The story so far

I PACKED THIS MYSELF is a project working with migrant workers and local communities in Cornwall, which started in 2006. The aim: to break down prejudice and increase understanding



Monday 25 January 2010

A day on the road - exhibition, Bodmin and an English class for Lithuanian farmworkers


A long day. Starting at Chenderit School, Banbury, where I Packed This Myself is being visited by a local primary school.














Discuss the next shoot with photographer Tom Pilston (seen striding through the class, below). His photographs are on the far wall.














Then on the road to Cornwall, where have a meeting this evening.

Stop on the way at a roadside stall just off the M5 exit to Weston Super Mare. The owner says that he drives there every day from Bath (about an hour's journey.) His 'locals' keep him going, he says. I'm surprised. I thought all his trade would be travellers and people on the road (like me).














Stop off in Bodmin at the Portuguese shop to see if I come across any old friends from earlier stages of the project. It is closed on Mondays, apparently. But there is an interesting poster in the window, advertising English classes.


















Then on, down to Leedstown, in west Cornwall. Leedstown is where I went to Primary School. It is now home to a community of more than 100 Lithuanian workers, mostly housed in caravans and working for SEF (Southern England Farms).














The packing house is opposite the cricket field. The cauliflower rigs look ghostly in the dark.


















An interesting sign on the noticeboard on the way into the canteen, where the classes are being held.