Latest news with #Penhill
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
We live in UK ‘gang capital' where anywhere beginning with ‘P' is no-go zone…gun-toting drug lords terrorise our estate
IN the shadow of an imposing ten-storey tower block, a young mum emerges pushing a pram, nervously checking the paths either side of her before making a hurried beeline for the park. This is Penhill in Swindon, a notorious estate which has long been tarnished by its high crime rates, drug raids and a growing gangland culture that the Wiltshire town has become infamous for. 18 18 18 18 It's one of the 25 'trailblazer neighbourhoods' identified across the country by Chancellor Rachel Reeves which is set to receive up to £20million over the next decade to improve its community, libraries, facilities and general infrastructure. But many of its residents feel no amount of cash will fix its problems. One mum, who asked not to be named, said: 'It's good that the Government want to improve Penhill, but we're living in mouldy homes surrounded by drug dealers on every street, and that's probably never going to change.' Life-long resident Fiona Woodward, 68, adds: 'You know what they say about avoiding anywhere that begins with a 'P' in Swindon?' It was a local anecdote oft repeated when The Sun visited the estate this week, referring to Penhill and nearby council estates Pinehurst and Parks. Aaron Jacobs was visiting his mum, who moved to the estate almost 20 years ago. 'Penhill's rep for having gangs is because there'll always be angst between Penhill and Pinehurst,' he explained. 'You do see kids hanging around in gangs, but there's not a lot else for them to do here.' Alarmingly, some residents say this lack of purpose is causing children as young as 10 to be groomed as drug dealers. Another man, who gave his name as John Craig, said: 'The biggest issue on the estate is the amount of drug-dealing. The rat-infested UK ghetto where 'even pimps refuse to work' – as brutal drug gangs rob locals blind with honeypot traps 18 "The youth club was cut, and the football pitch rents for £80 per game, which most people can't afford. 'This leaves the kids with nothing to do, and as a result they are groomed as drug dealers. "It sounds great getting a grant from the Government, but this is the real problem.' Escalating violence The 1950s estate is a mile square, housing 11,000 residents, with three ten-storey tower blocks, and is one of the most deprived areas in the region in terms of household income, quality of health, life expectancy, child poverty and level of education. Violent crime is also an escalating issue. In April 2023 two men were arrested after a 17-year-old boy was shot in the head in Penhill, leaving him with life-changing injuries. 18 18 18 18 And last year Marlon Barnes, 20, of Ramsbury Avenue, Penhill was jailed for six years and six months after admitting being in possession of a firearm and running a local class A drugs operation. Most recent crime statistics for Penhill show that in April alone there were 95 crimes reported, with 50 of those being of a violent or sexual nature. There were 11 reports of anti-social behaviour, seven public order offences and 27 'other', including drugs offences. The estate has two primary schools, two churches, a Morrisons Local, a charity shop, a fish and chip shop and a pub, the Deer's Leap, serving a small handful of customers the lunchtime we visited. It is also adjacent to a 100-acre nature reserve, Seven Fields, where just last month police and firefighters were called to a blazing car, thought to be stolen and then set alight by joyriders next to the wooden frame of a zip line. Despite the deprivation of the area a number of houses look well-maintained, while others have overgrown grass and furniture left to rot in their gardens. Pensioner Fiona says more needs to be done for young people in Penhill who have 'nothing to do' so find 'other ways to entertain themselves', often resulting in turning to crime. 'We do have problems with crime, we've had a lot of problems with gangs in the past,' she says. 'There's some anti-social behaviour, some people who cause trouble, but the problem is some parents weren't brought up well, and they don't know how to look after their kids properly or know what they're up to. 'There's a lot of space, but the council don't look after it. There's even one resident who started cutting the grass himself because the council didn't bother. 'I've lived here all my life, and it has changed compared to what it used to be like. 'But we do have a sense of community and if anything happens, like the house fires, we all come together.' In January the community rallied to raise thousands of pounds for terminal cancer patient Lisa Lansdown and her partner Gary Parsons, after their home in Penhill was ruined by a fire, leaving them and their two children homeless, with only the clothes on their backs. Lack of opportunity 18 18 18 18 Local shopkeeper Richard Sayles works in the local Premier newsagents, and agrees young people are suffering from a lack of opportunity. He says: 'The money should be invested in improving the security around the estate and providing more opportunities for the kids. 'There are parks for the little kids but not much for older kids to do. 'The Community Centre has gone downhill, it used to run a youth club, but it only opens on Fridays now to run the food bank. 'They also closed one of the parks. With nothing to do there's a lot of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, so if some of the money was invested in CCTV I think that would help. 'Crime is a problem here, the kids are bored, so most importantly the grant needs to be reinvested into the community centre.' Penhill Community Church pastor David Childs-Clarke previously told the BBC: "One of the reasons people struggle in Penhill is because there's a reputation associated with being in one of the areas beginning with P. "People in Penhill often think of themselves as being considered less than other parts of Swindon - as a church we do try and counter that message. "Anything that the government can do to help the reputation of an area will do something positive, to help people with their sense of identity." Other residents called for the return of a 'bobby on the beat' local police officer to tackle the growing issue of county lines in Swindon. Jim Grant, the leader of Swindon council's Labour group, previously expressed concern over the "gang warfare" and increasingly common 'life-threatening stabbings, large-scale public disorder and ongoing damage to property' in Penhill and Pinehurst, branding it a "tragedy for the town". Wiltshire Police carried out a number of raids on properties on the estate in a major drugs crackdown last year after reports of suspicious behaviour from worried locals. In November Lewis Morton, 23, of Fairford Crescent, Penhill, was jailed for a string of serious offences, including requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and supplying Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine. But there is hope Reeves' cash injection, expected to start in April 2026, will 'boost growth' and 'deliver real change people can see on their doorstep'. A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said communities like Penhill had "been starved of investment and left behind" for too long. The Sun has reached out to Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police for comment. 18 18 18
BBC News
18-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
The 'stigmatised' Penhill estate in Swindon getting cash boost
Penhill estate in Swindon has been named by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a deprived area which will get up to £20m to spend in the community over the next decade. Ahead of the full details of how the scheme will operate, BBC News spoke to local residents, campaigners, community leaders and politicians about what they would like to see change."The stigmatisation of Penhill has been drastic over the last 30 years," said Di Pithers, a volunteer youth worker, street rep, and campaigner for the estate she grew up on."We have no investment in Penhill. Nobody puts a value on our children, our young adults, our disabled, our elderly," she Pithers hit back against what residents are all too aware is a negative reputation."Unless you know the area you won't understand the community spirit that we have," she Pithers is one of several people I speak to who bring up the same local anecdote - "people don't want to go to any of the places beginning with P" in this, they mean the traditional council estates of Pinehurst, Parks and Penhill."One of the reasons people struggle in Penhill is because there's a reputation associated with being in one of the areas beginning with P," echoed pastor of Penhill Community Church, David Childs-Clarke. "People in Penhill often think of themselves as being considered less than other parts of Swindon - as a church we do try and counter that message," he said."Anything that the government can do to help the reputation of an area will do something positive, to help people with their sense of identity," he Childs-Clarke warned "deprivation probably can't be solved just with money" but said "if an area looks untidy and looks unloved then people don't love it, there are some things financially that could be done to tidy up the area".Penhill was built up from the 1960s, a new estate of council houses and tower blocks set amongst plenty of green in typical household income, quality of health, level of education, child poverty and life expectancy, Penhill comes out among the most deprived in the region. "It's about time Penhill had something put in place for it," said resident Marie Eagle, how the community responded following house fires, she said: "Penhill were there straight away, they rallied round, got furniture, clothing - not many people would do that.""I know it's got a bad rep but not everyone is tarred with the same brush," she she chats about the new cash to her friend Thelma Rees, 74, they say they hope some of the money can be used to bring back free family amenities, like the former community paddling pool."We need a bus that goes from here to the Orbital shopping centre, traffic calming, and it would be nice if we had a bobby that came around once in while," Ms Rees Swindon's Labour MP, Will Stone, said he was "so pleased" Penhill was going to get the support it "desperately" needed. "The timeline will be over the next couple of years, I don't want to get expectations too high and say 'tomorrow you'll get a cash injection into Penhill' because it is going to take time, I want this to be right," he added."Investing in community centres, leisure facilities, and education" would be his personal priority for the cash. 'Is there a caveat?' Asked where she thinks the cash should be spent, volunteer Ms Pithers said: "I want to see provisions for our children and everybody else in Penhill so we've got something to bring up the levels of deprivation we live in."With worries about her youth club being at risk of being kicked out of its existing building, the local doctors surgery only opening three days a week, and only one luncheon club for elderly people, she has a long list of things the money could be spent with all the optimism, she does have her doubts."I am concerned, is there a caveat to receiving this money? It's up to £20m, but we might only get £1m," she said. Penhill was listed among 25 of the government's new "trailblazer neighbourhoods" to be allocated funding by Reeves in the spending review last week. Detailed guidance on how the bid will be put together has not yet been published, but the government said it was working toward money starting to arrive from April 2026.A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said communities like Penhill had "been starved of investment and left behind".They said the money would come over the next decade to "boost growth, regenerate our communities and deliver real change people can see on their doorstep".
