Coming home from work, two very small children were playing on the main road, in Salford’s Lower Broughton, throwing a doll into the path of cars and then darting to retrieve it.  It was scary – the biggest child wasn’t more than four or five.  I decided that they were playing a dangerous game and pulled in to find them and make their parents aware. 

It took me ages to weave back and got lost in the blocked-off side streets.  I parked up and went to meander around on foot.   I was really shocked at how blocking off the streets to stop rat-runs has separated the larger more affluent homes from the terraced homes below, too.  There was an area that I assume had once held garages, now full of broken glass and a small park with dumped rubbish and children playing in a skip.  I couldn’t see the little girls and hoped they had been found already.  My Dad grew up in these streets, I remember it from my childhood when I visited my Gran and it wasn’t so neglected and run down.  I hope that regeneration of the area improves it!