Moving to London from elsewhere in the UK when you’re young is quite the culture shock. Apart from the grime and humidity of the Underground, the morass of people on your daily commute, and the examples of ostentatious wealth sitting side by side with crushing poverty, what can really hit you – especially if you’re fresh from school or university, and have moved to the capital for an ostensibly “nine-to-five” job – is the exhaustion. The hours seem longer, the days more stressful, yet at the same time, everyone and everything moves at a faster pace than you have ever known.

The feeling that you are worked off your feet has an element of truth to it. The Office of National Statistics has this week revealed that Londoners work an average of 33 hours a week, two hours more per week than the rest of the UK. To put it a little more simply, that means that London is at work three weeks longer than the rest of the country per year.

With this in mind, it isn’t hard to understand why London feels so different. London is where the jobs are, if you are young and ambitious, and attracts many people, from all over the world, as a result. This gives it its cosmopolitan, multicultural feel, but the competition for progress, as well as accommodation, pushes up prices, which facilitates the drive for longer hours and more wages. We all know this, and with employers free to pick from such a vast pool of competitive people, it’s not difficult to see why Londoners are currently working longer hours than they have since records began.

Some will point to this as a sign that London is carrying the rest of the UK with it, especially given that the same report says the rest of the country is working fewer hours than, say, 20 years ago. It’s an idea that will play well with many, especially in the wake of the referendum result on Britain’s membership of the EU, with some suggesting that London should separate itself from the UK to form an EU city-state.

MyLondon photography project - In pictures Show all 14 1 /14 MyLondon photography project - In pictures MyLondon photography project - In pictures London calling by Hugh Gary: May 2017 in MyLondon calendar and in 2016 exhibition. “This is Mayfield Lavender. I was just out on a bike ride, and I thought ‘that looks pretty good, especially the phone box in the middle of a field’. There is no phone in the box – it’s just there to look pretty.” Hugh Gary is an ex-British Army serviceman and was helped into housing by the West London Mission’s Big House, a homeless hostel for ex-servicemen. “I went overseas to a few places: all over the Middle East, Australia, Canada.” In the army for 10 years, he left in 2013. “A lot of the homeless people in London are ex-service.” Hugh lives in a self-contained flat after progressing on from the Big House hostel seven months ago. “And then it’s into the big world after that. The flat is only temporary – it’s still part of the Big House. It’s so residents can get used to paying bills.” Hugh hopes to be in his current flat until he finishes a photography course with West London University. Hugh Gary MyLondon photography project - In pictures Drivers Wanted by Richard Fletcher. He was walking past a taxi company on Old Street when he saw the red bus. MyLondon photography project - In pictures The Coffee Roaster by Leo Shaul. “This is George Constantinou in the Camden Coffee Shop, an independent coffee roaster in Delancy Street, Camden Town”, says Shaul, who decided to approach George when he got the contest camera. MyLondon photography project - In pictures St Paul's in Reflection by Christopher McTavis. The photographer says he purposefully put his foot, seen on the floor behind the glass, into the photo. MyLondon photography project - In pictures Peeking out by Jackie Cook: January 2017 in MyLondon calendar and in 2016 exhibition. This is Jackie Cook’s friend Mia Lyons leaving the Mansion House Underground Station on the day of the contest. “We liked the old bannisters and all the wrought iron… It was a spontaneous picture.” Mia and Jackie go to the same drama class and to Haringey Recovery Service, which is run in partnership with St Mungo’s, where Mia is a pottery teacher and Jackie does voluntary meditation teaching. “It’s important to share what people have given to you and never forget where you come from,” Jackie says. “Never ever look down on anybody unless you’re picking them up.” She says she is fortunate to have never had to sleep rough but she has “been on my knees… I ruined all my teeth with drugs, so today I stand on my feet and I smile with pride, I’m really happy with my life today. I don’t have any family - I was brought up in children’s homes. My friends are my family.” Jackie Cook MyLondon photography project - In pictures Camden look by Saffron Saidi: In 2016 MyLondon exhibition. Saffron Saidi saw this woman wearing an old bus driver hat in Camden Town, near the markets and asked her to hold her dog Dotdot. Saffron moved to London from Falmouth in 1996 and lives in Brixton. “I’ve spent most of my life in care. I had a documentary made about me in the ‘90s called Who Cares Wins.” Saffron got accepted into University of Westminster photography course but had to pull out: “I was diagnosed with learning disabilities which made the academic writing on the course extremely difficult… but my talent as a photographer was never questioned as I had an unconditional offer.” She goes to Cooltan Arts, describing it as “a lifeline”. “It keeps me alive.” Saffron Saidi MyLondon photography project - In pictures Banksy's Dalmatian by Saffron Saidi: Cover of 2017 MyLondon calendar and in 2016 exhibition. “I was ecstatic, I couldn’t believe that I’d found another Banksy!” says Saffron Saidi. She asked the man who was working in the Hoxton bar near the Banksy mural of a policeman with a Poodle to hold the lead of her Dalmatian Dotdot: “Another Banksy in Southwark also has a dog with a lead. The barman said that apparently Banksy likes dogs.” Saffron moved to London from Falmouth in 1996 and lives in Brixton. “I’ve spent most of my life in care. I had a documentary made about me in the ‘90s called Who Cares Wins.” Saffron got accepted into University of Westminster photography course but had to pull out: “I was diagnosed with learning disabilities which made the academic writing on the course extremely difficult… but my talent as a photographer was never questioned as I had an unconditional offer.” She goes to Cooltan Arts, describing it as “a lifeline”. “It keeps me alive.” Saffron Saidi MyLondon photography project - In pictures What now? by Laz Ozerden. He took the shot close to Highbury & Islington Station. “For me this picture is like ‘I am nothing and I am everything.’” MyLondon photography project - In pictures Reflecting Sculpture by Hugh Gary. “It’s all reflections, all mirrors. It’s on the canal near Camden around the back of St Pancras. It’s a round a circular garden which is set inside an old gas tank frame. And then there’s new builds going on in the other frames as well. I just thought it would give nice illusions.” In the army for 10 years, he left in 2013. “A lot of the homeless people in London are ex service. And there isn’t really many places that support ex service when it comes to homelessness.” He is currently in his own self contained flat after progressing on from the Big House, a homeless hostel for ex service. “And then it’s into the big world after that. I left the hostel about seven months ago. The flat is only temporary – it’s still part of the Big House. It’s so residents can get used to paying bills and maintaining yourself and your accommodation.” Hugh hope’s to be in his current flat until he finishes a photography course with West London University. Hugh Gary MyLondon photography project - In pictures St Paul's Cathedral by Michelle Goldberg: In 2016 MyLondon exhibition. Michelle Goldberg says she “snuck up to the roof” of a building to get this shot while attended a function in a building on Queen Victoria Street on the day the cameras were handed out. “It’s a lovely view - a rooftop shot of St Paul’s Cathedral, of the towers.” “I’m a Londoner. I was born here. My family have been here four generations, possibly five. My grandparents were in the markets.” Michelle has a long term medical condition and lives in temporary accommodation. “I’ve had four heart attacks, three strokes, a lung collapse.” Michelle Goldberg MyLondon photography project - In pictures “It’s at the market in the morning, and that’s the place where I do shopping. It’s at the market next to Commercial Road”, says Goska Calik. “I was on the way to work and they just stopped in the middle and took out my camera. Last year Goska had the winning photo as chosen by the judges and joined the RPS photography mentoring group. She says she gains a lot from it, “especially for meeting people and taking photos.” She also enjoyed meeting people that share the same passion for photography. “Yesterday I went along with Frances to take photos. That is the most important thing to not just go home and be alone there.” Goska Calik MyLondon photography project - In pictures Out of The Blue by Beatrice. “It was a really hot day,” says Beatrice. “I liked the blue of the sky and the white of the wall. I looked around and saw the red watering can. Perfect! It was still not quite right though. I raised my hand and it cast a strong shadow on the wall, as if I was reaching for the watering can. I was finally pleased with this composition.” Beatrice MyLondon photography project - In pictures Group stretch by Siliana. “It was the first day I collected the camera. I saw people starting to gather around in Trafalgar Square. The security guard said it was going to happen ‘any minute now’ but in the end I waited four hours just for the dance. A friend of mine was with me, she told me it’s something that happens every year. A dance where people enjoy, where people of all ages dance all together. This was their warm up when they were stretching.” Siliana squats in a church in south London, but it’s “under threat” and she’s unsure of the future. She says the squat had 30 to 40 people living in it but when they had the court papers given to them many people left. Siliana was in the calendar last year and is now active in the Café Art photography mentoring group run by volunteers from The Royal Photographic Society which meets up every two weeks to learn photography skills with digital cameras. Siliana MyLondon photography project - In pictures Arcadia by Keith Norris: August 2017 in MyLondon calendar and in 2016 exhibition. This photo is of a male mannequin in a shop window with Louise Danby, a fellow member from Crisis. It was taken in Hatton Garden, “which was kind of an Arcadia of gems and arts,” says Keith who says he has done quite a lot of photography over the years. Louise has had several winning photos in previous MyLondon contests, and she was the one who encouraged him to come and pick up a contest camera at St Paul’s Cathedral. He grew up in Canonbury, Islington in the 1960s when it was quieter than today, with a lot less traffic on the roads. After several years travelling in Europe he returned to London and was homeless for several years. “I was homeless from 1984 to 1992, sleeping rough on the unused railway bridge in Shoreditch. Now it’s the Overground, but in those days it had no rails and was almost impossible to get to. To get up there you had to be fighting fit.”

But to my mind, it is this London-centric, self-celebratory culture that is part of the problem the UK currently faces. The “live to work” philosophy has led London into a position of splendid isolation: wealthy beyond measure, but miserable beyond belief, and completely out of touch with an increasingly resentful nation.

London is like a vacuum, hoovering up the best and brightest from all around the UK and the lions’ share of financial resources with it. It’s hardly surprising, given the brain drain, that the productivity of the provinces is lower: there are fewer hard-working people to do the work, not to mention fewer young people of working age. Some may say this is because industry has closed in former industrial towns, and traditional jobs have disappeared. This is of course true, but new industries can’t flourish in such places either if the creative minds to think of them have all moved away.

Cities like Manchester and Liverpool have undergone relative transformations in recent years, and are wonderful cities, but when their university students graduate, a significant portion move South – and for all the talk of building a “Northern Powerhouse”, one still notes that London has a disproportionate amount of money lavished on its infrastructure.

And what of the souls who move to London, who do the hard work? A high proportion of my contemporaries suffer from stress and depression – and though it’s tempting to write them all off as “generation snowflake”, there are deeper reasons why waiting lists for therapists and counsellors are so long in London. It is surely no coincidence that, the moment a bank holiday comes round, they leave for the countryside in their droves.

Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Show all 12 1 /12 Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A woman poses with a home-made European Union flag as Remain supporters gather on Park Lane in London to show their support for the EU in the wake of Brexit PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Remain supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the result of the EU referendum PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A majority of people in the capital voted to remain in the European Union Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Protesters chanted: “What do we want to do? Stay in the EU” PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The march follows a similar rally in Trafalgar Square that was cancelled due to heavy rain – but which tens of thousands of people turned up to anyway Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum by 52 per cent to 48 per cent Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London But support for the Leave campaign in urban areas and among young people was significantly lower Rex features Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Marchers gathered at Park Lane at 11am and marched towards Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Some protesters held up baguettes in a display of affection for our continental neighbours PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The disparity between different parts of the country has promoted a four million signature petition calling for a second referendum and even a renewed push for Scotland to cede from the UK PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The event’s organiser, King’s College graduate Kieran MacDermott, wrote: “We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button" Reuters

Hard work is no bad thing, and a city like London will always have a higher workload than even other global cities. But in its haste to be the greatest metropolis in the history of mankind, the people of London must not forget the nation that has allowed it to flourish.