My mouldy Taly South room is making me ill

Hi, I’m Mared, and welcome to my crib.

I wasn’t expecting any luxuries but this is another story

When I moved into my little flat in Talybont South, the first thing I noticed other than the fact it was very, very small was that is smelt funny, like an old caravan. The room was dingy and looked like it needed more than a lick of paint and some carpet cleaner, but at the time I didn’t care – this was uni halls and they had a reputation for not being the most glamorous of places, and that was fine. I was just excited to be there.

Dark mould all in my ensuite

For the first six weeks of University I was very, very ill, a heavy cold, migraines, throwing up, fainting and my throat swelled up at one point leaving me unable to speak. I put this down to freshers flu for the first week or two, but when it persisted, I got a little confused. All of my friends were fine?

What a vista

I’m now six months into University, and although I really enjoy my course and have made a load of great new friends; the state of my accommodation really does affect my experience. I’m constantly ill with colds, fevers, headaches, the works, and it’s having a detrimental effect. I have a weakened immune system to begin with as a result of the many major surgeries on my hip I’ve had over my entire life, so I’m prone to getting ill anyway, but since living at halls, I’ve gotten worse, and all fingers point to the disgusting damp infestation. I already suffer from severe joint pain, especially in my back as I suffer from double curve scoliosis.

I’m due to have surgery on it next year, and I feel like as a disabled student, the University should be taking this matter seriously. It could be adding to the pain I already have. Long term exposure to mould is known for being a cause of joint pain, and most recently I’ve been unable to sleep until stupid hours in the morning because of my back pain, which is having an affect on my education and how I perform.

The worst part of it all is that nobody really seems to be doing anything about it. I had broken blinds when I moved in (not ideal when you’re on the ground floor and everyone can look in) and reported it straight away it took them weeks to fix it, and that was after I called up to ask about it on more than one occasion.

Me looking faf

A spokesperson for Cardiff University said: “We have received a complaint from a student about her room which is being investigated and dealt with in line with the maintenance procedures we have in place. The health, safety and security of our residents is our priority and we will be looking to resolve any maintenance issues as soon as possible.”

After an operation