13 Problems Only People From Jarrow Will Understand

By Jack G King / August 27, 2015

The word 'Jarrow' is thought to have been originally recorded as 'Gyrwum', an Old English word meaning "the marsh-dwellers", or more charmingly, "the mud-dwellers". Make of that what you will. Jarrow is a north-eastern town sandwiched between the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland. It doesn't have quite the same coastal charm as South Shields, or the national renown of Hebburn (thanks to the BBC Two sitcom of the same name), but it's still home. Residents of Jarrow will be used to copping a lot of flak for their hometown, but we remain proud of it nonetheless. It might not be the nicest place in the world, but it undoubtedly has its charms. Despite this, there are quite a few problems each and every local will know about living in 'Jarra'...

13. The "Charm" Of Valley View Park

The heart and soul of any English town is its park, and Jarrow's is a fittingly mixed bag. On a warm summer's day, there's nothing better than taking the dog for a walk around good old Valley View, watching the local scallies tie up the swing seats so the children can't play. But venturing deeper into the park unearths a dark underbelly, one full of discarded marijuana buckets and filthy old mattresses. There's also a stream. Don't go into the stream.