# i'm going to be skint by the end of the month



## wiskey (Nov 12, 2006)

having lived in london i ahve a pretty thick skin when it comes to people asking me for money. 

but i've come across a problem in brizzle - you have the politest, most talented (ok perhaps not so talented but he did at least try to recite poetry), most genuine looking beggars ever and coupled with the sweet accent i've given every one all my loose change so far. 

this is a situation that cannot continue. so can someone tell me about a local homeless charity i can give money to by standing order so i dont feel bad about not giving to people on the street. 

fanx

wiskers


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## Mrs Magpie (Nov 12, 2006)

Shelter Homeless To Home
34 Portland Square
Bristol, BS2 8RG

0117 944 5695


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## JTG (Nov 12, 2006)

There was a very impolite one giving my dad a load of hassle last week. So I told him to fuck off.

Not often I tell someone who's nearly seven feet tall to fuck off


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## wiskey (Nov 12, 2006)

Mrs Magpie said:
			
		

> Shelter Homeless To Home
> 34 Portland Square
> Bristol, BS2 8RG
> 
> 0117 944 5695



sounds like a good option


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## fractionMan (Nov 12, 2006)

Give some to me.  I've got 30 quid to last the next two weeks.


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## wiskey (Nov 13, 2006)

you'll have to come and recite poetry at me  (if you could make it half decent poetry i might be slightly more interested)


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## Dru (Nov 13, 2006)

I've been poeted too. Well, doggerelled.... he is a nice chap, isn't he? Shame about the rhyme structure.

A big mystery to me, though, is The Bloke With The Baritone Sax. He's been playing it, mostly around the harbour, for ten years or so? -and he's still as rotten as when he started. That _must _take genius. I stuck Thelonius Monk's "Giant Steps" on once, on the St Michael's Cafe jukebox, and a couple of students started laughing cos they thought it was so bad. Not baaaaad, but... bad. Ignoramuses. BWTBS doing "Little Rootie Tootie", though.....


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2006)

They seem to have phenomenally short memories. The guy sat outside my local Tesco always asks - even though I've been mouthing obscenities at him for years.
There's another guy with one leg who sometimes begs there whose mate collects him in a car if the security staff get bolshy.

Yesterday a *very drunk *man asked me for 20p so he could get a pasty.  

Do the Bristolian ones look more hippyish to you than the London ones ?


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## JTG (Nov 13, 2006)

Is that Tescos on the Gloucester Road? The ones outside there are legendarily nasty pieces of work from what I've heard.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2006)

No, the Redfield (St. George) "Metro"


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## electrogirl (Nov 13, 2006)

gentlegreen said:
			
		

> They seem to have phenomenally short memories. The guy sat outside my local Tesco always asks - even though I've been mouthing obscenities at him for years.


why do you shout obscenities?


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## claudy (Nov 13, 2006)

i used to beg in brizzle many years ago, i had my dog with me and used to sit near college green, this was about 15 years ago and the dog in question was called gromit, she was so cool and i'm sure that parks guy must have plagerised her name cos his studio was in bristol just up the road in park st or rd what ever on the way to whitelady st i think ( it was a while ago) I just cant think y anyone else would call a dog gromit, the only reason she was called that was cos when she was a pup she was this tiny teeny thing ad she was just a Gromit, she looked like pippin the dog thaht flys a plane on kids tv only smaller and way smarter( no shit) anyway nick parks made loads of money, i didnt do too badly either, used to make a ton a day average(young well spoken white girl with a dog) and change all the coins at pizza hut on college green, they used to be most peevd as i was raking it in but were always really nice, I wouldnt worry about giving any more dosh to them, chrimbo is coming and theyll be getting 10 and 20 drops all over the place, they will be shed loads better off than i am and possibly you are and will in my experience spend the whole lot paying off last nights crack cocaine bill in readyness for that evning, dont feel badly for them( i know i'm being a bit treacherous)


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2006)

electrogirl said:
			
		

> why do you shout obscenities?


I said "mouth".

I only say them out loud when the beggars are agressive.


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## Yetman (Nov 13, 2006)

gentlegreen said:
			
		

> I said "mouth".
> 
> I only say them out loud when the beggars are agressive.



Coward


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## fractionMan (Nov 13, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> you'll have to come and recite poetry at me  (if you could make it half decent poetry i might be slightly more interested)


I'm shite at poetry but I've got a pretty good line in mime.


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## electrogirl (Nov 13, 2006)

gentlegreen said:
			
		

> I said "mouth".
> 
> I only say them out loud when the beggars are agressive.


ok fair dos. i had a beggar call me a snob once but that's about it.

I was once sitting on abench outside the arnolfini when a man came and sat next to me and said he had a publishing deal for poetry but was waiting for the money, he recited some poetry to me and it was really good! He was a really nice bloke so i gave him a fiver for his hostel, i don't know if it was his own poetry or if he's just memorised some, he seemed pretty genuine.


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## fizzerbird (Nov 13, 2006)

Shelter wisks...I set up a standing order with them years ago when they helped me keep my flat after Fukwit got us evicted! Remember?

Top peeps.

I never give cash to beggars, I have been known to get them a bar of choc or a cake though, sometimes the reaction is something else! lol


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2006)

I was up Tesco earlier and the usual bloke was sitting by the doorway on the pavement in the drizzle with no coat or hat.


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## keybored (Nov 15, 2006)

gentlegreen said:
			
		

> I was up Tesco earlier and the usual bloke was sitting by the doorway on the pavement in the drizzle with no coat or hat.


Yeah, the dress etiquette of the homeless of today is truly pitiful.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 15, 2006)

keypulse said:
			
		

> Yeah, the dress etiquette of the homeless of today is truly pitiful.


Or plain stupid.


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## wiskey (Nov 15, 2006)

fizzerbird said:
			
		

> Shelter wisks...
> 
> Top peeps.
> 
> I never give cash to beggars, I have been known to get them a bar of choc or a cake though, sometimes the reaction is something else! lol



right i'm sold on shelter - will set it up after payday 

had an altercation with a guy today in brunswick sq, asked if he could 'politely ask me something' - wanted money to get to a night shelter in bath. said he'd just hit everyone in the garage and got this much *holds out hand full of silver*. so i dig in my pockets and give him some coins. about 75p. he looks thoroughly disgusted and tries to hassle for more. then he wants to change 25p in 5p's for a quid off me. i say no. then he starts hassling a bit until someone else comes along. i was so mad. i shouted back at him that he could at least have said thankyou. 

he lied - he wasnt polite at all.


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## wiskey (Nov 15, 2006)

gentlegreen said:
			
		

> Do the Bristolian ones look more hippyish to you than the London ones ?



they tend to look a bit more 'dragged through a hedge backwards-ish', more army surplus and big boots. london beggars aren't so uniformly dressed in khaki.


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## Zaskar (Nov 16, 2006)

I tend to give when I can afford too, a quid usually, sometimes more.  I think many are alcohols and as an ex addict myself who came close to losing everything, house job, life, and I know the pain and the fear of needing a drink.

Probably makes me a soft touch.

There again I was flush one day and I gave this gypsy type, begging with her daughter and clearly not in need of a fix / drink a tenner - they both then hassled me for more for five minutes- annoying, got home later - wallet gone !

Good and bad in all people I suppose.


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

just been onto the shelter website and it looks like its all central donations - which is cool. but i'd rather know it was going to bristol homeless people. so i'll see tomorrow if they have a local version.


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## Dhimmi (Nov 16, 2006)

There I was promenading around the pantiles of Tunbridge Wells when a smart looking fellow in suit and bowler asked for spare change. I had no change but that was no problem for this plucky soul who had a mobile credit card machine. I gave him my card , but when I got home lo and behold I had been sold a thousand shares in British Aerospace. Damn these cads...


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> they tend to look a bit more 'dragged through a hedge backwards-ish', more army surplus and big boots. london beggars aren't so uniformly dressed in khaki.


I said before about my begging days in brizzle, its really not something tat i reckon is big or clever, its just what i did at the time anyway, when i was begging up by teh christian bookshop in park st ( dont know if its still there or not) this woman used to give me a mars bar wrapped around god leaflet with an elastic band securing said parcel, anyway i was amazing rude to this woman( again not proud) every day she would give me one of her parcels and i would go " oh fucking great,what bit shall i eatfirst, that should last me all week "etc ( other such unfunny wittisicms) every day i'd get home get stoned empty my pockets at some point, looking for a lighter whatever, and chuck the damned mars bar parcels in teh bin, one day got home and a mates kid asked if they could have te gak bar, on unwrapping teh parcel discovered two crisp tenners tucked into the god leaflet!, Cue rapid bin searching whereon i found a couple more with about £60 altogether, felt slightly ill at the thought of how many i'd chucked in the bin. Wait a minute this does have an ending, on returning to teh spot outside te bookshop, i saw teh woman again of course but now i know shes given mme al this cash, cant bring myself to be horrid to her, she stopped giving me the parcels as i was being nice, suppose she thought she converted me, try as i might could just never genuinely be nasty to her so never got another penny!


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

Dhimmi said:
			
		

> There I was promenading around the pantiles of Tunbridge Wells


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> I said before about my begging days in brizzle, its really not something tat i reckon is big or clever, its just what i did at the time anyway, when i was begging up by teh christian bookshop in park st ( dont know if its still there or not) this woman used to give me a mars bar wrapped around god leaflet with an elastic band securing said parcel, anyway i was amazing rude to this woman( again not proud) every day she would give me one of her parcels and i would go " oh fucking great,what bit shall i eatfirst, that should last me all week "etc



what are you nuts  that leaflet could have sustained you for all of about 15minutes!

and you never knwo you could have got high off the ink


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> what are you nuts  that leaflet could have sustained you for all of about 15minutes!
> 
> and you never knwo you could have got high off the ink


i was a fool to myself


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

live and learn eh 

but if you dont mind me asking, as i have never had the guts to ask anybody for money even when  i could really ahve done with 10p for the nightbus, what is it that makes people asking for money so vicious?? is it the sitting around in the cold feeling shit with a comedown/rattle etc or is it the percieved shame of begging, or is it that actually you do think everyone else is a cunt? 

cos it does seem you'd get a better reaction by being nice. 

obv you dont have to answer. just curious



wiskers


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> live and learn eh
> 
> but if you dont mind me asking, as i have never had the guts to ask anybody for money even when  i could really ahve done with 10p for the nightbus, what is it that makes people asking for money so vicious?? is it the sitting around in the cold feeling shit with a comedown/rattle etc or is it the percieved shame of begging, or is it that actually you do think everyone else is a cunt?
> 
> ...


Generally speaking I was ultra polite and well mannerred, with the exeption of the woman at the bookshop who seemed to insipire rudeness( it probably made her day!) I was certainly never vicious, possibly sarcastic, definately not a thug. When I did that i was not in a good place full stop, i lived on that hideous( infamous) traveller site in warmley( behind the school) and just wanted to make enough money to get the fuck out of dodge, trouble is you get used to doing it(begging) and i suppose it becomes a bit like prostitution in that respect, doesnt make you feel very good about yourself but you get used to the cash( and the cash wasplenty and often) so did it for longer than intended. By the way is the bookshpo still there, havent been back to central bristol in years?


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> Generally speaking I was ultra polite and well mannerred, with the exeption of the woman at the bookshop who seemed to insipire rudeness( it probably made her day!) I was certainly never vicious, possibly sarcastic, definately not a thug. When I did that i was not in a good place full stop, i lived on that hideous( infamous) traveller site in warmley( behind the school) and just wanted to make enough money to get the fuck out of dodge, trouble is you get used to doing it(begging) and i suppose it becomes a bit like prostitution in that respect, doesnt make you feel very good about yourself but you get used to the cash( and the cash wasplenty and often) so did it for longer than intended. By the way is the bookshpo still there, havent been back to central bristol in years?




not sure i've only lived here two weeks  and i cant say looking at xtian bookshops has been top of my sightseeing 

i wasnt implying you were vicious btw.


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> not sure i've only lived here two weeks  and i cant say looking at xtian bookshops has been top of my sightseeing
> 
> i wasnt implying you were vicious btw.


Oh well, thereason i frequented the bookshop was because i reasoned that i knew tath they knew that i knew thay were xtians and they'd have to give me cash or risk eternal damnation, did the trick too! What do u think of bristol?


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> they knew that i knew thay were xtians and they'd have to give me cash or risk eternal damnation, did the trick too! What do u think of bristol?



rotfl 

bristols good, bit soggy but when it rains there are people who just GET WET! no umberellas! its so nice, i dont have to wear eye protection. 

we went to a farmers market today and i'm enjoying living off of a main road with no speed camera directly opposite or 24hour busses. its a bit quiet tbh  

busses are shit, but its nice walking places and it not being a horrid experience. a few street cleaners wouldnt go amiss mind. 

i cant understand most of the people i live near, the south bristol burr leaves me guessing on many occasions.


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## kalidarkone (Nov 16, 2006)

Hmmm If you would rather your money went direct to rough sleepers in Bristol, then I reckon The cold weather project may be the place, Im not sure where it is this year, but I will find out... also the other place is the night shelter, I can let you know by next week....


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

yeah please kali


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> rotfl
> 
> bristols good, bit soggy but when it rains there are people who just GET WET! no umberellas! its so nice, i dont have to wear eye protection.
> 
> ...


Are u ahving a gert nice time me old babby, ( thats my best bristolian)GLad you likin your new region, i'm a hackney girl born and raised but have lived in teh west countrysince i left home( started livin as a dirty hippy traveller) live in cornwall now, which is v quiet andremote but keeps me out of trouble in the main, god if you think its qiuiet in bristol you should try falmouth! I am no longer travelling but live in a really lovely squat overlooking the sea, just me and my kids and weve been here nearly 3 years now so cant be bad,seems like not much has changed fundamentally in bristol from what your saying re the begging situation, like i said in a couple of weeks time the beggars will be minted so save your money for your new place eh


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## wiskey (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> Are u ahving a gert nice time me old babby, ( thats my best bristolian)GLad you likin your new region, i'm a hackney girl born and raised but have lived in teh west countrysince i left home( started livin as a dirty hippy traveller) live in cornwall now, which is v quiet andremote but keeps me out of trouble in the main, god if you think its qiuiet in bristol you should try falmouth! I am no longer travelling but live in a really lovely squat overlooking the sea, just me and my kids and weve been here nearly 3 years now so cant be bad,seems like not much has changed fundamentally in bristol from what your saying re the begging situation, like i said in a couple of weeks time the beggars will be minted so save your money for your new place eh



i have never been to falmouth, but i'm a brixtonite by tradition (well i was for 22 years anyhow) so for me bedminster is positively dead. derv on the other hand is from ruralville and finds it quite busy. i have a feeling he'd love falmouth if its quiet.


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

wiskey said:
			
		

> i have never been to falmouth, but i'm a brixtonite by tradition (well i was for 22 years anyhow) so for me bedminster is positively dead. derv on the other hand is from ruralville and finds it quite busy. i have a feeling he'd love falmouth if its quiet.


Its sooo quiet, there is a big art college so there's the usual art studenty hang outs and its quite good for a small town in that respect, there is live music and there are plenty of free parties, but its still quiet if you come from the smoke, its tranquil tho, my kids have a nice life, wlak to school on their own sometimes without me freakin out, they hang out on the beach and stuff in the summer its nice and safe, great for teh kids not always so much fun for mum but cant have it all, and to stay on thread, there are occasionally beggars but not often, we do have the obligatory issue sellars but that franchise has a firm stronghold so be surprised if otherwise. Its is a much better idea to give to shelters, esp at this time of year. Trouble with giving money yourself on a personal basis, its always gonna be the fitter more proactive beggar that can keep up, or make themself heard thahts gonna get teh drop, the really needy, genuinely homeless, vulnerable types really cannot feed themselves or find shelter easily, you just gotta take one look really to tell who lives in a trailer, squat, v who lives rough genuinely, but its hard cos some of the really vulnerable types are difficult to approach, theyre a bit scary sometimes, often have mental health problems and its those thaht are hepled most by te shelters generally.


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## electrogirl (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> By the way is the bookshpo still there, havent been back to central bristol in years?


there are 2 up park street, one is called WesleyOwen, I didn't bloody know it was a christian book shop and i went in there looking for a job, the lady asked me which church i belonged to and i looked at her like she was mental and said i didn't really believe in God. She said that might be a problem. 

I'm sure there is some kind of discrimination case there somewhere.


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## claudy (Nov 16, 2006)

electrogirl said:
			
		

> there are 2 up park street, one is called WesleyOwen, I didn't bloody know it was a christian book shop and i went in there looking for a job, the lady asked me which church i belonged to and i looked at her like she was mental and said i didn't really believe in God. She said that might be a problem.
> 
> I'm sure there is some kind of discrimination case there somewhere.


I wonder if its the mars bar lady?


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## butterfly child (Nov 16, 2006)

claudy said:
			
		

> I said before about my begging days in brizzle, its really not something tat i reckon is big or clever, its just what i did at the time anyway, when i was begging up by teh christian bookshop in park st ( dont know if its still there or not) this woman used to give me a mars bar wrapped around god leaflet with an elastic band securing said parcel, anyway i was amazing rude to this woman( again not proud) every day she would give me one of her parcels and i would go " oh fucking great,what bit shall i eatfirst, that should last me all week "etc ( other such unfunny wittisicms) every day i'd get home get stoned empty my pockets at some point, looking for a lighter whatever, and chuck the damned mars bar parcels in teh bin, one day got home and a mates kid asked if they could have te gak bar, on unwrapping teh parcel *discovered two crisp tenners tucked into the god leaflet!, Cue rapid bin searching whereon i found a couple more with about £60 altogether, felt slightly ill at the thought of how many i'd chucked in the bin*. Wait a minute this does have an ending, on returning to teh spot outside te bookshop, i saw teh woman again of course but now i know shes given mme al this cash, cant bring myself to be horrid to her, she stopped giving me the parcels as i was being nice, suppose she thought she converted me, try as i might could just never genuinely be nasty to her so never got another penny!



So did you feel any shame at treating this woman like shit, whilst all the time she'd probably been slipping those notes into those mars bar wrappers?

Next time someone says "I usually give a beggar food", I'll remember this and keep my money to myself - I'm not going to give food to someone who's probably going to chuck it away.


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