I am about to become a third year student in September 2006. Since my freshers week in 2004, I have been more and more aware of the 'welcome' students receive from a minority of the Bangor locals.
Every year a number of students, especially foreign students, are verbally and physically assaulted by some of the teenage population in Bangor.
Usually a student can expect some harrassment from these teenagers, although I have witnessed some violent confrontations between those students who have had enough and the local teenagers who want to give more.
Their little headquarters is on Holyhead Road, Upper Bangor. They wait outside the late shop, as they can see Glanrafon Hill, Ffriddoedd Road and Holyhead Road from there.
I personally believe tensions heat up in freshers week because there are limited numbers of students in Bangor during the summer period, and when they return, it is like they take over, and I can understand why this can be frustrating for the locals, especially with a large majority of English students, and the beliefs that these teenagers hold about the English. However, this is not even close to a legitimate reason to harrass and fight with students on their way home from a night out.
I personally have never had a conflict with the lads, however I am a 6'2" prop for the uni, but I have seen their behaviour and wonder why the tension is there.
The university needs to ensure the safety of students in Bangor, and this year I can recall at least three occasions where students were brought to Gwynedd Hospital A&E following confrontations with the lads.
The harrasment isn't the only problem. Petty vandalism on the Ffridd site, cars being keyed, kicked, pelted with stones, windows being smashed, are all just as annoying, especially when students aren't the richest of people and can't afford to replace or fix these problems.
I am sure there are some locals from Bangor reading this feeling offended, and I want to say I am not using this as a platform to make slanderous comments about the majority of local people, as I have found them to be welcoming and warm towards students.
It is the minority of teenage lads who have the big problem with students, and as I have witnessed this problem boiling up over the past few years, I have seen the number of students getting angry on the debate boards, and the more this continues the more likely the divide is to grow, and eventually the fighting will get worse, because the students who are being harrassed are growing in number, and getting angry about it. When they choose to react, it could spell a lot of trouble for little Bangor.
By HJ.
Another student has his say...
your comments
TS Birmingham
I lived in North Wales in 85 and 86 as a seasonal worker, my experience was that I found both extreemes within the local North Wales community. At one level I made a couple of really good friends, but on the whole I found that there was a small but vocal element within the local community that very much resented my presence in their town. My son is now currently at Bangor and I visit him reqularly and often join him on nights out. From what I observe it seems that the tensions between the students and the locals are nothing like as intense as they were back in the mid 80s.
When talking this over with my son it seems that there are definite no go pubs for the student population,and his experience has been that so long as the student population avoid the "Local only" pubs then much of the tension seems to have been avoided. I have witnessed violence on a night out in Bangor, but on the other hand I live in a large City and as such what violence I have observed in Bangor seems pretty consistent with what I see elsewhere. If you mix testosterone and alcohol the outcome is fairly predictable regardless of geographic location.
Fri Jul 4 10:08:38 2008
Adam from Aberystwyth
I'm at Aber Uni, and you might think that we're in a similar situation to Bangor. We're not. I am in town most nights, and have never once witnessed any sort of argument or violence towards students from the locals (or vice versa). In fact, I'd go as far as calling some of the locals my friends after socialising with them at the Union Poker Night, in which anyone is invited, regardless of whether they are a student or not. So if any people are thinking about going to Bangor, maybe look a bit further south, because Aberystwyth is much better!
Mon Mar 10 11:11:17 2008
E H USA
I lived in Bangor for two years back in the 90's, and I agree with you HJ. I found that some of the locals were unwelcoming to students, especially foreigners, for no reason other than that they looked different. Even though Bangor is a nice town, I am much more comfortable in the US where people are much more friendly to foreigners and international students.
Thu Jan 24 08:56:53 2008
An English Ex Student
I was a student in Bangor 10 years ago and have lived and worked in the city since. When I arrived the town was pretty quiet and students were told where was "safe" so as to avoid conflict with the locals. I have witnessed local businesses develop from the money brought into the city by students and many things have changed for the better including new shops and lighting in what were, run down, dark areas.
There are still certain things that bother me greatly and I shall start with the neglect of housing by "local" landlords. I have lived in and still frequently visit student houses around the%2! 0city and find a lot of them to be damp, dirty and quite inhabitable places to stay. Also the refuse collection system and street cleaning programme seems to be selective in favour of the more afluent areas of the city, leaving places near the centre such as Caellepa in a disgusting state.
Thu Dec 28 12:19:20 2006
Bryan Hope, Tampa Florida
The student/local problem has been around for ever. I attended Bangor University in the early 70s, I was also born and bred in Bangor so I was always with one foot in each camp. Back then there was nowhere to go if you were a local. If you attended Friars and were in the 6th form you could get an ID card to get into the Students Union. That was the only place to hold dances or discos.
The locals tried to get in, were refused, and that led to altercations!
I spent several weeks back home this summer, based in Beaumaris, and frankly was shocked. Was the High Street always so dirty? Were there always that many drunk teenage/20 somethings in the High Street? Did everyone always look so dowdy?
Beaumaris, however, was just the same - a civilized pint of Bass at the Bull, action and late hours at the George and Dragon. Bangor definitely is no longer the town of my youth or maybe I'm just getting old and cantankerous!
Mon Oct 2 10:31:12 2006
Bangor Ayee!
Bangor Aye, what I suggest, is if that is what you really see, then you should ask one of the people you work for (prob. a graduate?) if you can take some time out of your fifty hour week and get your eyes tested. Most of the students I know are living off student loans and savings.
In fact I do not know anybody who is being funded by their parents. And so what if students decide to go to the pubs several night s aweek? Why should we be any different from any of the other 20 somethings? so what if people do not want to compromise their degrees by working whilst they are at uni?
Maybe if your kids develop any kind of aspirations, then maybe they will want to goto university; in which case they will be able to tell you what it is really like.
And what is the problem with people eatting?
Mon Sep 25 10:00:45 2006
Current Student
Bangor Ayeee, it is very sad that you have to work for minimal wage to support your family and pay your mortgage, and you can only afford one night out a week. I take it from your comment you haven't been a student for a while, and what you do see is just students living it up spending mummy and daddy's money, and claiming they are poor.
Well, can I also remind you that we are young 20-somethings with social lives, have to pay over £1,000 per year to study here, and also best part of £2500 to live here, and most evenings you will find students out drinking, as staying in their one room which they rent out will no doubt send them crazy, which may result in the same actions you have taken, and start to put rubbish on websites about wanting to slap others round the head.
No need. So you don't like being around students on your 1 night out a week, so go to caernarfon, or chester, bangor makes a lot on money from students, they're entitled to live it up a bit.
Oh, and HJ, bang on mate, I agree with what your saying.
Mon Jul 24 16:03:07 2006
Martin H at Bangor
It's not only the students, but also the locals who have to watch out. I'm 42 and I and my friends have been threatened by local youths. I'm sure this problem is not just confined to Bangor, but any university town where students make up a sizable propotion of the population. Anyway with the changes going on in the Uni at the moment most studens will be law or psycholgy students who will be better able to psych them out, reason with them or seek justice afterwards.
Mon Jul 17 09:36:35 2006
Bangor ayeee
I'm sorry to hear of your bad times in bangor. I, however, have a different view of students. I personally work a full 50-hour week to keep my wife, kids and mortgage. I can only afford 1 night out a week, whereas students are in the pubs at least 4 nights a week. Some of them eat, have meetings and drink 5 or 6 nights a week and you all claim poverty. I believe that these remedial morons outside the late night shop should be "gimped", however I do understand the frustration of the common workman hearing day in day out how poor and starving are the students of bangor (or any other city in britain really). Some of you work, most of you live off mummy and daddy. You dont deserve a hiding but you do deserve a slap around the head!.......sorry but that's just my personal view.
Fri Jul 7 08:52:15 2006
Charles Nelson from Valley
I, as a former student at Bangor, cannot disagree more with HJ's comments. I am English, and I never had anything but a good relationship with the citizens of Bangor. A thoroughly nice bunch of people they are too.
Wed Jul 5 16:24:48 2006
Gareth Buckland
Could not agree with you more HJ, and let me say as a native Bangorian they make me sad, angry and ashamed. I'm also a postgraduate student, so I can see both sides of the argument here, and the good news is that these cretins are definitely a minority. The bad news is that the police know it is happening but choose not to act for reasons best known to themselves. I've had no trouble from them personally, but then again I have a local accent and as an ex-rugby player am still quite bulky, but I have heard from friends about their activities. Something must be done because people can only take so much. With the present funding arrangements in place, Bangor is going to become more popular, so it should be sorted out sooner rather than later.
Wed Jul 5 15:56:57 2006
