‘Everyone used to know everyone but most of our old friends have sold up and moved because of the trouble here’
Years ago everyone in Tyisha, Llanelli, used to know everyone else and children would call their neighbours ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle’. Now it’s one of the most deprived areas in Wales and plagued by drug-dealers. But there is hope, as Bethan Thomas reports
ABOUT 60 years ago, the Tyisha area in Llanelli was a bustling community filled with business-owners, traders, seamstresses, jewellers and grocers.
Families occupied most homes, with the shouts of children playing on the green areas constantly ringing through the area.
Residents didn’t usually bother locking their doors, often looked after each other’s children and kids grew up referring to their neighbours as “Auntie” and “Uncle”.
The area was a close-knit hub and families born there remained there for most of their lives.
But the picture began changing around 20 years ago, and now not many remember this image of Tyisha.
The ward encompasses much of the area between Penyfan and Llanelli’s North Dock up to the railway station and Station Road cuts through its centre.
And while many community members have lived there throughout their lifetimes, the area which was once a familiar old friend has become a stranger to them.
Plagued by drug use, anti-social behaviour, litter and alcohol abuse, the area has been on a downward spiral and many locals say it is currently in the worst state it has ever been in.
In 2019, Tyisha, the area surrounding Murray Street’s Asda, was listed as the most deprived area in Carmarthenshire by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation and the 17th most deprived area in Wales out of 1,909 wards.
The area was ranked as the most deprived Carmarthenshire ward in terms of income, employment, health, education and community safety.
But these statistics come as no surprise to residents, who said the area’s steady decline was widely acknowledged but far from accepted.
The community has been fighting for improvements for the area for decades, and with a multi-millionpound regeneration project, announced in 2019, set to be delivered, there is some hope for residents who are itching for change – but some also believe much more is needed.
Vanessa Marsh has lived in Tyisha her whole life and remembers the community as it once was.
“It’s totally different now, we’ve seen huge changes here – not all good. We’ve lost our community and what made it special, everyone used to know everyone but most of our old friends have sold up and moved because of the trouble here,” said 73-year-old Vanessa.
She said the area was plagued by a number of different problems that stemmed from one common denominator – drugs.
“We’ve seen it all – used needles, drug-dealing outside the house in broad daylight, men urinating and using the cemetery as a toilet. We had to stop children playing in the cemetery the other day because there were used needles all over the floor,” she added.
So blatant is the drug-dealing in the area that Vanessa went on to list several properties where she believes drug-dealing has been taking place.
Her husband, Allan Marsh, 78, who has also lived in Tyisha his entire life, added: “It’s got to the point now that schoolchildren are walking to school completely numb to seeing people off their faces on drugs or urinating on the streets. They are used to it, which is terrifying.”
The couple, who met in Tyisha, said they had been tempted to follow suit and, like their old friends, move from the area.
“We have discussed moving, but I think, ‘why should we?’. This is our home and I am so passionate about making it better. Some people have lost heart but I want it to be better for our youngsters,” added Vanessa, who chairs the Safer Communities Action Group in the area.
The group is community-led and deals with the main issues in the area and holds discussions on how to combat them.
“The main issue that residents always want to talk about is community safety – they don’t feel safe in their homes,” added Vanessa.
In June this year alone 102 crimes were committed in Tyisha and the area had the highest crime rate in the Llanelli town area.
The majority of crimes were categorised under violence, anti-social behaviour, theft and drug-related offences.
It has not been confirmed what exact plans are set for the area, but a boulevard from Llanelli railway station to the town centre has been discussed with the community.
Links between the area and the £200m Delta Lakes development near Llanelli beachfront have also been discussed.
But Vanessa is not convinced. “You can put all the plants, trees and all the boulevards you like, but until you fix the drug problem it’ll just be like putting a plaster over a gaping wound.”
Another common factor residents say has blighted the community is that around half of the housing in the area is owned by the local authority, social landlords and private landlords.
Many residents refer to the area as a “dumping ground” for people with substance abuse issues and say housing in the area, as well as drug availability, has been attracting excriminals and drug-users to the neighbourhood.
Sharon Wheeler, 43, who has lived in the area for 10 years and also works there, said: “I think the area’s used as a place to put undesirables because they know that the residents will put up with it.
“Not all, but a lot of landlords in the area don’t know what their residents get up to and
‘You can put all the plants, trees and all the boulevards you like, but until you fix the drug problem it’ll just be like putting a plaster over a gaping wound’
– VANESSA MARSH