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My name’s Sidney, I’m 19. I live in Tower Hamlets. I used to live in Bethnal Green when
I was younger but we moved to Wapping when I was 5. I do enjoy living in Wapping, Wapping’s
a lovely place. There are obviously some areas I’m not too sure of- like everywhere you
live really but I love living in Tower Hamlets. There is a lot of history I suppose in East
London where we live. I love walking down the Thames.. stuff like that. I’m not really
a big traveller I just go mainly around Wapping. Mainly if I was to say anywhere probably round
where my family are around Bethnal Green stuff like that, along the Thames that’s about
it really. I started coming here two years ago volunteering
helping kids, teaching different people how to sail. I suppose that’s what I enjoy most
about it I’m not stuck in an office. I’m not on the street. I’ll come here and there’s
lovely people. There’s loads of kids that are benefiting from my experience and my knowledge
and I suppose that’s what I enjoy most about it. When I was younger I had a really really
bad confidence problem and this sort of helped me overcome that a lot to be honest- talking
to different people all day. Talking to groups of people, groups of kids teaching people
it sort of helped me overcome my confidence problems and now I’ve benefited a lot just
from being a Sailing Instructor. I started volunteering obviously then they
got me to do my Instructors. Since I done my Instructors I work here whenever they need
help. I’ve been here near enough every day for the last month. I feel in myself that
I’ve grown from just being here for two years it’s like I’ve reached that level
now. I’m very proud to be part of the Centre. Once the Olympics are finished that that’s
where the real improvements are going to come from. That’s when all the stadiums, all
the equipment, all the facilities can be used from then. And also from a sailing point of
view because they are trying to get as many sports up and put as much funding into different
sports as possible which will help loads of people get better and better at certain sports.
I think it’s going to be good for the area- really good for the area. Good for kids. Good
for sport. Regenerate the area- stuff like that. The only thing I’m worried about is
that there is going to be quite a big influx of people. Which I suppose brings in the money
but I like the way things are changing for the good. Things are starting to be cleared
up. Things are starting to be improved. So in that sense it’s amazing. But in one sense
when it comes there is going to be such an influx of people that it’s going to be hard
for a lot of people to cope. Because I live in Tower Hamlets I thought
they would give you like some money of the tickets. But they haven’t. I wanted to go
to a few events. I don’t know which events I’d go to. Obviously sailing I’d like
to go to sailing and I’d like to go to diving- swimming and diving. I love football. I love
swimming. I love sailing. I love everything to do with water really.
There are loads of people who have influenced me in different ways. My Mum and Dad have
probably been the biggest people because my Mum’s always pushed me to do it. She’s
the one who actually came here and said ‘well you working here’. I’d always planned
to do it but she was the one that got me into it. So my Mum and Dad have always been there
if I needed a bit of a push.
The people at the sailing centres- there’s a lot of people here- because I really enjoy
their company. They’re the ones that make me want to go further. Once the Olympics goes,
once the money and the people who are being pushed into it…I think it’s going to be
quiet a big change. I want more kids to watch the Olympics and think ‘oh I’d love to
do that’ and then get into it so there are less kids just doing nothing basically. So
I suppose that’s what I want- a lot of people enjoying sport and especially enjoying sport
together. It helps to meet other people and basocally flourish.