Istoris (The Cornish word for ‘histories’)
"People always talk about the fishing and the mines, but no one in my family did any of that. My mum worked nights stacking shelves, and we just had to get on with it."
"My job is looking after my kids, my sister’s kids, and sometimes the neighbour’s kids when she’s on a shift. No one pays me for it, but it’s work."
"I came here with nothing but my kids and two bin bags. It wasn’t home at first, but it was safe."
"We had to leave in the middle of the night. New place, new names, new start."
"My nan wasn’t from here. She came down from Manchester, looking for work. Ended up working in a laundry, that’s closed now."
"My first job was flower picking. You’d be bent over for hours, fingers freezing, and still barely make enough to cover rent."
"I learned to be a builder the old way—on site, being shouted at. No college, no courses, just hard graft and picking things up as I went."
"You have to be strong to do care work. You lift people, feed them, get shouted at and then go home to do it all over again for your own family."
"I don’t have a job-job, but I bake for fun days up on rec and stuff , help set up the chairs, keep an eye on the kids. That’s work too, just no one pays you for it."
"One of the best things about this estate is that if you’re struggling, someone will notice. And they’ll help, even if you don’t ask."
"I never met my grandad, but I know he worked at a mine not far from here."
"Nan used to tell us about the old days, every day having to do jobs like clean curtains, collect wood from Trevaylor, ironing and things."
"The fair wasn’t just for fun, it was work. My uncle used to help put up the rides, then spend his wages on the dodgems after."
"My grandad used to fight with the fairground boxers. Said he only ever lost once, and even then, he reckoned he was robbed."
