Forum Topic

putney exchange

Putney exchange today, as I was nearing the exit, I was about to leave but decided to stand still as 2 about 12 year old's were playing football inside the Exchange, Security Guard was coming towards them and told them to stop kicking the ball inside the Exchange. They took no notice, they kept on kicking the football, he told them again and they sort of kicked it at him. He opened the door and told them to get out, they went, laughing and smirking.  I said to the Security Guard, years ago we did what we were told, years and years ago. he laughed.

Barbara Stevens ● 30d13 Comments

1492 is a date that was drilled into my memory at school and my parents' and probably my grandparents' memories too - travel and travelling across the world and the many trips that Columbus made culminating with that most memorable one to America.  We live in a much bigger world and the world is full of moving and travelling people.  There's plenty of info on how state school playing fields have been sold off and in the reduction of sports facilities of all kinds.  It's interesting to read how much the private schools have increased their sports facilities though at the same time as public facilities have reduced.  What were once open to all giving lots of space for children to play football (and wherever you are in the world you will find children playing football kicking something around - a tin can being a popular replacement - when they don't have an actual football).  Reduce the facilities and space to let off steam and you increase the frustrations.Too many public spaces have signs saying 'no ball games'. Housing is denser.There are also many fewer public swimming pools across the UK and this makes it much harder for competition swimming to take place.  So many Victorian ones are not being replaced.

Philippa Bond ● 28d

Nice one, Barbara, I burst out laughing when I read your comment. Thankyou!

Jane Carter ● 28d

When I was younger and my son about 4 yrs I was holding his hand walking around Sainsbury's. An older lady very annoyed said your son just poked his tongue out at me, after she walked past, I said to him why did you do that. His reply was she hit me in the face with her basket. So there are two sides to every story.

Barbara Stevens ● 28d

I have seen a young girl kicking a ball in the Exchange and her middle class white mum being ineffective in taking action. She was not bothered at all! I thought the shop window was going to break!There is an authority issue but there is also a wider respect for public & private property that seems absent in UK society generally now.Unfortunately it is not going to get any better and there are always those that will support bad behaviour if it aligns with their political/ideological agenda.We are now in a society where unless you are targeted by the state - there are little or no consequences to actions.

Ed Robinson ● 29d

Hi Ivonne, thank you, I'm afraid Philippa doesn't know when to stop.

Barbara Stevens ● 29d

Philippa,I read your post three times because I really cannot work out what you are trying to tell Barbara.Firstly: "I really don't know where you can have been all your life but it surely can't be Putneybecause you really should have found out by now that you cannot tell whether someone is British or not or local or not by the colour of their skin. This is 2025 and we should all know Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. ...."  Would you care to explain what you mean by this, please? What does Columbus' trip to discover a new route to the Indies have any bearings????I have not read your links but am surpirsed at the sale of playing fiels (could you kindly tell me which?) and how private schools benefitted.... Really?I have not heard about most public swimming pools have closed.  But, apart from all this, what Barbara was talking about was about two young boys, perhaps 12 year olds, playing with a ball in Putney Exchange.  It all means that there were two young boys trying to have fun and see how far they would get away with it.  Your post is, quite honestly, confusing!

Ivonne Holliday ● 29d

Your be telling us next you wrote the Bible.

Barbara Stevens ● 29d

Barbara  I really don't know where you can have been all your life but it surely can't be Putney because you really should have found out by now that you cannot tell whether someone is British or not or local or not by the colour of their skin. This is 2025 and we should all know Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.  Giving info when reporting a crime to the police is a completely different affair to posting on the world wide web.  I well remember you reminiscing about where you used to play as a child.  Many of all the places that were there once and free to play football in or run about in are no longer available because some people did not want to pay for their upkeep and they now have to be rented and organised or are too far or too dangerous for youngsters to play in. Or they have been built on.  Children need playgrounds and playing fields to let off steam in.https://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-08-17/how-previous-governments-compare-on-selling-off-playing-fields/That was 2012:  But as the state schools lost their playing fields the private schools it seems gained more and more.And as for swimming pools - so many children are now having to learn in private pools because there aren't enough public ones to cater for all the people who want to learn and stay and keep fit by swimming.  And this is 2024:  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/17/playing-fields-sold-swimming-pools-closed-state-school-children-sporting-chanceYou're lucky to still have a leisure centre in Putney.The greater the divisions created between the haves and have-nots the bigger the problems that are created.

Philippa Bond ● 29d

Well perhaps PHILIPPA, they are turning out to be more disrespectful and our local children know how to behave. But then your not Putney and I suppose EALING is different to Putney. So I suggest you leave your opinions to EALING, CHISWICK, BRENTFORD, ETC ETC. For God sake do not ever give information to the Police on what somebody looks like because they will never f----ing find them. Just say they had a sack over their head, ask somebody else.

Barbara Stevens ● 29d

Hello Barbara,Yes, breaking the glass to the shops was a great possibility but one they perhaps the boys did not contemplate or consider?By the sounds of it, they were openly defying anybody who told them to stop playing with the ball inside the Exchange. It was a very silly challenge but they wanted to see how far they could go and thought it was fun....It seems that teenage years are coming earlier! 

Ivonne Holliday ● 29d

What on earth has skin colour got to do with anything at all?

Philippa Bond ● 29d

Ivonne, there was also the possibility of them breaking the glass to the shops each side of them, they didn't take any notice of the Security Guard, even though he was the same colour as them, they ignored him for a while. They kept on playing ball, even with people coming into the exchange trying to get past them.

Barbara Stevens ● 29d

Hello Barbara,I suppose boys will be boys and will be mischievous whenever they can....  I hope they were not rude to the Security Guard.  I suppose these days, rightly or wrongly, the "do as you are told" depends on the ferocious character of the person telling it to them.

Ivonne Holliday ● 30d