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Visited Pontypridd yesterday and for the first time ever saw not one but two beggars sat on the pavement along Taff Street. More surprising was they weren't the stereotypical beggars common to some Cardiff streets as they were middle-aged, non-white of Indian subcontinent appearance and neither the man or woman seemed ravaged by drugs or alcohol. Sat separately either side of the street some 50 yards apart, both had young dogs sat close to them. I always immediately think that beggars with dogs are professional scammers that are not homeless and use the animals to help evoke sympathy and larger donations.
Are beggars now a feature of the town? If so, what about Caerphilly, Merthyr, Aberdare and Tonypandy?
They are homeless people who have fallen on hard times, not beggars
Well, the bloke was sat outside Boots holding a large cup at arm's length while asking those passing by for spare change. The woman had a cap on the pavement directly in front of her whilst also asking for spare change. If that doesn't constitute begging then I'm struggling to define what begging is. Unless begging isn't begging when requesting money due to alleged homelessness. I have to ask, are you pissed there?
Beggers belief , you sure they weren't street artists from Wetherspoons.
There are a few in Merthyr who are not homeless and are begging.
Not right at all but is probably a reflection of our society where people can do what they want in a free market and it does display some entrepreneurial spirit.
I used to give this guy outside Aldi a few bob but one day I didn't have any change so I asked him if he wanted something to eat or drink. He said no thanks he wasnt hungry, however could he make a call on my phone.
I let him use my phone and he rang his dealer the cheeky ****er
I since found out he is not homeless he has a place in Pentrebach. His old man, who is well off, and has sent him to rehab several times with no success, fills his cupboards up every week for him.
I felt duped somewhat and I haven't given him a penny since.
Last edited by J R Hartley; 20-05-17 at 15:41.
On a similar theme, I used to buy a Big Issue from a seller stood directly outside Queen Street Station though I never took a copy from him. Then one day I noticed he was on a flash mobile and unwrapping a packet of Embassy Regal. I concluded I had been conned a dozen times by him, and vowed never to part with a penny to other sellers or beggars again to ensure not to be mugged off by anyone else.
As an aside, have you ever been to The Wyndham Arms pub in Merthyr town centre? I did 'bout three months ago. It was like travelling back to the 80s to some notorious Cardiff boozers where local rogues of many descriptions gathered.
There's a few guilty playing that card butt. The lad who is usually outside Home Bargains has rented accommodation and once owned up to sometimes bringing in £80 a day.
Everyone has a different story though, so don't judge them all the same.
Did you keep the dealers number and do we know him?
The Wyndham, it'll be in St. Fagans museum in future years as a testimony of how we lived in Merthyr.
There's some characters in there to say the least. Harmless enough though.
I had a look at your video but I couldn't spot you. The regulars looked like a bunch of geriatric alcoholic tramps but everyone of them still looked far more respectable than you. I suppose you were hiding under a table waiting to nick a drink when one of them went off to empty his colostomy bag.
The day I visited I hadn't been seated for a minute before a scruff tried to get me interested in some (no doubt) half-inched deodorants, then another tried to flog me jewellery in the bogs. The two or three women customers were, well... let's just say Sludge would pause before offering to accompany them to a darkened back lane.
Last edited by Organ Morgan.; 20-05-17 at 19:17.
I used to drink in the Wyndham many moons ago. There was a scizophrenic old man called Doddsy (rip) who would regularly be arguing with himself in the toilet, going as far to offer himself out and punch himself in the face
It's always been a rough pub but last few years it's got really bad. The owner is handy as **** so the police are happy to let all the loons go there 8am in the morning to keep them off the streets causing trouble.
Last edited by J R Hartley; 21-05-17 at 12:37.
On my visits to Cardiff to watch the City games I usually give the guy who sits on the pavement near St. John's church in the Hayes a pasty from the Greggs shop on the corner of St Mary St and Howells's. I never give him money. I once bought a bag-lady a burger from McDonalds and was told "I don't eat that rubbish" - priceless!
My daughter did the same thing and offered to buy this woman some food but the woman insisted on going in a cafe with her and ordered herself Crêpes & ice cream and coffee, cost her about £12, she was not impressed.
I was not impressed when she told me either because I know she's skint herself but she always tries to help them, people like that spoil it for those who genuinely need help, it's a shame.
The sad thing is they throw away so much, my daughter works for them, she is always trying to help the homeless (see above) and she was so sick of throwing away so much food and having to pass all the homeless people on her way home she nearly left her job, I tried to arrange for a charity to collect the food and they said they would try and sort something out but I still don't think anything has come of it, they said they had problems with reliable people collecting the food each day, there are about 12 shops around Cardiff, it's a crazy amount of food to throw away each day but no registered charities seem to want to collect it.
I don't think that was the problem, they sell much of it in their cheap shops the next day anyway.
The guy I spoke to from the charity said they were opening a coffee shop that was going to be ran by the homeless at the beginning of this year so they might be able to use the food from her store but I assume it hasn't happened yet.
My daughter has won hampers at work a couple of times and shared them with the homeless on her way home, she would love to be able to do that with the bin bags full of sandwiches ect that she has to throw away every day, she's not a registered charity though so she's not allowed, just seems crazy.
Charities want money. With money they can piss 90% of it away on admin costs and paying their CEO in excess of £100k per annum.