December 2021 issue
Alt. Cardiff
News Cardiff theatre company talks about Covid-19 restrictions before French tour Actors at Cardiff-based Hijinx theatre company are preparing to take their show, Meet Fred on a tour around France. This will be the first time they have travelled to Europe since the beginning of the pandemic. However, due to Covid-19 the company has had to take extra steps to make the production possible. Senior producer Ellis Wrightbrook said alongside testing and isolating, there are “vast amounts” of papework that must be completed. Regardless, Hijinx actors are keen to be back on stage, so nothing will stand in their way. The theatre company, which includes actors with disabilities, will be heading off to France in January. Director Ben Pettitt-Wade is keen to kick the show off.
Image credit: Hijinx Theatre Instagram
“The show is an illustration of the lack of social mobility of disability. Fred is a puppet, prevented from doing what he wants with his life because of both physical and societal constraints,” Ben said. Ben said the actors have already faced “so many challenges” with proving society wrong about their disabilities. So, a couple of coronavirus tests won’t stop them from showing off their talent. Meet Fred began its tour in October after being postponed in 2020, but is now taking a two-month break before starting its run again on 11 January, 2022. Hijinx are now rehearsing their Xmas show, Pinocchio, which will run from 2-4 December.
Covid cant stop comedy Comedian Steve Jameson is taking his comedy back to Cardiff ’s Glee Club despite Covid-19 restrictions. He will be performing at the club, based in Cardiff Bay, on 12 and 13 November, 2021. Steve said, “I love performing at the Glee because they really know how to look after their performers and guests.” Regarding coronavirus restrictions, the Club have asked guests to wear masks in the venue and are abiding by social distancing guidelines. They have also dressed their tabels with hand sanatasier and installed various air vents. In spite of these restrictions, comedians will not be stopped from doing what they love. “Even behind the mask you can still hear laughter,” Steve said.
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Roll up! Roll up The performers in NoFit Sate’s lexicon circus only have a week to rehearse before their final show. NoFit State is based in Cardiff, but acts have flown in from across Europe to perfom. The rehearsal days commence on 8 December 2022. They start at 7am and finish at 10pm Marketing and communications officer, Anna Searle said, “The days are ong and tiring but there are a few ensemble pieces that are less taxing, which gives perfromers a bit of a break.” The show will run for a month and will be based in the Sophia Gardens. As well as putting on shows, NoFit State also provide weekly workshops. These classes range from private lessons, which, offer beginners the chance to train with professional performers, to professional, where qualified artists g to perfect their skills. However, since the pandemic these have had to be limited. The number of people allowed to attend classes has been reduced. The circus begins on 15 December 2021 and ends on 15 January 2022.
Interview
‘Ive lost 40% of my business and can’t provide for my family’ Amir Salih has been a taxi driver for 15 years and usually goes the extra mile, but since the pandemic business has slowed down.
The taxi rank by Cardiff ’s central
station resembles the start line of an F1 race: when a car shows up, it is immediately whisked off again. Now, the station is constantly crowded with cars, eager to drive anyone to their destinations. Amir Salih, 57, admits that even though the world is opening up again, work for taxi drivers isn’t what it used to be. “I used to think it was normal to drive around for six hours a day with no break, but now I find myself with too much time on my hands. Work is better now that hosptality is open, but I’ve lost 40% of my business and can’t provide for my family.”
But, after 15 years Amir has been able to provide a steady income for his family. Lightheartedly, he recalled that all his hard work paid off. Most of his Saturday nights were spent eating the free pizzas that were left in on the back seat.
Back in the drivers seat
From India to Cardiff Originally from India, Amir moved to Cardiff in 2003. In 2006 he applied for his hackney driver’s licence. When he became self-employed, Amir applied for a private licence so he could keep his hours flexible. The Cardiff-based driver opened up about his struggles at school, which he called ‘’really hard.” Unfortunatley, he didn’t come out with many qualifications. To become a freelance driver, Amir had to complete a knowledge test which was one of the biggest challenges he’s ever gone through.
“Eating free pizza most saturday nights made it all worth it”
Although, the time at home did have some benefits. Amir said that before the pandemic he would barely make it home for bedtime, but during the lockdown, he was able to spend all day with his wife and read his children a bedtime story. “After my children had finished online school, we would sit and play racing games on the Wii. It was nice to do something that made me think of my job, but it was even better because I was with my children.”
(Top: taxi driver Amir Salih has lost 40% of his busiess since the COVID-19 outbreak)
Stepping on the brakes Switching from working over 40 hours a week to being at home for a year negatively affected Amir. He struggled the most with not being able to provide a steady income for his family. “I had absolutely nothing. I’m not qualified to do anything else so I just had to sit at home for 12 months. We never received furlough, but we did get a grant from Cardiff ’s council. However, this wasn’t enough,” his smile faded.
Amir’s work mainly came from airport and nightclub runs, but with borders and dancefloors being the final things to open, he lost a large fraction of his wage. Even now Cardiff is gradually restoring, the current restrictions are still affecting taxi drivers. “Because you have to wear a mask, fewer people are willing to book a taxi,” Amir says. However, Amir tells me with a sense of relief that most people he carries have absolutely no problem following guidelines.
Amir’s tips to avoid the $50 sick fine: •
Aim to throw up into a plastic bag
•
Roll down the windows
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Tell the driver
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Battling agei
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Image credit: Unsplash
Feature
ist attitudes Over 60% of news articles that spoke about the elderly during the pandemic displayed them in a negative way, this damaged the confidence of older people in Wales
Y
ou probably only have an opinion of a couple of people in your life that are over the age of 65. These could be your grandparents, mum, dad or a family friend. You usually see them on a Sunday afternoon and are greeted with a cup of tea and a biscuit as you walk through the door. However, have you recently asked them how they’re feeling and not just made small talk while diving into their biscuit jar? Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the media stereotypically treats older people in the same ways. During lockdown research found that 67% of the headlines written about older people portray them in a negative way. There was a limited representation of their voices which created the image of older people being dependent and frail. As a result, their self-confidence has plummeted and they have isolated themselves
“From the way I have been represented I refuse to show myself in public” John from Caerphilly, said he has read so many negative headlines about older people that he is now afraid to be seen in public.ver 60% of articles that spoke about the elderly in 2020 and 2021 adopted a negative tone, these seriously damaged the confidence of older people in Wales. The old people’s commissioner, Heléna Herklots and the deputy minister of social services, Julie Morgan, are working to change the way old people in Wales are spoken about and are aiming to make the country a safe and inclusive place to grow old.
Adressing ageist attitudes The way older people are spoken about in the media can have harmful impacts on people’s attitudes to ageing, how the elderly are viewed in society and the way they view themselves. In July 2021, Heléna published a report titled Portrayal of Older People in News Media. However, the amount of negative headlines regarding older people increased during the pandemic, impacting their mental health. Helena said, ‘”Two-thirds of the news stories we analysed portrayed older people in a negative way, painting a picture of them being in ill-health, victims or being a burden to society.” “Unfortunately during coronavirus, we have seen more examples of news articles that use ageist language and attitudes,” she said. Some examples include The Times headline: ‘Elderly and the overweight are the real super-spreaders of Covid-19’ in February 2021, and WalesOnline publishing: ‘Older people feeling pressured into signing Do Not Resuscitate forms’. John Roberts, a 70-year-old from Caerphilly, said he never used to care about his age. Before the pandemic, he took regular walks around Cardiff and would sometimes play golf with his friends. However, after he was stuck inside for so long with nothing to do other than read the paper, he began to believe all the things the media were saying about him were true. “I’ve read a lot of articles that have presented the over-65s as weak and vulnerable and thought to myself, perhaps I am weak because I’m now in my 70s,” he said.
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Fighting back
Feature
In response to Heléna’s report Julie Morgan, the deputy minister of social services, produced Age Friendly Wales. In this report she outlines how we can help to encourage people to speak positively about ageing. It is estimated that by 2038, one in four people in Wales will be over the age of 65, so we must start working now to make it the best country to grow old in. Age Friendly Wales provides four aims of how we can accomplish this. One of these is encouraging intergenerational contact. Julie believes, “it is vital that we use the emotional bonds we have with younger people to build mutual respect.” She adds, “if we can show younger people that ageing isn’t negative, then perceptions of older people will shift to become positive.”
Charity Work Helena has been working with charities around Wales to ensure that older people are seen in a positive way. On 10 December, 2021 Age Cymru organised a photo exhibition called ‘This is Older’. Victoria Lloyd, the chief executive of Age Cymru, says she wanted to create this to display that, “There is no such thing as a typical old person.” She collected 12 photographs of people aged 65-80 and projected them at the National Library in Aberystwyth. Just because someone looks older, it doesn’t make them frail and vulnerable. Image Credit: Age Cymru Photos ranged from older people photographing themselves in gardens with their family, to being out on long walks. They wanted to rebel against the stereotype of them as frail and showcase themselves as sociable and active. Likewise, Age Cymru have also launched their campaign ‘Friend in Need’. During lockdown the charity called out for younger people to volunteer to phone the elderly. Catherine and Remo, two volunteers, signed up at the beginning of 2020 and still carry on today. Catherine says, “the old man I speak to never fails to make me laugh. I always come away from our calls feeling as though I’ve learnt something new.” She says that she doesn’t fear ageing, but is fact looking forward to it, “I can’t wait to be that interesting one day and impart my wisdom onto others.” Authorities and charities in Wales will continue to work to change the way age is spoken about. Jeff Hawkins, the executive officer of Age Connects, Cardiff, has said that working with older people everyday has made him realise that age is just a number. He focuses on the stories they have to tell rather than how old they are. Image credit: Unsplash
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