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“I run this florist’s shop now – I rent the premises from my uncle – and I also drive a minicab for the firm next door.

“What I like about England is that everything is more or less in order, compared to Turkey. You have the security of the government behind you. The social life is good. Also, there is always a job for people who work – at least, I’ve never had any problem finding a job here. The downside of the UK is crime, and I hate the fact that the police have to concentrate on traffic offences instead of proper crime. Also, I think they have too much paperwork to do.

“I’m a British citizen now. Whenever I go back to Turkey, I realise how living in England has changed me, in terms of obeying traffic rules, speaking to people, you know. In that way, I have changed. In Turkey it’s a bit faster, intense – being Mediterranean, people can just freak out there, very quickly

“It’s my belief that if you have immigrants like me, it’s good for the country. We bring a different culture, and a new way of understanding life. We tend to be entrepreneurs, we invest in business and that opens up opportunites for English people as well.

“I would like to go back to Istanbul one day. I give myself another nine or ten years. I really want my daughter to go to university here, and then she can decide whether to stay here or come with my wife and me to Turkey. But for now, I love London. I wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.”

Chinese Medical Centre: Ming Liang Chen, 50

Born Qingdao, China

“I was a doctor in a state hospital in Qingdao. My daughter wanted to study in England, and so we moved here in 2000.

“My daughter went to university in Southampton. Now she’s married and has a son and lives in Colindale in London. I see her every day. That is Chinese culture – children and parents stay together.

“I am now self-employed. Luckily for me, Europeans are becoming more interested in herbal medicine and acupuncture.

“I don’t know if we will stay here. I miss my friends and colleagues in China, and my wife is very close to her family back home. Life for us here was almost impossible for the first few years… My English is not so good! If my daughter is settled, I think we will return to China. We will see.”

New Beacon Books: Janice Durham, 51

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