Today Saturday the town debates the alternative to supermarkets.
Alternative : a thriving economy on the high street - not a supermarket in sight.
Fortunately we've got some influencial thinkers in our town travelling all the way down south by car to join in the debate.
People all across the country are challenging the large companies that try to take over our local ecomomies and drain them of their individuality and vitality and make them grey towns where you would have difficulty knowing where you were.
Visit this web site to get the alternative picture and what a vibrant picture you get.
Ulverston too could be like this and there are some on our council that are determined to help it happen.
3 comments:
Do you realise Geoff ,30 years ago there were more non-local shops in Ulverston than there are today ? Pegrams ,Dewhursts ,Maypole ,Woolworths,Alexanders ,Freeman Hardy Willis ,Greenwoods ,Fosters ,Melias have all gone . Doesn't prove anything except that times change and will continue to change.
Good to hear from you Allen.
Yes I remember using Ulverton shops mainly for food. I was running a thriving business - The Falls Self Catering and Guest House with a lot of food required ( for my unique 'Home Away' service which provided food in all the selfcatering cottages). My Guests loved the unusual and quality local shops like Smith and Harrison which hasn't changed with its magical formula of unique goods to suit the needs of local farmers and businesses - and of course there was Smith and Harrison in Theatre Street with the rickety stairs twenty years before that.
Personally I didn't use the chain stores but rather Parkinsons in Queen's street for their pork pies - now moved on to the jewellery in Market Street, and the butchers in Cavendish street for the best meet in town with their reknown home made Cumberland sausage. The Market provided all my fresh veg often at very good prices if you came at 3:30 just before they packed up on a Saturday. I remember getting a whole crate of lettuces, free, which went to make five gallons of soup for the freezer.
Yes I remember all the A590 two way traffic coming through the Market Square and up Dalton gate before the county road was built. It's unbelievable that all this traffic squeezed through the gap wher Cancer Research now is.
As you say things have changed. Then we had no problems with car parking that I can remember and had a thriving town of local tradesmen providing quality products and services for the needs of the community beyond Ambleside and including Dalton with a fair lot coming from Barrow. - Martin's, Trustees Savings Bank.
There was a real buzz about town which attracted 'offcomers' because of the unusual nature of the town. Glaxo and several other companies were busy.If you picked up the Evening Mail, 80 % of the news came from Ulverston activities.
What went wrong? In my opinion the quality of the town leadership deteriorated and Kendal gradually took a grip. Now even Grange seems more go ahead than Ulverston. Perhaps we became too self satisfied? Over dominated by personalities like Cannon Rimmer, Mr Walls, the Head of Victoria , and Colonel Whittaker of Three Bridges - Miss Richardson and Miss Stevenson. A lot of hat doffing went on . . .
SHOP LOCAL
Taffy Thomas Vs Martin Gilbert why import a welshman? subsidised by Ulverston, against a local lad who works for nought My choice is made.
Tell me a story MARTIN.
ZORO
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