I'm here today in Nechells, an area with much notoriety for being a hive of criminal activity. Do the raw numbers really illustrate what life is like here though? I ask the residents here about their thoughts on what everyday life is like in this area of Birmingham.
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00:00 To be honest, I've lived here for 14 years and I've had not a problem with anyone.
00:05 The people around here, the locals, are really nice and friendly.
00:09 I would say the people in Neichalls can be good,
00:11 but I truly believe that the government just stuck people in the same area.
00:15 That's why we have a lot of issues.
00:17 It's a private area, but there's a lot of good around here.
00:20 I believe people do badness because they have to.
00:22 Neichalls, situated north-east of the city centre,
00:26 has historically been an area settled by immigrants and has a diverse population.
00:32 It's one of the very few areas we've really got where it's such a mixed race.
00:35 You know, there's the whites, Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, Jamaicans and Somalis.
00:42 And the longer people look after each other, we get along quite well.
00:47 It's not as bad as the reputation that it has.
00:49 Despite their sense of community, the area is ravaged by poverty
00:54 and residents here feel neglected by the authorities.
00:57 If the kids have nothing or more, and I was going to the stockbroker,
01:00 I'd have lived here all my life, in 48.
01:03 How I feel is where Birmingham City Council has let this street run down to the ground,
01:09 really, basically, and the litter, it's disgusting, really.
01:14 One organisation supporting this deprived ward are Free At Last,
01:18 who sing praises for the area's human potential.
01:21 Yes, so living in Neatshaws has its challenges.
01:24 Some of those challenges are the people that live here can be very vulnerable.
01:28 The people that live here can struggle financially, even for food.
01:32 However, one of the great things about Neatshaws is its sense of community
01:37 and that people support one another.
01:39 So whatever you've heard on the news about this area, come and check it out.
01:42 The people are friendly, the people are welcoming.
01:45 We have such a cultural mix and diversity here that it's like a fantastic place to work.
01:50 And I feel really privileged to have been welcomed into the community here.
01:54 We have 11 high-rise flaps, not many clean parks,
01:57 and we're going to be changing that in the future.