Iceland gets some Woolies

It has been announced that the frozen food retailer 'Iceland' has bought 51 of the recently closed Woolworths stores which should lead to the creation of 2,500 new jobs. Of particular interest in my two counties is the fact that we have been chosen to have two of these: Bodmin in Cornwall and Exmouth in Devon.

Apart from the obvious but rare good news on the employment front another big plus is the fact that these new stores will help to maintain the vibrancy of our town centres. I think most people would agree that the really massive change in retailing in the last twenty or more years has been the development of out-of-town superstores. Like them or loathe them they are a fact of life but inevitably there has been a knock on effect on the viability of High Street shops. As an aside I'll just mention that Tesco are moving forward on their plans to have a new store on the edge of Callington, a smallish town 5 miles to the west of here. What really gets me is the statement by Tesco that a new store would bring extra people into Callington. This is total codswallop! It won't work like that, people will drive to the new Tesco, make it their one-stop shop and drive home again. I'm not saying shoppers should or shouldn't do this, I'm just pointing out that 99% of them won't be enhancing the business of the shops in the heart of that town.

In the lovely country town of Tavistock, over the Devon border but only four miles away there was a small but well loved Woolies, now closed of course. Tavistock's population has expanded to I don't know what to be honest but it must be 10 to 12,000 people. In addition to a large number of independent shops the town centre is host to a small 'Boots' and small 'WH Smith'. On the food side there are somewhat cramped for space Somerfields and Co-op supermarkets whilst separate greengrocers and butchers still make a living. There is also an excellent pannier market open several days of the week. Go now to the outskirts of the town and there is a quite large Morrisons; reinforcing what I said about Tesco earlier it's as if the Morrisons and the town centre shops are in separate universes. One thing that has happened in recent times is that the wet fish sellers in the town have now given up and I know disgruntled individuals making the special trip to Morrisons not because they love the place but because they want to buy some decent fish.

When I go into Tavistock I have to say that I like to use the smaller shops and pannier market in addition to going to Morrisons. Time of day and whether I am using car or bus influence where I go to make my relatively small amount of purchases. I do like the smaller shops and passionately believe in keeping town centres alive and kicking. But there is no denying there are benefits in shopping in the larger superstores although the buildings themselves don't add any individuality to their surroundings.

One thing to finish on - the staff in the town centre stores and in Morrisons are top notch. I'm not a shopaholic, nothing like one but I think most people would agree that you get a good shopping experience in Tavistock!

Beautiful weather for Goose Fair

It's been gloriously sunny here in the Tamar Valley and I would think that just over the border Tavistock has enjoyed much the same. Although gardening has been the way I've enjoyed the great outdoors today I could have slipped into Tavistock for its annual Goose Fair, which I think is one of just two such named events in this country (I have a feeling that the other one has its home in Nottingham). Having been to Goose Fair on two or three previous occasions and not desperate for the sort of retail therapy it provides I decided to give it a miss. One of the features I have enjoyed on previous visits is to listen to the patter delivered by salesmen getting people to buy bundles of towels or whatever off the back of a lorry! A real education.

I would imagine that the sun has drawn the crowds so that would be a blessing for the organisers. The weather is such a lottery and I can remember instances of good and bad for this the second Wednesday in October. With the funfair decamped in one of the main car parks until the end of the week parking will be a bit of a headache in the town for a day or three. Fortunately there is no need for me to drive in there while the fair is on.

'The Pimple' has been bought

If you don't live in the Tavistock area of West Devon you might be puzzled by the title to this blog entry. Well 'The Pimple' is a very small triangular building on the edge of Whitchurch Down - effectively where Tavistock meets Dartmoor. The structure is in fact a folly and was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens no less as an access point to a now disused service reservoir. In Devon one associates Lutyens primarily with the huge Castle Drogo overlooking the Teign Valley. The Cenotaph in Whitehall was another of his works. Anyway 'The Pimple' (dates from 1914) and the 40ft x 40ft old reservoir recently came onto the market, the vendor looking for about £10,000 I believe, and I'm very pleased that an anonymous purchaser has secured the deal, someone keen to see that the folly should stay as it is. As previously there will be no internal access to the building or reservoir. This curiosity is held in great affection by the locals and this link here provides one of the many photos of it you can find on the internet.

I love these quirky buildings!

Tavistock Balloon Fiesta grounded

Some disappointing news has come through this week to the effect that Tavistock's popular hot air balloon fiesta has been cancelled this year and looks as if the 2009 event won't take off either. The main reason given for this sad decision is the ever escalating costs and red tape, something most community events are having to endure today. To their credit Tavistock Town Council had come forward with the offer of a loan of £5000 to help the Tavistock Lions and Round Table who organise the event. However as this loan would have to be repaid out of the fiesta profits it was felt that this option wasn't really viable. To make matters worse the only two practical launching sites, at Tavistock College and land by the Tavistock Football Club, both at Crowndale, are out of commission next year because of work upgrading their respective sports facilities.

The Balloon Fiesta, admittedly not as large as the spectacular one at Bristol, has nevertheless become a major event. I have to say that the significance of such activities in local communities is colossal, apart from the huge pleasure they give and opportunities for benefiting charities they also form part of that essential glue to bind society together and give places a sense of identity. If you have read much of this blog you may realise that I am totally passionate about individuality - one of the abiding pleasures one has is knowing that all parts of this country have occasions unique to their area and that's the way it should be!

Maybe we should be more appreciative of the vast number of community events that take place in this very diverse country of ours and cherish them. It would be an absolute tragedy if cost and bureaucracy were to spell their death knell.

Rare sighting in Tavistock

Yesterday morning I went into Tavistock and was confronted by a rare sight - a policeman! He was standing on the kerb by one of the town's mini roundabouts and couldn't be missed. As we had to walk by him after I had parked the car we had a chance to question him about what he was up to. Believe it or not the local police do like to be seen, as he said it is reassurance for the law abiding public and gives a little jolt for those driving past who might be using a mobile for instance. He made the valid point that they are about more than one may think, as he said if a policeman walked past your door and you didn't look out during that 10 second time frame you wouldn't have been aware of that patrol. I should have asked him what proportion of his time is spent on paperwork, I believe it can be about 50% in some places, though probably not in relatively crime free west Devon.

While on the subject of police I notice that the Royal Cornwall Hospital, who have plenty of money problems, are going to retain the two police posts which are permanently at the Hospital and have been for the last seven years. It is a very sad reflection on society that a hospital needs to shell out money for a permanent police presence: it must be distressing to go to casualty for instance, to patiently wait your turn and then have a violent drunk turn up. Additional trauma not required! If my memory serves me right the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital have, or at least had, two officers under a similar arrangement.