I had the police looking for me in 7 counties
I was in care for a while and, due to blahblahblah I had to stay in care until I was 18. After I turned 16 I lived in a flat with a social worker or two keeping a close eye on me.
When I was 17 I asked my social worker if I could go to Reading festival and she refused point blank. I can understand why, looking back, but at the time this was a huge injustice in my eyes.

There was a pub nearby which a) served me and b) seemed to turn a blind eye to the rather obvious drug dealers that hung out there. I wandered down there to drown my sorrows with a couple of mates and somehow ended up taking my first LSD tab. At this point it transpired that several of the guys were about to hitchhike to a free festival in Camelford, Cornwall. As this was in Paignton, Devon it wasn't too far and it seemed like an utterly amazing idea so, without going home to pack, I joined them.

On the way there, one of the blokes ran off with the tent so we arrived without a clue where we were going to sleep. I didn't even have a sleeping bag, or course. Thankfully we were introduced to a nice bloke with a bus who wasn't averse to having a load of smelly freeloading hippies dossing on his floor.
Although it was a weekend festival I stayed for about 5 days before catching a lift back to Devon on the back of a scary blokes motorcycle.

What happened at the festival is another story (I can't believe how naive yet lucky I was at that time) but when I got back to a very angry and disappointed social worker, she informed me that I'd had the police looking for me everywhere between Paignton and Reading!
(teasus likes tea, Sun 29 Jan 2012, 23:56, 2 replies)

A social worker who actually gave a flying one whether or not you lived or died?
That must have been a while ago.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Mon 30 Jan 2012, 0:46, closed)

haha yeah
it was about 20 years ago. Lived in a children's home run by really amazing people too...
needless to say it got shut down.
(teasus likes tea, Mon 30 Jan 2012, 1:48, closed)