Interview with Mrs Rashdi about moving to Bletchley in 1968, housing, family life, employment and the Open University.

Mrs Rashdi is a Norwegian who lived with her husband and daughter, in cramped accommodation in Chesham prior to moving to Bletchley in 1968. They were able to buy a house, but had little money for furniture: ‘I pretended I was camping, it was really good fun’. The Bletchley house seemed small and the houses were all the same; very different from Norway. She remembers how her relatives reacted to the town when they first visited, and refers to her mixed race marriage and her Pakistani in-laws.

She was excited to learn more about the UK, including learning nursery rhymes from books from the Library. People were friendly. She discusses her children’s education and the changes to local schools. Social life was fairly limited: her husband played cricket for Simpson Cricket Club, the family used the Bletchley Leisure Centre, she also recalls events at Wilton Hall and orchestral concerts at the Leisure Centre. Her children went to Bletchley Music Centre for classes. She remembers the Jubilee street party. In her opinion public transport used to be good and cheap, allowing family trips to London. They also made trips early in married life to both Norway and Pakistan to visit relatives.

She comments that some wives have nothing to really talk about except their domestic routine; she joined the local Housewives Register, where she enjoyed wider discussions. A great lover of reading, she has both worked and studied at the Open University and has obtained an OU degree. She considers herself ‘a Bletchley person’ and has been disappointed with the development of Milton Keynes, as in her opinion the shops lack variety, and public transport is poor. She feels that Bletchley has more of a village atmosphere but is sad to see all the empty shops. Finally, she is concerned about the future of Bletchley Railway station, since she does not drive, ‘…it’s your means of escape, you can get to anywhere if you have a railway station.’