on saturday september 23rd, Christopher Hayden, 19, from Bacton Road, Edingthorpe and Nathan Wharton, 19 from Lynfield Road, North Walsham, were killed when they hit a bus head on in chris' MR2.
on sunday i dropped my younger brother off in town to be picked up to go to the crash spot to lay flowers, and saw a cavalcade of about 30 "boy racers" cars driving up to crostwick to do the same. if you read the daily mail and such rags, you will think that all the kids from towns like north walsham are all thugs and hooligans. i decided to drive up there myself and witnessed about 50 people all distraught at the roadside - there were so many people the police had to come to slow the traffic. i have not seen such a show of unity in a very long time, and it made me realise that everyone goes on about these kids like they are the most terrible thing, but they are all people too. chris and nathan were speeding, but they didnt deserve to die. both my brothers were friends with the boys, and standing there on sunday, even i felt upset at not only what had happened but at how many people, all of whom are usually written off as hooligans and thugs because of what they wear or the cars they drive, were so devastated at the loss of thier friends. i think that if any good is to come out of the boys untimely deaths, all those people there should drop thier speed, but also, everyone needs to realise that no matter how you dress or act, everyone has feelings and hopes, and everyone is affected by loss and hurt. this is a tribute to chris and nathan, but also to all the teenagers of north walsham, and i will never judge you or frown upon you again. when i lived in surrey i was reading the guardian one saturday and there was an article about how rough north walsham was because all the pubs have 24 hour licenses and the amount of boy racers. i dont think that is fair at all. i think a lot of towns have problems, and that the police in north walsham are far too heavy handed. if the kids want to sit on the car parks in thier cars all night damn well let them. thats the thing that north walsham thinks is so bad - i mean for fucks sake they all have jobs to pay to do up thier cars - are the police going to be happier if they get them all of the car parks - which are unused at night anyway, and onto crack or something? i felt humbled on sunday, seeing everyone in crostwick, and it has changed the way i look at the boy racers of north walsham, and i hope it does for anyone else who came past that sad day.
story in the evening news
