This has made me angry. My town, Nuneaton, is in the heart of the country, in Warwickshire no less, home of Shakespeare. George Eliot actually came from this town and there are a few statues of her dotted about, not to mention the local Weatherspoons (Felix Holt) named after one of her novels. You'd think that a place like this is idyllic. WRONG!
We have ONE theatre, thatis so run down and hidden behind a huge (and brand new ) Lidl supermarket, that never attracts ANYONE of notice because Bedworth (town down the road), has it's Civic Hall (another huge monstrosity). That's one problem. It's a joint Borough - Nuneaton & Bedworth. As Bedworth has the Civic Hall that means that Nuneaton has to make do with it's Saturday Matinee Theatre.
A huge building in the heart (practically) of Nuneaton that closed down about 5 years ago is the old Gala Bingo building. Opposite is the old pub the Kingsholme. Opposite the Gala is the massive Co-Op Car Park that is regularly full, especially this time of year, waiting half an hour to find a spot sometimes (luckily I walk in as I live 2 minutes away, hence I guess, the more personal tone of this rant). A few years ago some very close friends had the idea to open a new theatre in the Gala building. The inside is actually listed so it cannot get torn down. They were guided around the pitch black building by the estate agent and came back with a head full of ideas. Plans were drawn up, funding was investigated thoroughly and several emails were sent. Then...Silence. The idea of having another Theatre in Nuneaton went up in a puff of smoke. No replies were received from those in the council. It was sold not long after with rumours of 'new appartments'. This was a while ago now, so what has got me worked up today?
This - http://www.nuneaton-news.co.uk/News/Shoppers-paradise-14122011.htm
For Friggs sake.
In this town we have a very big ASDA, a big SAINSBURY'S, A CO-OP, a brand new LIDL, an ICELAND, and if we drive 2 minutes away we have ANOTHER CO-OP and a FARMFOODS in Horeston Grange. Not to mention several 'express shops' and 'premier shops'. What this town does NOT need, in any sense at all, is another supermarket. The one giant we do not have is a TESCO (apart from the small express stores), but that's ok as 1) Bedworth has just, this week, opened a MASSIVE new store in the centre, 2) The RICOH Arena 10 minutes drive away has the HUGEST store there is and 3) Tesco food is rubbish. So, it's ok to have one, and only one theatre in this identikit town of ours which, again lets stress, has GEORGE ELIOT as it's daughter. You know, the worldwide, Globespanning author of Middlemarch, Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Daniel Deronda and more, as Bedoworth has 'our Borough's' Jewel in the crown of live theatre and when asked about it, we are silenced. But when a conglomorate like Morrisons appears, it's smiles all round and get your chequebooks out. We, as a town, have NOTHING to show for our cultural history. A museum in the local park is never advertised or promoted in town, George Eliot might has well have lived in Barnsley.
This is not the first instance either. If you will allow me to go on a little more please. The old Woolworths (another huge space) in town closed and was replaced by...discount store TJ Hughes which subsequantly went bust and left the space open, and that went to...discount store Poundland (even though we already have one). And what will the old Poundland become? This is pure specualation but let me hazard a guess at a charity shop, to add to our large collection of these in the town (I counted 14 so far). Just yesterday it was anounced that the site of the old Graziers Arms is to become...KFC. The old Co-Op building in Queens Road was bulldozed a few years ago to create...Lidl. The area behind Wilkinsons is earmarked for development with a hotel and shops stated. I'm guessing it'll be a Premier Inn with Starbucks, Costa, maybe a Primark (people have been shouting for one of these, as they are 'cheap'. That's what Nuneaton needs isn't it? Cheap clothes shops?) Recently the Marks and Spencer's in town closed. No wonder if the town is full of discount shops, charity shops and phone shops, yet only one bookshop (Waterstones, not exactly independant is it, and freaking expensive too). Why does the council not sit up and realise that, with a little bit of thought, we can make a go at this culture thing.
Recently my wife and I went for a random drive, we do often, just to go somewhere we hadn't before. We ended up in Litchfield half an hour away. I encountered 4 independant bookshops, small boutiques selling handmade crafts, clothes, bags, shoes, paintings, cakes and sweets. It was a revelation. It sparked in me a desire to open my own shop in Nuneaton like this, my idea being a bookshop. Somewhere where the local population had somewhere to meet, chat, have a coffee etc. I'd have reading groups, acoustic nights in the shop, poetry reading, knitting clubs, comedy nights and more. A social hub of the town. The idea is something that will stay with me and might surface again, but in this town the only thing that can survive is the High Street. How can we change this? In this town, we can't. I'd love to get a group of people with the same ideas as me and have a real go at making a cultural, independant area of the town. It'll attract a global population to the town I'm sure, with overweight Americans coming to the 'quaint and idyllic area of George Eliots hometown'. They can then have a drink in the Felix Holt (I'm sure the clientel that frequent that place do not realsie it's an Eliot reference). But it won't happen, we'll get a Morrisons instead.
I apologise for this next bit, but it Fucks me off.
M x
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