I’m thrilled to see my story ‘Tsunami’ published in Crannóg magazine #54
Set in Redcar, the story forms part of my reaction to Brexit. I visited Redcar, a town that was strongly in favour of Brexit, just one week after the referendum. It’s hard for me to understand why people would vote ‘No’ to being in the European Union, and I wanted to understand why people voted the way they did.
I’m not sure I got the answers I needed, but I did find this story, which is about the closing of the Teesside steelworks, generations of workers who were let down by politicians, and a renewed isolation felt by those of us living in Britain who would like to remain closer to Europe.
If you’d like to read the story and support the Arts by buying a copy of Crannóg 54, please visit their website, so you can order your copy from there: http://www.crannogmagazine.com/index.htm
I’m including a wee taster of the story below, so you can get a feel for the tone and voice of my Tsunami.
She sees a world beneath the sea. A time when there was a land bridge to Europe. Animals roaming across the plains of Doggerland. People building fires. Sheltering against the wind. Looking for something greener.
Mauk Donnabhain 
At one time I wanted to live in Redcar. I liked the people and the coast and it seemed to have everything necessary in it. Then it all changed. The steelworks closed, the main street died and the folk were not so welcoming to tourists. There began to be stories of unemployment and rising crime. A lovely little seaside town was changing, and people from the local area were going further afield for their weekends and holidays.
I think seaside towns all over the country are in decline but when you add on the lack of opportunity in the North East there’s not much left. There’s no fishing and no work. It’s no wonder the residents voted for Brexit. Anything that was different had to be an improvement. Things couldn’t get much worse.
Well, we’ll see, won’t we? Can concentrating on just this island mean we can find a way to make all our people proud or will the social divisions continue and the folk of Redcar find it doesn’t matter who is in charge, they get forgotten!
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Very valid points! I found the people in Redcar to be exceptionally friendly – we did feel welcome there, and the scenery along the coast is just spectacular. I hope the future will be a much brighter one and places like Redcar have so much to offer really.
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