Precedent Studies & Other Influential Works

Interview 1 - Peter Montgomery

Peter Montgomery

I first met Peter when walking around the Market area in search of people to interview, this is when we stopped him as he was walking his daughter home from school. At first he was slightly defensive and suspicious of what our intentions were with him, but as we explained our research, he began to open up. This was a man that was very willing to give his time to help his community and discuss what the community needs and what its issues are. Peter is an ex-convict who served time in prison for 14 years for political reasons. He explained that he used to work for the MDA (Market Development Association) for 20 years, but is now a carer for his nephew who is in a wheelchair. He is a father whose child has learning difficulties, but finds that there is not a lot of support for her. Peter himself could not read or write until he was 21 years old and learned how to do so during his time in prison.

Peter kindly agreed to do a second interview, in which we met in a coffee shop to discuss the issues further. As we started interview, Peter discussed his daily routine of looking after his nephew and daughters, whilst also seeking to run community projects that bring awareness for mental health. Peter mentioned that there was previously mental health groups in the community centre, but they have since been cancelled. One of the recurring issues he brought up in his interview was mental health issues. He discussed how the community has lost a number of people due to suicide, including a few relatives to Peter, and that there is an increasing problem with drug addiction with drugs such as cocaine and heroin. He feels that more should be done within the community to give people with these issues, among other issues the help and support that they so desperately need.

The following pieces of work are depictions of what was described in the interview.