Nadia Fernandez is 78 years old. She has lived in the small town of Carreford her entire life. We sat down with her to hear about the changes she has seen — and what she thinks about them.
"Work used to define this town," she begins. "There used to be a large coal mine on the edge of town. Almost every man used to work there, and the whole community was built around it. Children used to grow up expecting to work in the mine, just like their fathers did. When the mine closed in 1989, it changed everything."
"The high street used to be full of life. There used to be an independent butcher, a baker, and a hardware store all within fifty metres of each other. Families used to know all the shopkeepers personally — they'd ask about your children, your parents. Now it's mostly chain stores and empty buildings, which is sad."
"In summer, children used to swim in the river at the bottom of the hill. People used to fish there on weekends — it was a social thing. The river used to be clean. That changed with the industrial expansion in the 1970s and 80s, and swimming was banned because of pollution. There has been a clean-up project recently, which is encouraging."
"The community used to feel very close. People used to leave their front doors unlocked — nobody worried. Neighbours used to help each other with shopping, childcare, repairs. There didn't use to be so much traffic either. The roads used to be quiet."
But Nadia is quick to point out that not everything was better then. "We have much better hospitals now, and there are real opportunities for young people — university, careers in other cities. The past had many beautiful things. But so does today."