Your Stories

Born in Beadnell, recently returned after 15 years in exile.

Varied career in tourism, police and as a shop owner. "Community activist" who likes to provide practical support to make things happen.

Hope the house we are building will be finished by June and that the problems caused by worldwide financial problems will result in opportunities for a better world with more emphasis on the individual and what is really valuable.

Fear that things will take a long time to improve and some people's problems will get worse.

I have the best job in the world! Working for a charity that uses volunteers to deliver some of its services, I work with the kindest, most hard-working, big-hearted team ever.

Everyone really cares about the quality of the service we provide, the clients we advise and each other.

Will the new house be ready in 2009?

They are always trying to improve the service and find ways of helping more clients. They work excessive hours, never get a proper lunch break, don't have the office conditions they deserve but never complain.

Because we genuinely respect clients and do as much for them as we can, they respect us and everywhere I go I get compliments about the CAB and its workers.

We make real differences in peoples lives, keeping them in their home, increasing their income, helping them cope with debts, enabling them to enforce their rights and improving policies for people in the future to prevent problems happening in the first place.

Seeing a trainee adviser grow in confidence and competence during their year-long training is also rewarding.

Although my job is sometimes stressful due to unmet need, a constant lack of money and not being able to solve everyone's problems, I would still do it for nothing if I could afford to.

Injustice, lack of respect, people being treated as numbers not individuals, inequality, budgets that have to be spent by the end of the tax year, the Tax Credit system, poor administration of public funds, poor service in shops etc...

War, excessive violence in films and electronic games, student loans, knowing I'm not going to live forever.

My family have lived here at least six generations so I feel I belong. Beadnell Bay is spectacular, the people are (mostly) friendly, there is still a community spirit and people care about each other.

There's very little crime, no extremes of temperature, nice bars and businesses, local groups and church. An ideal place to live and bring up children.

Jennifer loves the coast at Beadnell

However, about 60% of the houses are second or holiday homes, one of the highest percentages in the country. Because the houses are so expensive families and young people have moved away and we have an ageing community, which has lost a lot of the services and facilities we used to enjoy.

Local planning decisions and elected members seem unable to do anything about this; planning applications are still being made and passed that have no element of affordable housing.

Regionally, the solution for rural areas like ours seems to be tourism, without research or even thought about the effects on communities and the resulting reduction of sustainability. Some winter nights it is like living in a ghost town.

Air. After that my family, job, garden, greenhouse, computer and e-mail, friends and colleagues, car and chocolate.

Still waiting to grow up. Hope I have time for another three or four careers. Had no ambition as a child but now would like to have the time to be an auctioneer, estate agent, teacher, psychologist and writer.

I was born and brought up in a hotel so my brother, sister and I were expected to work from an early age.

I remember washing dishes then, as I grew older, cleaning bedrooms, waiting at tables and serving in the bar, all before leaving school. Didn't do my schoolwork any good but did help make me the person I am today.

I was born with a cheerful gene; I do get angry and upset but never depressed.

Think I have a positive can-do attitude that is probably hell to live or work with.

My children and my grandson. All three daughters have worked hard and excelled in their lives and still remain caring, kind-hearted individuals who know what is really valuable in life.

They all had to take jobs to help pay for university but never complained or compared their lot with others. They live life to the full and never cease to amaze me.

They make me so proud. I hope I am around for many years to see their lives unfold.

My garden or my greenhouse.

Seeing plants grow from tiny seeds, knowing that even if the garden gets out of control this year there is always next, but that time isn't limited and that nothing lives forever gives me a peace and a sense of balance that helps me cope with stress and get things into perspective.

A sunny, spring morning in a garden with the birds singing is the nearest place to heaven, I just want it to go on forever.

Meeting my husband on a blind date and my wedding day.

The National Health Service being able to fix my knee, which has been giving me pain for five or six years! If we can put a man on the moon...

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The people taking part in 100 Lives have all given their own account of life as they see it and the views expressed are their own and not those of the BBC.