Charlie

Charlie is a 19-year-old artist who has lived on Portland all her life.

She spoke of a close family and supportive community, where there was trust and freedom and everyone looked out for each other. She couldn’t understand why friends in Dorchester felt it was unusual for someone else’s mother to tell you off or check you were safe; that to her was the essence of community she grew up in.

Charlie is very close to her family and spoke of connections with first, second and third cousins on the island. She also spoke of close friendships with people that have grown up together and how important these are to her.

She spoke of the island with pride and affection, loving its natural beauty and its sense of community. She described how she often drives or walks to stunning viewpoints on the island and how beneficial this is for her physical and mental wellbeing.

She was saddened and frustrated by the misconceptions regarding the island and the stereotypes that are often portrayed. When asked what she felt could help, she felt it was mainly due to learned behaviour and a lack of knowledge about the island.

Charlie has a rare chronic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. This affects the function of collagen throughout her body, and her autoimmune system. She takes every day at a time, and on waking each morning scans her body to assess how she feels and how much the condition will impact on her day. Charlie described how her condition had impacted significantly on her education and subsequent apprenticeship in printing and manufacturing. The condition is little understood, and the facilities were not in place to support her needs. However, the condition is genetic, and Charlie described how pleased she was that there was now greater understanding and therefore support at school for her younger cousins.

Being self-employed and based on the island works well for Charlie. She is in charge of her own daily schedule and with the support of her family can manage her health and work. She does fine art prints of local scenes and does her own printing from her auntie’s garage.

Charlie is passionate about equality of access to education and opportunities for young people. She explained that transport is a key issue as a bus pass to go to school in Dorchester is about £1000 a year which is a barrier to many. There is no further education on Portland from 16 onwards, meaning no access to A-levels on the island.

Not only is the cost of getting to Weymouth and Portland prohibitive to many but the bus journey is lengthy and can add up to four hours to the day.

Charlie described how careers promoted to young people on the island are limited, including things like caring, plumbing or being a prison officer. She recognised that these are all important jobs but reflected that at school in Dorchester far wider opportunities are promoted. She felt it would be good to encourage ambition and opportunity on the island. She felt encouraging and supporting young people could help to address some of the stigma.

Charlie described how she had been a member of the scouts for years while growing up and that this provides lots of experiences and opportunities to young people on the island. She explained that it is run by young people for young people and that there is a lot of trust and equal opportunity for all.

When asked where Charlie goes for information, she said that she would go to Portland Island Community Action as they know a bit about everything. She advised that more religious people might go to the local church, and younger people might go to the Drop In, their peers or to the local Scout leaders who are young and trusted.

Key takeaway:

Charlie was pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the island with pride and if she could share just one key message, she said that would be about how fantastic the community and the community support is on the island.