've had my own garden, and my own drive. As I write this, the sun is rising over the council housing rooftops - all red-orange glow, and also rising over the green parkland and bushy trees of Silverdale. It's so peaceful. My favourite memories here include sitting outside when the sun's out on my secondhand sunlounger. I'll be in the back garden, surrounded by green and just soak it all up. I so enjoy all the forest, all the nature, all the woodland sounds like a sparrow or the breeze among the grasses and buttercups. The only other sound's the tiny waterfall in the pond we've built to the left, overlooked by a red, Japanese Acer tree and a big silver Buddha head I bought from TK Maxx some years ago. My boyfriend also bought a TV when he moved in but we tend to just watch the wildlife in the forest over the bank, from the bifold windows that frame our sitting room - squirrels, nuthatches, woodpeckers. We have a birdfeeder here and can sometimes hear an owl in the dead of night. I believe I'll be here until I retire now and - after decades of struggling with shambolic, overpriced rentals in inferior council flats and dilapidated terraces - I finally feel complete and at peace. 10 Erica can sleep peacefully as there are no noisy neighbours nearby Credit: Erica Crompton 10 She has created a sanctuary in her enormous back garden Credit: Erica Crompton 10 Erica says that her home is the perfect place to enjoy her 40 ciggies a day Credit: Supplied
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Lynn Hamilton, a Steady Presence on ‘Sanford and Son,' Dies at 95
Lynn Hamilton, who became a familiar presence in American living rooms in the 1970s playing Donna Harris, the elegant and unflinching girlfriend of Redd Foxx's irascible Fred Sanford, on 'Sanford and Son,' and Verdie Foster, a dignified matriarch, on 'The Waltons,' died on Thursday at her home in Chicago. She was 95. Her death was confirmed by her former manager and publicist, the Rev. Calvin Carson. Before landing her breakout television roles, Ms. Hamilton had considerable experience onstage and onscreen. She made her Broadway debut in 1959 in 'Only in America,' in a cast that also included Alan Alda. She appeared in John Cassavetes's first film as a director, 'Shadows' (1958); two films starring Sidney Poitier, 'Brother John' (1971) and 'Buck and the Preacher' (1972); and 'Lady Sings the Blues,' the 1972 Billie Holiday biopic starring Diana Ross. Still, almost no experience could have prepared her for working with Mr. Foxx, a hallowed comedian who grew up on the streets — he palled around Harlem with the young Malcolm X during their hustler days — and made his name with nightclub routines that were socially conscious and unapologetically dirty. 'Sanford and Son,' a groundbreaking NBC hit, broke racial barriers. A predominantly Black sitcom, it starred Mr. Foxx as Fred Sanford, a cantankerous and wholly unfiltered Los Angeles junk man, and Demond Wilson as Lamont, his sensible, long-suffering son. Ms. Hamilton was originally cast, as a landlady, for only one episode during the show's first season. She made enough of an impact to earn a regular role later that season as Donna, Fred's girlfriend and, eventually, fiancée. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Sanford and Son', ‘The Waltons' actress Lynn Hamilton dies at 95
Actress Lynn Hamilton, who performed on 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Waltons,' has died. She was 95. Hamilton 'transitioned peacefully' on Thursday at her Chicago home, 'surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones and caregivers,' her former manager and publicist, Rev. Dr. Calvin Carson, said in posts on Facebook and Instagram. Born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Hamilton and her family moved to Chicago when she was 4 years old. As the only Black actor in her class at the Goodman School of Drama Theater, Hamilton found roles hard to come by. After working briefly with a theater company on Chicago's South Side, she moved to New York in 1956, where she appeared in four Broadway plays and worked for three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival. She also toured with 'The Miracle Worker' and 'The Skin of Our Teeth' as part of President John F. Kennedy's cultural exchange program before joining the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1966. Hamilton had some small television roles, starting as an extra in John Cassavetes' 'Shadows,' before being cast as the leading characters' cantankerous landlady in the seventh episode of 'Sanford and Son' in 1972. The sitcom's producers decided a couple of months later 'to give Fred Sanford a girlfriend,' Hamilton told an interviewer in 2009, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hamilton spent the rest of the show's run in the recurring role of Donna Harris, a nurse who found herself frequently caring for Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), when they weren't passionately arguing — but not before a serious grilling by his late wife's sisters. The characters got engaged but never married before the series ended in 1977. Starting in 1973, Hamilton also played Verdie Grant Foster on 'The Waltons,' appearing in 16 episodes through 1981 and then in Waltons television movies 'A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion' and 'A Walton Easter' in 1993 and 1997, respectively. More recent roles included 'The Practice,' and 'Golden Girls' among other shows. 'Her illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, motivating audiences across the globe through her work as a model, stage, film, and television actress,' Carson said in his statement. 'Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations.' ______
NBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Lynn Hamilton, ‘Sanford and Son' and ‘The Waltons' Actor, Dies at 95
Actor Lynn Hamilton, who was best known for her characters in sitcom 'Sanford and Son' and historical drama 'The Waltons,' has died. She was 95. A representative for the late actor, Calvin Carson, shared the news of her death in a joint statement posted on Facebook. He said Hamilton died on Thursday, June 19, 'surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones and caregivers.' 'With profound gratitude and admiration, we celebrate the extraordinary life of iconic actress Alzenia 'Lynn' Hamilton-Jenkins, whose remarkable legacy continues to uplift and inspire,' Carson said. 'Her illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, motivating audiences across the globe through her work as a model, stage, film, and television actress.' He went on to note her performance in 'Sanford and Son' as nurse Donna Harris, as well as some of her other projects, like the comedy series 'Dangerous Women,' historic soap opera 'Generations' and miniseries 'Roots: The Next Generations.' Hamilton starred alongside Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor in 'Lady Sings the Blues,' as well. 'Lynn was also the recipient of the prestigious NAACP Award, a testament to her outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry,' Carson added. The rep then noted that Hamilton frequently collaborated with her late husband, playwright Frank Jenkins, during her career. Carson concluded, 'Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations.' Hamilton landed her first onscreen role in 1958 in the film 'Shadows,' according to IMDb. She appeared on shows 'Gunsmoke,' 'Good Times' and 'The Young and the Restless' in addition to her recurring roles on 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Waltons,' in which she played Verdie Foster. Over the last two decades, she had roles on 'Sister, Sister,' 'Moesha' and 'The Practice.' Her final role was on 'Cold Case' in 2009, per IMDb.
