Yet another begger
 

So there I was stood outside one of the few pubs thats still open in accy and sells beer to the common man at a price he can afford.

I was smoking a ciggy, (I don't know if anyone else has noticed but all the pubs I visit have removed the ash trays, so rather than make a mess of their carpets I go outside to smoke).

It was Blackburn road in front of me and as usual all the traffic was grid-locked, (God bless the man that changed the roads from throughfares to congestion 'cos I can't).

Anyway back to the tale, I'm stood outside freezing because the wind knows where it wants to go, when a young lass, (these days most women are younger than me), floated towards me her pupils wider than the grand canyon and in a pitiful voice asked if I could help her.

Alarm bells are ringing and I cautiously ask how?

She tells me she needs desperatley to get to Blackburn, can I help to get her there?

Well, my answer was an immedieate Yes, turn around because at the moment your heading towards Accrington town centre and Blackburn is in the opposite direction!
Do you know I have heard every one of the words she used to tell me what she thought of me but, never, all grouped together in such a fashion!

I let her continue into Accrington, after all, I didn't need to go to Blackburn.

Re: Yet another begger
 

Good on you Less they are everywhere at the moment

Re: Yet another begger
 

I think you have a heart of gold Less :D

Re: Yet another begger
 

has anyone here been genuinly stranded and needed help?

Re: Yet another begger
 

Yes! but i never begged, taken or borrowed nor even stole being in bad situ's before & tended to eventually find my own way by own needs like walk.........done the 5-6 mile walk to Blackburn & back with not a penny to my name & been stranded in kent with nowt to me name being vunerable & walked miles back to relations home that i had only been in for one day, because i had to manage & least kept my dignity ...so agree with Less on that one.

Re: Yet another begger
 

i had to take my son to hospital once and i didnt have enough money to get us home.... i used the hospital phone to ring family but nobody was answering... what was i supposed to do?

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Of course plenty have, but don't give sympathy where it isn't deserved, she chose the path she's staggering down just as I chose to smoke, strangely the government and the NHS have more sympathy for the druggie than the person smoking a legal cigarette!

She was out of her tree, gone, finished, absolutely Pie eyed, her choice, I didn't put her on drugs therefore why should I, subsidise her habit? She wouldn't have made it to Blackburn and if she had what would have been waiting for her?

I do get annoyed with, the "ah, but, crowd, Put yourself in their shoes you cry what if it was you? Well it's not me and I don't ask strangers for hand out's so let her struggle!"
:mad:

Re: Yet another begger
 

Walk....seriously been there too not that i live close to the hospital either, might sound completely heartless but maybe cos many of time i've had to manage with what i had on my own, never would i ask a stranger for money [that in itself can be dangerous for vunerable people, young or women].

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at 2 oclock in the morning with a poorly child??

Re: Yet another begger
 

What has that got to do with the price of fried fish? Give me your address your bank card number, a spare key to your house and your pin number, I won't use them but I'll pass them on to the next low life that asks me for money, betcha they can get a taxi to your place sooner than I could ring you up to warn you.

Re: Yet another begger
 

i know that people take the mik and they are trying to con you out of your money for drugs and drink... the point that i was trying to make is that sometimes it is genuine!

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I can understand the point of suggesting we might all be in the same boat at some point in our lives, but on this occasion we have to take Less's judgement that the girl in question was not altogether with it. If anyone is an expert in people standing outside pubs on Blackburn Rd looking totally out of it then Less would recognise it :D:D:D:D:D

Re: Yet another begger
 

Sounds like the same girl I've met several times,in fact she's one of the reasons i don't walk down B'burn Rd,well that and I'M LAZY.She's been using that script for years

Re: Yet another begger
 

Worse time to borrow money of a stranger & the most vunerable, something i have learnt over the years in such adversity there is help available but without resorting to asking for money from a stranger in the street especially at that time of the morning with what kind of people are about at that time, like waiting in the waiting room till u could contact family or enquiring your options to staff about getting home safely. Always keep a small emergency fund safe & handy in times like this helps.

Re: Yet another begger
 

Yes on a very rare occasion not quite as often as a blue moon but almost with the same intervals, someone, genuine asks you to trust them, but they are people that can throw words together and make an articulate sentence without being close to falling over.
There are people who are unlucky but there are far more people out there looking for someone like you, today she didn't find that person on Blackburn road but I bet everybody on the way to Accy town centre was sobbed at in the same way until she found a mug, (erm were you on B'burn Rd today and is your wallet a little lighter?).

Re: Yet another begger
 

I almost felt tempted to give you positive karma for making me laugh, but I don't give that easily!
:p

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i would think that the average person would know a genuine case as apposed to the little sh***** begging for more dope or stuuf she cant handle credit were credit is due good on ya less :eek:

Re: Yet another begger
 

yep in Manchester one morning many years ago, didn,t have the price of a cuppa,never mind bus fare, i hitched all the way to accy without getting a lift,:( was well knackered, never crossed my mind to "Tap" anyone.

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I am sure the hospital would have been able to help if you had explained the situation to them. I don't think they would have just told you to leave with a poorly baby.

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i did ask and they said they dont give taxi vouchers any more but i could use the phone until i found someone.

Re: Yet another begger
 

I'm sure most people, especially people with small children DO try and keep a contingency fund for the unexpected occasion, however, when rushing a small child to A&E, I dont tend to stop at my front door, doing my normal mental check list of what i need to take (memory is not what it used to be). When my son got rushed in with breathing difficulties, I didnt stop everything to grab my purse, i panicked and forgot my money! I didnt ask or 'beg' anything off anyone, I stayed in hospital overnight with him, with no food, drink etc. However, if someone had approached me in the same situation, I would have gladly tried to help them.

I think from the moment you have a child, you have to be willing for all dignity to go out of the window, from the moment of birth. If that means having to ask someone for help when you are at your most desperate, then that is something you have to do. You may not want to, or may hate yourself for doing it, but if there is a child involved, then I think its a case of needs must.

I would much prefer to swallow my pride to get my child out of the cold, and ask someone for help, rather than walk the streets with him.

I kow that this is a different scenario to the one Less has described, wasnt sure if it was a joke at first especially the no ashtray thing, and maybe I am a mug or gullible, but I have to say that I would have probably given the quid or whatever the bus fare would be to help the girl. No one but her knows the situation behind it, but then again maybe I am a soft touch lol

Re: Yet another begger
 

fair enough, give us a tenner.:D

Re: Yet another begger
 

i meant to add, i am a soft touch 'AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH'. This probably explains why I am permamently skint by the middle lmao

Re: Yet another begger
 

i used to keep £15 in emergency money.. this was stolen from me just before my son was taken into hospital..... getting my son home and keeping him safe was more important than anything else at the time..

Re: Yet another begger
 

exactly. If it is a choice between having 10 people look down on me, but one person helping me and my son, then so be it.

Everyone always says that they would die for their children, so whats a bit of humiliation?

Re: Yet another begger
 

That girl would have been laughing her socks off if she met a few like you onlyme. Why on earth should you subsidise other people???

Re: Yet another begger
 

because out of the many i help, if just one has a genuine reason for needing help, then thats worth the few that may be taking me for a ride

Re: Yet another begger
 

Entirely your decision but just think what you might be helping them buy!!

Re: Yet another begger
 

I appreciate where you are coming from on that one, but i think its quite a cynical soceity we live in anyway, and I wont have people that obviously misuse their money spoil it for someone that genuinely deserves help.

In the situation Less is talking about, I would propbably, for example, give a quid which is enough for bus fare to Blackburn. This pretty much equates to half a lager or 4 fags, neither of which I would really miss. If that quid can makes someone elses life a little easier, then I would prefer to spend it on that.

Re: Yet another begger
 

I think that I like your attitude better than the others ... altho' I understand where they are coming from. I usually give to panners. Who misses the odd loonie or toonie? There but for the grace of god etc.

By the way, you are paying way too much for cigarettes :D

Re: Yet another begger
 

Thank You Eric. I do understand where everyone is coming from, and i could be funding a drug problem or alcohol abuse, but i'd prefer to risk that chance rather than having someone struggle.

And I've just been checking my maths lol. 20 cigarettes for 5 quid, is 4 fags per quid. Way too much, but my only vice.

Well the only one i'll let on to ;) lol

Re: Yet another begger
 

:confused:..... whats a panner and a loonie and a toonie??....:confused:

Re: Yet another begger
 

Oops, sometimes I forget the language barrier:o A panner is a panhandler or beggar. A loonie is a one dollar coin, and a toonie a two dollar coin. The loonie is so called because on the back of the coin is a loon. And the toonie? God knows how it got its name. It has the Queen's head on the front and a polar bear on the back .... it's known as the Queen with a bare behind:D

Re: Yet another begger
 

Re: Yet another begger
 

Less wasn't bumped, he was tapped up

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is it just me that doesnt have a clue what jae is on about?

Re: Yet another begger
 

nope... me too. lol

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lmao emamum, we seem to have more and more in common lmao

Re: Yet another begger
 

Think possibly Jae misunderstands the bumping rule, (or maybe me :().. think against the rules just to bump up a thread and nothing else to add, but Jae is tryin' to say that Less has bumped up a topic recently discussed. Don't think falls within this rule, although perhaps Less could have added it to his other thread ?

Sure Mick or Len will be here shortly to offer the correct interpretation .. :D

I wouldn't give money, 'cept would definitely have helped Emamum out in those circumstances, but must admit to handing a fag over many times when asked .. too much trouble to refuse, and understand the desperation so to speak .. even give 'em a light.

Re: Yet another begger
 

Think you've got it right there Kate, I've lost count of the fags I've lent to complete strangers. Would never have seen a mum and child stuck but won't just hand money out willy nilly!!

Re: Yet another begger
 

I once offered to buy a brew for a beggar in Manchester. He had asked me for money for a brew....... I was told to ****off. :rolleyes:

Re: Yet another begger
 

same here same place.

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lol..... I wonder if it was the same fella. I have to admit to being cynical about people who try to scrounge money, especially when they are obviously drunk or spaced out...

Re: Yet another begger
 

When I was mooching around Manchester centre the other week, I saw a filthy old tramp sat in a bus shelter holding out a coffee cup. Felt sorry for him and chucked a quid coin in only to hear a loud "plop" as it descended into a half-full cup of coffee. If looks could kill! Should really have bought him a replacement but I was too embarrassed...just muttered "sorry" and melted into the crowd! :o

Re: Yet another begger
 

Bet that was so funny, at least your intentions were good ones:p

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If this girl was as high as Less estimated, then surely she could have floated to Blackburn, always supposing the wind was in the right direction.

I have walked...or I should say, set off walking to blackburn on many Sunday mornings for an early shift...because there were no buses at that time on a Sunday morning......and very good people have stopped and offered me a lift......so i think that maybe her state of inebriation...or whatever you want to call it didn't help her case.....and neither would a stream of profanities.
I would defininitely help a mother and young child.... other than that I don't give money to beggars...but will give food and a hot drink (which I will purchase)....if they do not want this kind of charity from me then they can twist on it.

Re: Yet another begger
 

Less
Do you know I have heard every one of the words she used to tell me what she thought of me but, never, all grouped together in such a fashion!....



HAHAHA well the ability to do this would have warrented her bus fair at least..
you may not be priviledged to hear such words all grouped together again lol!!!

Re: Yet another begger
 

Re: Yet another begger
 

Thank god for a little creativity in this boring world:D