| Description | An interview with Paul HOPKINS, a single man with no children, who is a Business centre manager, born in Sunderland and now living in Birmingham. Paul HOPKINS’s father was a (Foster father) Motor spares sales, born in England and his mother a Foster parent born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
'MS2255/2/068 HOPKINS, Paul Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
My name is Paul Hopkins. I was born in Sunderland on December 12th 1967. Moved to Coventry very soon after my birth….I was taken into care when I was about 5 years old…(parents were abusive) One of the permanent scars is that my sight loss is due to that…so I’m visually impaired aswell.
1.11 Nursery school in Leamington Spa noticed that Paul was being abused and informed social services.
1.55 Went to Lickey Grange School for blind and partially –sighted children from 5 until 16. Remembers feeling distressed at first.
2.54 Visited prospective foster parents in Hall Green in Birmingham. Fostered when 7 years old. Large family.
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Describes foster parents. Mother interested in football and speedway racing. Family holidays were memorable.
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Family moved to Upper Marlbrook near the school in the Lickey hills.
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Nervous about whether he would be accepted into the family, but experienced no difficulties. Later changed name to Hopkins, but not formally adopted.
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Contrasts natural parents with foster parents in terms of background and treatment of him.
4.19 I guess I am critical, to some extent, of social services because at the time it didn’t seem as if they intervened enough, and they talked about battered child syndrome and the rest…no-one really seemed to want to put themselves on the line and say this was definitely happening…..
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Story about natural father taking Paul away in the car.
1.08 Last saw natural parents when about 8 years old.
1.56 Can’t remember having professional help to come to terms with trauma. Has strong Christian faith.
3.10 Describes school days. School very secure. Good social life.
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Continues to describe school. Started to play drums when 10. Then graduated to keyboards.
1.37 I got taken to the principal's office once because the teacher I was with at the time, I knew she was totally blind, and this is just to let people know that, whether you’re visually impaired or not, you still play each other up sometimes…..Story about incident in class.
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Felt that he wouldn’t get on as well in a mainstream school.
2.55 Reflects on having more disabled children in mainstream schools.
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Careers officer advised Paul to become a piano tuner. Those were the days when you’d be told what to do rather than have a choice.
1.15 Left school to join Royal National College, which is in Hereford. Residential college. Stayed for 3 years.
2.45 Describes first days at college.
4.36 About a year into my course, I was given the opportunity to go down to Surrey to do my work placement….
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Story about making his own way to coach station.
2.02 In Surrey in 1986 when 19 years old.
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I left college in 1988 and I’d managed to get a job in London….Feeling daunted about moving to the city.
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In 1990 made the decision to return to Birmingham to parent's home.
55” I was out of work as well and that was quite hard….six months out of work, which to be honest isn’t that bad for someone like myself….people would expect someone with a disability to be out of work for longer.
2.22 Started working in Birmingham at a place called Ladbrooke Pianos in 1990. People were encouraging about his ability.
4.22 I remember having a run in with the polisher…. Story about disagreement at work.
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My interest in music started when I played in the school band….
1.20 When I started college that gave way to the need to play the piano….
2.03 Towards the end of college, my younger brother’s boss was going to a church….and he used to keep on to me about coming…. Story about visiting the church in Selly Oak in 1991 called Christian Life Centre (a Pentecostal church). Church needed a keyboard player.
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Rush to learn songs for the church. Has continued to belong to the church to this day.
1.48 Family reaction to churchgoing.
2.43 Obviously as my faith increased, my belief in God…..from my parent's point of view I think they thought I wouldn’t be there for long….
Family debates surrounding faith.
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After working for Ladbrookes….in 1994….company had financial problems.
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Storyabout threat of redundancy.
1.08 Suggested to job centre that he would benefit from doing a business studies course. Wanted to attend Queen Alexandra College for the Blind.
4.03 As well as having this placement in the business centre, which is the place I now work in, at Queen Alexandra college, I also applied to the BBC to do some work placement…..Secured placement on Archers programme.
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Felt much more confident after placement. Describes type of work.
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Lecturer suggested that he contact the Rotary Club. Interviewed for group study exchange with Birmingham Alabama. Details application process.
Revisited USA at a later stage.
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At Queen Alexandra College…..we produce Braille, large-print and audio information for organisations and companies both locally and nationally….
Detailed description of work.
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Moved into maisonette with brothers in early 90s. Moved back home for a while, then lived at college.
2.20 Then my friend got a house and said, “do you want to move in to this house with me?”…..in 1996….did that for 2 years….
3.52 In the last year I’ve been living with my friend and sharing a house. One of the girls in the house, we got on…..I’d been on my own for quite a while and felt that really it was a problem because I didn’t want to give anything up of my own….
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Continues to describe relationship.
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Birmingham for me as a person with a visual impairment, obviously that’s going to be an issue. I love Birmingham……people are really friendly….
Details some of the issues with transport in the city.
2.24 I still have reason to go to Broad Street because although most of my piano tuning activities are past, I still tune the piano at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club….
3.21 I feel very safe in Birmingham as well, I have to say….Broad Street particularly…..
Problems with Victoria Square for visually-impaired people.
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Continues to praise the city.
ENDS |