THE HULME TUNE

I found that there is new help from Student Finance Direct for those on benefits, but in some cases it is confusing. The “Maintenance Grant” is not what it seems. On one hand it helps some and on the other the Government takes it back. One of their books say that it will come off your benefit and can count as income for certain benefits like Housing & Council Tax Benefit. This grant was recently introduced, but is it a case of the Government playing Sheriff of Nottingham again?

I am pleased that there is such a grant to help the under-privileged in Hulme. I am disgusted that it will effect certain income based benefits. Why? Surely this Government could give better help for train fares, computers, software, clothes, books, materials, sustenance, etc. towards university expenses? The booklet by SFD says that it will work out to be a touch more than they get on benefit.

Student finance which Jobcentre Plus and your local authority’s Housing Benefit section counts as part of your income:

• Maintenance Grant
• Adult Dependant’s Grant

“In most cases, student finance replaces benefits..”

“Many students who are eligible for income-related benefits will find their income from student finance is higher than the amount of benefit they would normally receive. This may result in the student receiving reduced benefits or none at all.”

It’s like throwing 2p in a beggars cup outside McDonalds and saying, “Now buy yourself a Happy Meal and a hot drink!”

What do I mean?

“.. the fixed amounts not counted as income were (in 2007/8) £370 towards the cost of book and equipment and £290 for travel costs.”

‘Well, at least it’s something.’ you may say.  Let’s add up the real cost of going to a university outside Manchester.

In any university life there is the “dissertation”, which requires a laptop so the student can work from home. There are university libraries, but I cannot use a Liverpool University library card at Manchester Metropolitan University library. To use my own university library I have to go back to my university.  Which means more costs in travelling and more money. A decent laptop can cost around £600, then you need software as well.

Next is £290 for travel. At university for 2 days a week at a cost of £9.50 per day plus bus fare to and from the station that is  £23 p/w at present costs using Arriva Buses & North Western Trains. For 10 weeks at university, plus any extra days that the course demands then that £290 is swallowed up quickly.

Oh, by the way. They give you an extra £10 per week not to be taken into account. Any Maintenance Loan will not be taken into account. There are grants and there are loans.

I have met overseas students who have told me how their country or company is supporting them by paying for their flights, accommodation, maintenance support and paying their course fees in full to have university education here in the UK. Getting our education, when this Government is not investing in it’s own people. This shows that other countries are more interested the future of their people and their country’s economical growth more than the UK’s Government. Britain, shamed to say, wants to keep the poor poorer and put them into deep debt. Is this “Britishness”?

I am confused to know if Incap is income based and wondering if I would be penalised by wanting to improve my chances of work in 2012. A year after the proposed opening of MediaCity UK at Salford in 2011.

One person I know on Incapacity Benefit tried getting on a City & Guilds course at WFA Media on Lucy St. She went to inquire and found that she would be CHARGED for the course, where others are getting it for free being on certain benefits. Plus, if she was from an ethnic group it would be free also.

The “Maintenance Grant” should be given unconditionally to all on benefits who want to improve their prospect of a career by seeking higher education and should not be classed as extra income.

I hope that the “Maintenance Grant” won’t effect the money I already get, so that it will give me a better chance of getting a degree. I can focus on the course concentration and not have my head full of money worries like: “How can afford to remain on the course? I’ve been doing so well and my tutors are very pleased with my progress. Now the money has run out and I’ve got a few months left”. If that does happen to the unfortunate students it is not the end of the course, they can apply to their university’s “Access to Learning Fund” which can give them the extra help they need.  I know it feels like begging, but it is there to help and not to put the student down. In this day when people want to be more independent and feel awkward in asking for any support, it is to make sure that you can continue to study or until you find your feet.

The ‘Student Loan’ is bad enough. The grant looks great if it really is extra support that people need. The way forward is higher education, training and working with disability advisers to be able to offer something to employers willing to take us on in this fast technological age.

Thankfully, there are bursaries from the universities themselves at £310 per year and maybe scholarships. It’s a maze you have to go round and this takes up valuable time, especially when students should be studying.

I hope this blog will help those who may have considered higher education, but was put off by serious debt worries and hardship through university life.

What if all this money replaced benefits and all the student was left with was a little extra than normal? Then would this come under the rules of the grant and not the DWP? Technically, as I understand it, you basically sign off to go to university. This could mean that you can now take a p/t student job, low payed as they are, and have some extra money for term-time. Not a lot, but something to spend on new clothes or music or dancing at the Students Union. Then in Summer you can sign back on, it is allowed. Seeing that they won’t force you to look for work, it will take you through to September again.

In 3 or 4 years time what would you be doing? Sat around the house bored or receiving your degree with a better chance of gaining employment? Go for it!

At one time the Government would throw money to people to help them come off benefits. Now we are treated with contempt.

Some how I think these blogs are going to be my notes on tomorrows radio show on ALL FM.

The great university challenge, for me that is. Are there opportunities for people like me to go and take a degree course? What put me off in the past was the time it would take, the expense, the massive debt and the lack of qualifications. How do I do it?

Was the Government going to help or would I struggle financially and have to give up the course?

I found out that I could get a grant to cover costs like books, travel and other expenses without it touching my entitlement to benefits. I was very surprised and humbled. The best thing is.. I don’t have to pay it back, not a sausage.  My train fare, materials and sustenance is covered and no loan shark in sight. It’s not a great lot of money. It couldn’t cover a night out at the student union, but at least it’s something that helps. The Government only gives me enough to live on and with the rising costs of food & utilities, it would have be a massive obstacle not having that extra financial help. I wish it was enough for a laptop, as well, with some fancy gadgets like memory sticks, external drives and a decent digital camera.

The sad thing is, I would still have to pay back the loan for the course fees and there are conditions to paying it back. Doesn’t mention Lottery wins though. They start to take back a percentage like 9%pa for over £15,000 earned (£15 p/m). The Government does add interest at the rate of inflation only and will write the loan off if you become dead. They’ll write it off if you cannot work as a result of a disability or after 25 years of getting a low income.

There are individual circumstances, which are not covered in this blog. Full detail are in the booklet “A Guide To Financial Support For Higher Education Students” or visit the link Student Finance.

It is very important to choose the right course at the right university.

So, I’m pretty excited that there is help for those who want to go into higher education. Student Finance have an office in Manchester at Overseas House on Quay Street. You can grab all the info you want from the website and apply via their Manchester office.

It’s well worth investigating, as it could mean a chance of a lifetime to gain that important degree and aim for a better future for yourself. I would encourage anyone from Manchester to try to better themselves. This would make Manchester a better choice for industry, like the MediaCityUK project at Salford Quays. Do we really want the BBC to import talent and workers from London and the rest of the UK?

Instead of watching me on TV, you could be the one on camera or employing me.

Do you want to hear some African drumming? For once, I actually liked this.

 African Drumming.mp4

Erinma Bell MBE from Peace FM and Angela Lawrence of Mothers Against Violence were just 2 of the many guests & artistst.

I talked to Angela and she was telling me how wonderful people have been since the Secret Millionaire was aired that week. Later I met some people promoting the Afrika Afrika show. They gave tickets as prizes to some of the young people involved in last weekend’s carnival parade.

When the Afro-Brazilian capoeira demonstration was on, I noticed the mix of races and how they were integrated in this music art form. Next, Vicky Sinclaire from Generate Generations gave me the mic and I was asked to introduce Erinma onto the stage out-of-the-blue. I’ve met Erinma once before at Zion Arts and I couldn’t think of any organisations she was involved in - so I introduced her as from Peace FM.

I’ve only got a camera phone so certain images don’t come out right. With a few glasses of wine and delicious chocolate cake, I enjoyed my evening at the Zion.

Your Hulme Community Reporter, Paul Ridyard, has been accepted on a course at the University of Central Lancashire. I’m going to do a BA (Hons) Journalism – Foundation Year Entry based at BBC Radio Lancashire in Blackburn. The course starts in September when I enrol at the main university building in Preston.

It’s a great opportunity for me to gain a qualification that would lead to doing a full-time 3 yr degree course. Will it be easy when I have a disability and claiming Incapacity Benefit, I wonder? After all, the Government would like to see us in employment. Are there opportunities for training and higher education, to give us a better chance of a career, or is the Government more concerned about unemployment figures? I am going to find out.

This Saturday I received the news that I was waiting for, that UCLan had accepted me on the course and had reserved me a place unconditionally. This was great news. Also, I got an email inviting me up to Preston for one of the university’s open days. This would mean forking out £8.70 for the train fare, but I was to find out later that this was an investment.

I got to the Open Day Registration Point in Foster Building (see pic above) and gave my name, received a bag, info I already had and a £1 drinks voucher (bargain). Cheapest coffee was £1, so it was a free drink on them.

While I was there I decided to hand in my acceptance slip to say “Yes” to the course and post my application form for my UCLan Student ID (they have a weird name for it, “Corporate ID”), but getting my passport photo proved to be a bit of a struggle. First of all I had to hunt for a photo booth. I tried the uni library and then the Students Union, eventually I found it. “FOUR POUND FOR 4 PHOTOS!” I shouted inside, in case someone heard me and threw me out – I only needed one. This was another unplanned expense. How much is it going to cost me before I even start studies?

OK, so £4.00 is not a lot. But, then add it to the £8.70 and you see it mounts up. £12.70 is still not a lot, you may think, but deduct that off my weekly benefit money and then you begin to realise that this venture to further my career opportunities is an even bigger sacrifice.

I went back to Foster Building and asked for change, seeing I only had £3.60 in change. The shop didn’t have any and neither did the restaurant. I was told that there was a newsagent close to the SU. So, sweating my shirt wet, I went back to the SU to look for the shop and get some change after buying a drink.

Finally, when I got my pics, I headed back to Registration with a sense of victory.. I did what I came to do. This meant missing the “Hello and welcome to UCLan” sleep-talk in the lecture hall further inside. Which didn’t really bother me at this point.

Foster Building was too warm, I was hot and my asthma was making me feel very uncomfortable. There was no air-conditioning and the doors that were automatic kept shutting. So, I went outside to cool off.

When I wandered back in, the receptionist was very nice and kind. She gave me a re-usable internal mail envelope and a pair of scissors with a cheaper branded version of the Pritt Stick. I stuck my pic to the form and put it in. Sigh of relief.

One of the welcoming staff called me over to ask me where I got my photos from. I was puzzled at first, because it was me who was asking 30 minutes before. Then I though it was amusing; but I was pleased to be able to help and pointed them in the right direction.

Time was heading towards 1pm and I deeded to get to the journalism talk in another of the university buildings. The information booklet for the Open Days at UCLan said that there was a shuttle bus that picked people up from the station and went round the campus every 10 minutes. I didn’t see one, but there were a few coaches parked up in the side street adjacent to Foster Building. My spine was hurting me and I didn’t want to walk. I asked one of the drivers for the shuttle, he said he didn’t know. Then he said he’d take me to the place. It was great, as I was the only passenger – a whole coach to myself!

When I arrived at the Greenbank Building, where the journalism course talk was, I was directed to the lifts and the second floor. I sat for 45 minutes in another stifling warm room. No, open windows or air-con. I was hoping that my anti-perspirant deodorant would keep working or I’d stink the class out. I then ate my chicken butties and finished my drink off while the talk started, after inhaling my asthma medication again.

The Course Leader, Shirley Lewis, gave a PowerPoint presentation about the range of different courses in Journalism that we could go on for a degree and the foundation. My plan was to do the foundation course, so I’ll have entry to university, then change to Film & TV to do a degree. Then, when the Journalism course touched upon Radio & TV studios, I realised that maybe I should continue in 2009 doing a journalism degree. This is why it paid for me to go on Sunday; otherwise I would have my sights set wrong. Most of the class was made up of 18yr olds with aging parents and not feeling intimidated or out-of-place, I said to one of the teenagers, “Please remember me next year as you do your degree, I might need your help!”

So, how should I, with a working class background, approach this course? Should I go dreading it and fearing the worse, knowing that, at the end of 1 or 4 years, I’ll be further in debt by 10’s of thousands of pounds?

I simple thought came to me. A few weeks ago I was watching a TV programme explaining how children take in more when learning is made fun for them. ‘That’s the key!’ I thought. My attitude is going to be one of excitement, adventure and it’s going to be fun. Fun learning, fun doing and fun meeting new people.

Today, Monday, I went to the student loan people on Quay Street and gave them my passport to photocopy for their records.

I thought about how much it would cost me to travel by train 2 days a week to do this course and any extra expenses on the way. I am hoping that the Government has made a provision for this through grants. If not, then there are bursaries. I hope that this expense will be covered somehow, as it’s going to be a long cold winter if not. Enough to put most people off higher education. I’ll let you know as soon as I get news.

I did bump into an ex-Manchester Metropolitan University student who works behind a bar on Oxford Rd. I thought it was strange that he had passed his degree, but was working as a bar tender. He told me that he took a film course that was just history and styles and that he couldn’t find work with it. He said that if he had waited until now, he could have gone on a better course.

This is not unusual with some university graduates. Another student, a few years ago, told me that his degree wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. This is shocking, but there are courses out there that could lead to a dead end. I did suggest he could do what his tutor did, those who can’t.. teach!

Finding the right university is equally important.

My bar tender friend said that he couldn’t go on another course to gain the degree that would give him a greater opportunity of finding a career in film. I asked, “Why not?” He told me that the last degree put him in too much debt. So, here is a young man aged about 22 with no job after his degree and in a lot of debt. I did suggest that he could do a postgraduate instead.

Choose carefully the course you want to do. Many parents push their sons & daughters in to courses what they think they should do. This is nothing but controlling. I’ve talked to a few unhappy students in the past and found that the course they were on was not their desired one, but pushy parents put them there. I did advise them to see a student adviser and one changed her course and is now very happy and has worked with needy children in under-developed countries in Europe, like Romania, fulfilling her dream. Fortunately for her, the advice came at the right time during her 1st year.

This student loan scheme was New Labours’ idea of student poverty and needs to be stopped. So that students who end up on the wrong course won’t literally have to pay (back) for their mistake for years to come. How many more students have wasted 3 yrs and got nowhere and have serious debts?

If I give my honest view in these blogs, then hopefully things can be done to improve life for others. Otherwise, some things would get over-looked.

Prayer is going to get me there!

Due to bugs in the reporters website software and slow Internet connections, it is not possible to post more carnival pictures.

Keep watching this website and as soon as this is fixed I’ll post some more!

Paul

Caribbean colour came to Hulme this afternoon. The Caribbean Carnival of Manchester 2008 graced the roads of Hulme, as the rain stayed off, to the delight of local residents, who viewed the parade from both sides and their balconies.

The Lord Mayor of Manchester, councillor Mavis Smitheman, started more than 20 troupes of costumed dancers and carnival queens, who danced and shook their booty to six steel bands and calypso music from the floats.

The carnival left Alexandra Park in Moss Side at around 1.00pm today, coming through Hulme around 2.10pm and then returned to the park via Aquarius Estate.

This gave our young people from Zion Arts Centre a chance to show off their costumes and their style of dancing.

The theme of this year’s carnival is ‘One World, One Carnival’.

The organisers of the carnival are also one of the winners of this years Nationwide Community and Heritage Awards run by the Nationwide Building Society in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Winston Lemington - Hulme & Moss Side Filmmaker
captures mother and baby enjoying the costumes and music.

Every one of these pictures you can download and keep if you are featured in them, but only for private use or social networking sites. Any other use is subject to copyright law.

For more info visit

www.caribbeancarnivalofmanchester.com

Was it the hottest new range, the sizzling styles or did someone burn the toast? Whatever it was, shoppers on Market Street today were treated to a bit of eye candy. Young muscular firemen, in full uniform, rushed into the USC store - much to the ladies delight. I think some of them had to be put out to cool down.

Looks like one woman has spotted something to fan her flames of passion.  But, before anyone can say “exclusive”, it looked like it was a false alarm. One shopper did manage to take a picture of 2 of the crew before they headed back to base.

As I was looking to make ends meet, I decided to pop into Tesco Metro, on Market Street, and look for some of them offers that saves me benefit money from running out. When I got to the drinks range, I noticed an offer that I just had to refuse. That Tesco was offering a bottle of Sparkling Vimpto 95p for 1 or 2 for £2.00.

In this day of credit crunching tighter budgets and supermarket price wars, do they really want to charge me more for buying extra? I think it was a mistake in the pricing of the product at the store, rather than Tesco wanting more profit. I pointed this out to the supervisor, who went as bright red as her Tesco fleece and then disappeared with the label to the stock room apologising. Maybe I should have told her that I was not from Trading Standards…sshh!

Satisfied that I helped both shopper and Tesco Metro, I treated myself to four bottles of Sparkling Vimpto Light.. no, not really, not at that price offer!