Ross's story

So Ross, thank you, thank you for agreeing to chat to me. So which sort of area of Stockport are you from? Um, I'm not from Stockport. I'm I'm from Dalton. Oh, are you just across there

I, I'm fine. But from as well, not me. Well enough not long after I was born

railway trade like trade union. People that could you know get that out out, so we got a job down there and we moved down and that was like the white man and we didn't like that. So what brought you to Stockport? And when my granddad was he got arthritis and that, so we had to stop working all that he was very clever man

He works a lecturer in London. In fact, the family had some really good jobs, like the black. No, not really, because they were all like a lot of alcoholics in the family, you know, but I, I didn't, I didn't go

I went, you know, so, uh. My children and my granddad got too old. We had to, we ended up there was like a matte in London, yeah

Because you can get up the stairs in that. a place where downstairs toilet now. That's OK

So how long ago was that? 4314, uh, when he like when what what what what, no, no, it was 11. It was big. Small schools, secondary, yeah

Then they then they get stop part then start you know what I mean so the most I stop for anyway, you know what I mean. So when, when you said you sort of you went down the truck route, it's like almost it had to be one or the other. Why? Gosh, my mom was that young young in them days it didn't go down well

She's like 16 and then adopting that sort of thing, yeah. But You did right before I didn't know, but I did know. Yeah, yeah, I know, I understand that

And that pissed me off so did they try and keep it from, you know what I mean. It's a different generation, isn't it? It's good. for the money, the alcohol

So when um So what's what's it like now? You're you're obviously here at the Wellspring, so I assume the wellspring is a real safety place of safety, support a scouts I remember, yeah, yeah. because like I've been that I was like honestly most of me adult life yeah I've had like saved the kids and that you know, like, uh, and then saving girls that much more. I had two kids to it don't get me wrong, you know, and it lasted 13 years on and off because of my, you know what I mean and she sort of like

I saw I hate it, hate it pretty well, but she, she just like new to all that shit. You've never seen it before, so she, I don't think she's in the studio I was I was in. Yeah, yeah

So what, what, what were your dreams? What were your dreams and your hopes when we, you, or even now, is there anything you think I'd really love to do, but I had no fucking I had no dream I wanted to be a rebel rebel I didn't want to work you know what I mean. Uh, I never know when it's anyway because it's fucking um what's it called? No more good shows don't want the red. I never know what's it called um

But uh, it turns out that's what I've got, yeah, I was always and I was I was just partying or partying. I was drinking then to the party, you'd wake up like um next morning never to work anyway, but that was it, you know, I didn't want to work, you know what I mean? You know it's it. It was easy that day, not throwing the pool on that boat, it was on the on the doorstep and if you walk out of like fucking rats in them days, you know, so

DC and oh my goodness. So you were gosh does it become a bit of part of your life? Yeah yeah yeah. The red me on fucking

Yeah. But you see, I look at you and I think you are very clever. You probably could still do something, you know, trained for something

I'm going to work. In this situation where like helping all the drug users and shit like that, I would fucking love to do something like that, you know what I mean. So that come along, I would do that

Yeah, nearly 60, yeah, yeah. So do you mind me asking if you're clean now or you you're taking, yeah, yeah. How does that work for you? I, I seriously, yeah, yeah, so it's a bit of a lifesaver is it

And and a lot of that will go on for like 3 months or I don't, I don't even want, I don't want to stop taking that, you know..