The
Twitter-savvy Addlestonians among you who enjoy a virtual exchange on the topic
of all things local every now and again (and it fills me with
joy to report the numbers are ever growing) will know that it's not too
uncommon for one person's spontaneous hashtag to gather apace and develop into
a full blown trend. Perhaps not a worldwide trend (...yet...) but at least a
trend within the bounds of KT15.
One
such trend, #IfYouKnowAddlestone, came about in December keeping
Addlestonians and Twitterers elsewhere informed and entertained for at least 24 hours, sharing the most
intimate insider knowledge that only a true Addlestonian could know. Here is a
selection of what followed...
#IfYouKnowAddlestone you'll know
that the station smells more like p*!@# the further down the platform you go
#IfYouKnowAddlestone surrey
towers is the place TO BE!!!!
#IfYouKnowAddlestone you've got to love a large doner from Kebab
Land
#IfYouKnowAddlestone you know never to go there hahahhaha
Happy New Year Addlestonians! What a turbulent
beginning to 2013 it's turned out to be in these parts. I speculated before
Christmas that the people of Addlestone might witness some snow yet, however
sadly this wasn't to be the case during December. In fact, the climate we
experienced remained largely temperate throughout the end of the year; a far
cry from what Attel, our original Addlestonian friend would have experienced
900 years ago as he waded through the frosty valley carrying a spear in one
hand and a drinking-horn of supermarket value mead in the other. Although,
that's no consolation for the proportion of Addlestonians who were repeatedly
affected by power cuts from 22nd December, leaving them with no heating at all
and causing chicken kormas to stand cold and motionless in microwaves all over
town. Of course, it wasn't all plain
sailing (or, should I say, skating) outside either, with temperatures dipping
to the unrelenting lows of -4°C, giving rise to some precarious driving conditions.
With the New Year came a bout of exciting weather
when, from 17th January, Addlestonians were hit by flurries of snow with
snowflakes the size of cornflakes, leading to the closure of schools and
paralysing our local public transport. The disruption began with a unique
variety of snow - a silent, invisible kind specific to Addlestone that led to
the outright cancellation of rail services through Addlestone the day before
any snowfall could be seen with the naked eye. Such is the imperceptible nature
of Addlesnow.
Needless to say, unlike the snow, reactions came in
thick and fast on Twitter:
"So no trains for the people of #chertsey and
#addlestone then!"
"I might understand a reduced service but no service
at all even before the snow has arrived seems a little extreme"
"How can addlestone station already of cancelled
their trains tomorrow and not one drop of snow?"
"Are
you joking there isn't even snow yes pt and they canceled addlestone trains all
ready omfg HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA"
Courtesy of @MilesPerLitre
"06.55 Addlestone station. No snow at all.
No @sw_trains either, all cancelled"
"Err my car's not iced up or anything. Yet no trains
from #addlestone??!! What a joke"
"No trains running from addlestone, looks like I
can't get in for my exam, brilliant"
"Update on my week of unluckiness: stuck in
addlestone with no trains running to Guildford"
"Emergency timetable has been extended until
tomorrow so no trains for Chertsey/Addlestone on Saturday
either #surreysnow"
"Looks like taxi into and home from work again
today. No 51 bus and no trains again. Why is #Addlestone being singled
out?"
"S***. No @SW_Trains from Addlestone tomorrow. How
the feck am I supposed to get to work? Looks like a long walk to weybridge
tomorrow"
There was one train that paid us forlorn
Addlestonians a visit, chuffing past in all its glory not just through a snow storm, but at the precise scheduled time of 13:29 as pointed
out by @CoxeyLoxey:
"Due at 1329hrs....went through Addlestone at
1329hrs...only train today & tomorrow @ClanLine28 pic.twitter.com/ffDUDxXu"
Seize this chance to re-live that
majestic moment which was filmed and posted by @BritishRailTV:
Forced to abandon work and school, some
Addlestonians took the chance to capture the action and get creative:
Courtesy of @garyshield73
Courtesy of @chrissiespics
Courtesy of @SurreyAd
Thanks to a few unlawful Addlestonians it was
business as usual for the Police who were robbed of all chance to frolic in the
snow, but did get to smash a door in:
Courtesy of @rogernield2703
Courtesy of @SurreyPolice
In other news, Addlestone's very own Domino's Pizza opened at 144A Station Road (@AtownDominos), taking pride of place opposite Dominic's Pizza and gathering a loyal customer base within days:
"Me and the fam just destroyed several dominos
pizzas. Addlestone dominos is so good. (Maybe better than Weybridge?!)"
An Addlestonian poll revealed a relative lack of support for Domino's, what would become the town's fourth pizza supplier, with 31% for and 68% against
(out of an admittedly small sample of 16 people), however we Addlestonians, the
forgiving people we are, were willing to put our differences aside and embrace
the newcomer with open arms, and mouths. That gruelling one-and-a-half mile journey to the next outlet in Weybridge is no longer a trip we need to make, although I can't help thinking the biggest sigh of relief will be coming from the Weybridge delivery drivers.
In January we also had to bid a sad farewell
to the short-lived Nobby's Nibbles only four months after saying hello (that is, those of us who noticed it was there in the first place). All please welcome Luigi's Sandwich & Coffee now
occupying the same building on 212 Station Road, east of the station.
What else has been going down in the hood in
January 2013:
Tills ring, are you
listening? In the rain, neon's
glistening.
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Christmas lights by TESCO
Addlestone.
December 2011
Ho, ho, ho Addlestonians!
The festive season is upon us and since 1st December Addlestonians have been
starting off their days by prising open an advent calendar window to reveal one
of 25 chocolatey treats in the run up to Christmas day. Multiplied by however
many advent calendars they have.
Many will go on to spruce
up for a day of Christmas shopping, which will typically involve leaving town
in favour of Staines or Woking where potential gifts are easier to come by.
With the exception of household electronics, cards and wrapping paper which
TESCO and Primart have covered nicely between them.
Addlestone hasn't been
hanging about in preparation for these festive times. Buildings up and down
Station Road have been sporting twinkly Christmas trees for weeks, adding
an extra bit of graceful magic to the high street. Yes, even more magic!
In fact, the glitzy Christmas trees
hanging up along Station Road bring a party atmosphere to Addlestone as much as
enchantment. Flickering away alongside each other in hues of red, green
and blue and illuminating the street through the long winter nights,
pedestrians might think themselves in a nightclub and drivers maybe a scene
from Tron. Either way, it's an impressive sight for the late-night ambler to
behold and a welcome ingredient in Addlestonian life.
Last year's Christmas light switch-on, November 2011
On 24th November
Addlestonians from far and wide and a few special guests gathered next to the
TESCO roundabout to witness the enchanting Christmas lights switch-on and
partake in the carol-singing and mince pie munching along with the Addlestone
Salvation Army Band, all to the backdrop of TESCO's entrancingly festive neon
sign. Once again the lights were made possible by generous contributions from
local businesses who dug deep into their pockets, putting together thousands of
pounds in a commendable display of community spirit. I don't have precise
figures, so can't highlight what percentage of that might have come from the
world's third-largest retailer, but if nothing else the superstore has
contributed in her own way by putting her party hat on this Christmas. If you
thought the blazing glow of the TESCO neon sign over the heart of Addlestone
was convivial enough as it was, think again.
Special guests at the
Addlestone Christmas lights switch-on included Mayor of Runnymede Cllr Linda
Gillham...
Cllr Linda Gillham, Mayor of Runnymede (image from @DontLetYourTea)
As well as old St. Nick
himself, who took a day off fom making iPads and reading letters in his Lapland
chalet to sing carols in Addlestone, a town he allegedly holds dear to his
heart. "After a busy Christmas, there's nothing I enjoy more than to come
down to Addlestone for a nice curry in my favourite Indian restaurant" he might
have said.
Father Christmas (image from @DontLetYourTea)
Hold your reindeers Santa, Christmas
hasn't even started yet!
Whereas parts of the county have
already experienced a light dusting or two, Addlestone is yet to be touched by
snow this December. If previous years are anything to go by then there's every
chance Addlestonians might wake up to a coating by the end of the month, but
for the time being it looks like we'll be sticking with predominantly crisp skies and the odd cloud or shower. Leave the sledges in the garage for now, folks.
On that note I leave you with this video from a few years ago filmed by King's Church which I thought it was only appropriate to share. God rest ye merry, Addlestonians. God rest ye merry.
How are you celebrating this Christmas? Share your Addlestonian tradition below or tweet me @TheAddlestonian.
The Autumn months are now well and truly upon us and we've
reached that time of year where a dwindling summer which picked up deceptively
towards the end (some call it an Indian summer, I prefer Addlestonian summer)
has come to a definitive end. The leaves are turning golden, the nights are
longer and everyone's wearing at least one layer of clothing. Addlestonians did get the chance to bask in the odd
gloriously warm and sunshiny, sometimes even tropical day during August though, giving
some of us that long-awaited chance to walk up and down Station Road with a
t-shirt slung over one shoulder, leaving what was exposed of us to turn our favourite shade of scorched red. We might not have all had the
time to put on a fully-fledged barbecue at such short notice but we could have
a good crack at cooking ourselves. Those of us who weren't happy waiting around for the fickle
yellow ball in the sky to pay us a visit set off for other parts of the world,
leaving not just the perimeter of the M25 but the whole British Isles in search
of fair weather. It seems a radical solution but it really works, or at least some of the
time. On returning from my chosen corner of the Costa Blanca I discovered on
Twitter that, against all odds, a like-minded Addlestonian had chosen the very
same holiday destination as I had after both remarking on a severe downpour of
rain that had flooded the roads and cleared the beach in seconds. The storm had
been in Addlestone the day before, but hunted down our great minds eventually. August and September also marked the end of the Olympics and
Paralympics, which inspired the nation right until the end with four
spectacular ceremonies (no tribute to Addlestone to speak of, but I'll let it
pass) and countless outstanding displays of sporting talent, not least
exemplified by team Gold Britain.After
seven years of cynical grumbling and in some cases downright despair of London
2012, the Games which kept Addlestonians and those from beyond glued to their
television screens ended on such a high so seldom felt by this year's host
nation that we're left without a clue what to do with ourselves now. It
might have been nice at the time if the Torch relay or road cycling had graced
Station Road, but at least a St George's college schoolgirl was given the chance
to carry the Torch 20 miles away in Harrow. Now, following the summer-long
excitement, the patriotic flags that once adorned the buildings of Station Road have
been moved elsewhere,and along with the rest of the country, Addlestone ticks along as before. One bright thing that did pay us a visit during August was
the International Space Station, which could be seen sweeping over Addlestone
in the hours following sunset as pointed out efficiently and reliably by @CoxeyLoxey on Twitter. If you didn't manage to catch a glimpse of it, then be
sure to keep an eye out next year. In fact, why not demonstrate what agreeable
folk we are by gathering as a town and waving?
During August I also asked Addletweeters what a suitable
nickname for Addlestone might be.Bronx
of Weybridgewas the first
suggestion I received. "How about theTown
of Almosts" suggested one Tweeter, alluding to our local treasures
Primart, Nandi's and Dominic's pizza. One Addlestonian proposedThe Town too Tough to die,
referring to a 1942 western film of the same name set in a town called
Tombstone.The Town too Tough
to Dietfollowed shortly
after. One Tweeter proposed a twinning with District 9, a South African slum
inhabited by extraterrestrial refugees, while another went for the short and
sweet Asbostone. If Runnymede Borough Council was thinking of
rebranding the town with a slogan, look no further for inspiration than this
paragraph.
September brought with it (confirmed) rumours that a couple
of our empty retail units are to be filled at long last, and you might be
surprised to learn what will be filling them. Are you ready? Brace
yourselves:
Starbucks and Domino's Pizza.
Now, where have I heard those names before? Oh yes,
everywhere!
Despite the ubiquitous nature of Starbucks I expected a few more positive
reactions to the prospect of another coffeehouse in the town and appreciation
of its cosmopolitan pizzaz that some coffee-lovers find it so attractive for.
Nonetheless, it ruffled the feathers of a number of Addlestone-based Tweeters...
- There's a Costa, isn't that enough?
- Not until we get a Nero
- What??!! Where??!! Not that I actually like
Starbucks much but wow
-#CafeRouge
required 4that
Word of Domino's arrival proved even more controversial...
-I was
told Domino's were moving in. Another pizza place is all we need
- Seriously? Where is it moving in? Addlestone is
literally just a fastfood outlet now
-Poor
Dominic's [pizza] that's all I say, right opposite!!
-Another
takeaway f*** me like there's not enough already
-Domino's
aren't they already here. We're a Macky D's away from being the takeaway
capital of Europe
-I'm sure
it will fit right in with Pizza Hut and Dominic's pizza that's already in the
town. Lol
- As a former Addlestonian this does nothing to
encourage me to move back! #toomanytakeaways
It's true that with Pizza Hut, Addlestone's ownDominic'sPizza and, unmentioned above, Papa
John's all within a mere 300 yards of each other, Addlestone isn't short of
establishments to grab a pizza. I was curious to know whether Runnymede Borough
Council truly thought that Domino's would be a positive addition to the town,
so I posed the question to them (Twitter: @RunnymedeBC). I wouldn't like to put
words in their mouth, so I'll interpret their month-long silence as ongoing
deliberation.
Addlestone's new arrivals seem to be a hot topic, so I'll
return to the subject as more unfolds. For now though, let's welcome a few
other recent newcomers:
Nobby's Nibbles(212
Station Road)
Stanley House Chinese(174 Station Road)
The Beauty Room(85
Station Rd)
I'm sure we'll get to know these better in the coming
months. Take part in the poll below to indicate whether you would like to see Starbucks or Domino's Pizza in Addlestone town. Also leave a comment or tweet your views to @TheAddlestonian!
Would Starbucks be a positive addition to Addlestone?
Would Domino's Pizza be a positive addition to Addlestone?
Regular readers of this blog might have noticed a slight tendency of mine to indulge in a bit of light TESCO-bashing every once in a while. My main motive for this is that despite the evident benefit the store brings to Addlestone and the surrounding areas as a place where you can find just about anything you need around the clock, be it clothes, your weekly food shop, a last-minute gift or a midnight snack, it makes it nigh-on impossible for nearby independent shops to compete and survive. You might picture me then as a principled man, valiantly sticking to my guns at every opportunity and avoiding the store in favour of independently-owned offerings, but sadly the truth is I shop at TESCO regularly, making me a complete hypocrite. Or you could just see me as another victim of the vicious circle that living next to a superstore entails. Yes, let's stick with that one.
Some news this week, however, has given me fresh grounds to pick the place apart, and indeed fresh hope that I might not have to see the alien mothership-resembling monstrosity for much longer when I walk into town, albeit for unfortunate reasons.
You may have seen the Get Surrey articleTesco takes action over "filthy" Addlestone store from last Thursday, which I spotted circulating on Twitter. After a recent environmental health report by Runnymede Borough Council the store was described as "filthy" and having "extremely poor standards" by the hygiene inspector, according to the article. This surprised me at first as, I have to admit, I had never noticed its cleanliness to be any worse than that of my own home (maybe even better) but as you make your way through the article it becomes clearer why. It turns out the offending areas were in fact out of public view, namely the bakery and behind the deli counter, as well as the fish fridge. That is to say right in those areas we could all do with being pretty spick and span.
After this report came to light, TESCO claimed they "insist on the highest standards of hygiene ... and are very disappointed by this isolated incident". This prompted them to re-train their Addlestone staff, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to pick up a cloth every once in a while. The article also points out that this wasn't the first "isolated incident" where TESCO Addlestone had been busted for neglect of hygiene, as an inspection in 2010 revealed the same problem. That's two years worth of dirty doughnuts.
Because of TESCO's readiness to put things right, they were let off on this occasion with no action taken against them. However, I'm sure they can expect to feel the full force of Runnymede Borough Council if they're found not to be complying again, assuming RBC are taking a "three-strikes-and-your-out" approach.
Of course, the risk of a mucky kitchen probably won't be enough to deter the loyal TESCO shoppers of Addlestone from purchasing pants, chicken tikka masalas, bouquets of flowers or even the occasional bag of doughnuts from the superstore, as the convenience of it is so utterly irresistible. Heck, I'm covering my keyboard in jam and sugar as I type. Iwillwipe it up though.
Click hereto read the full Get Surrey article, and tweet your views to@TheAddlestonian.
For anyone who has never gone to the lengths of visiting Addlestone, the following seven-minute video will provide you with a good insight into the town's spirit, ambience and culture. Residents alike can enjoy the video to observe their hometown from a different perspective, through the medium of a glossy motion picture:
Indeed; the current situation is a bit grim.
The video opens by introducing Addlestone as one of Runnymede's key town centres. In what way that's true I can't even begin to fathom, but if it is then I suspect it has something to do with the mammoth TESCO Extra that's so important to the town's local economy, or so the video claims. In that case the narrator might as well have bypassed the notion of Addlestone altogether and made sole reference to the superstore, which supposedly keeps the town chugging along nicely.
She admits, however, that TESCO has made it "difficult for smaller independent shops to survive, leading to a lack of competition within the town". In other words, TESCO is raking it in, but Addlestone's home-grown businesses along the high street (or what's left of it) are suffering, largely as a result of the former's success. Well, who could have seen that coming? Apart from takeaway outlets of course. No; that's one industry that continues to thrive in Addlestone.
Despite being one of Runnymede's key town centres, it's claimed in the same breath that not many have heard of Addlestone (an odd state of affairs for a key town centre) and yet it hasn't had the best reputation (quite an achievement for a town not many have heard of). So in summary, Addlestone is an essential, although little-known, yet unpopular place. With this paradoxical message in mind, let's have a look at what the video was actually for...
The video was created by Runnymede Borough Council and put forward for the Portas Pilot Scheme. The Portas Pilot Scheme comes after Mary Portas (a.k.a Mary Queen of Shops) was called upon by the government to make an assessment of British towns in December 2011 to find a way to revive the country's most struggling high streets.
Since the scheme was announced, councils up and down the country, including Addlestone's very own, have been bidding like crazy with the aim of securing the prize of £100,000, available for twelve successful towns to go towards local projects. Of course being "successful" in this case means being the most impressive failure.
In order for a town to show itself worthy of such charity, its council would have to submit a video like the one above in which various people would beg for help in between shots of empty, dilapidated buildings before rounding it off in an optimistic tone. They would need to explain the town's troubles and how the money would be invested.
In Addlestone's bid, some valid points were put forward to highlight the town's great potential. It's close to London. It's close to junction 11 of the M25 (although I personally avoid it when I need it most, i.e. rush hour). It has a good bus and train service (a quick escape). It's recently had up to 300 new homes built (I would have sooner mentioned we have a Gregg's). The narrator also draws attention to Addlestone's "new" Civic Centre, newly completed in 2008. I join her in her admiration of the building for bringing a police station, library and Runnymede Borough Council offices under one roof, but "state-of-the-art"? I think someone's overestimating the charms of this building. Let's consider this for a moment...
It's always been my view that any new construction should compliment its local surroundings, or at the very least be a pleasure to look at. This might, for instance, involve taking inspiration from other nearby buildings or drawing on the local architectural flavour. Here's what the architects had in the vicinity to inspire them:
Here's what I would have recommended they steer clear of:
Here's the design they came up with:
That's right; the architects of Addlestone Civic Centre embraced the character of the local area wholeheartedly and chose to draw all inspiration from the worst period in architectural history: the 1960's. At least it's in harmony with its surroundings.
The narrator proudly announces that the Civic Centre will be the benchmark of design and quality the town can expect. I have to admit, that fills me more with horror than confidence. Still, for all my criticism the building won a Royal Institute of British Architects award in 2009 and was also shortlisted for a British Council for Offices Award and Building Award for Public Building of the Year in 2009. Baffled, I'll admit defeat on that one.
Lastly the narrator highlights the relatively sizable expanse of disused land right next to the Civic Centre which is available for development, and essentially another blank canvas for developers to do their magic on. It is to be used ideally for "a good mixture of shops and an investment catalyst that will help kickstart the recovery of the town". Hey I know, what about a TESCO?
The rest of the video is spent explaining that the regeneration of Addlestone would help it act as a springboard for two of Runnymede's other town centres, Egham and Chertsey. It transpires that this is all part of the council's "very ambitious agenda" involving all three towns, beginning with Egham, where phase one of the new "corporate business plan" will involve replacing car park space with a large development of a Waitrose and Travelodge, to start construction this year. Yet another supermarket along with a sterile, prosaic hotel. Why, that's too ambitious for words. I'm still not sure what it has to do with Addlestone.
So of course the question you all want to ask is, just what did Mary Queen of Shops think? Well, the twelve successful towns were announced in late May, and after a perusal or two of the winners I noticed Addlestone didn't feature among them.
Obviously, it was going to be a long shot in the first place. Addlestone was just one of many towns all around the country whose councils had an inkling that a local improvement or two wouldn't go amiss. If wehadwon funding, we would have had to concede that Addlestone was one of the twelve most desperate towns in the country, so we can crack open a carton of TESCO Value wine to celebrate in that respect.
Nonetheless, we don't quite know Mary's opinion. Perhaps she thought Addlestone had potential enough to thrive of its own accord eventually. On the other hand it could mean, as @addlesy suggested on Twitter, "maybe Mary felt we are a lost cause :(" It might be that she wasn't overly impressed with the plans that were laid out for the money. All are equally plausible.
However, we can give ourselves a better idea. Here is the list of successful towns and what they plan to spend the money on (copied from communities.gov.uk) along with links to their video bids where possible. I encourage you to watch them:
Bedford – offering mentoring support for High Street businesses and community use of empty properties.
Croydon, Greater London – transforming the riot-stricken area’s historic Old Town market into a thriving market, food and cultural quarter.
Dartford, Kent – opening up central spaces for use by classes and clubs, from the Scouts to Slimming World and starting a ‘school for shopkeepers’.
Bedminster, Bristol – putting Bedminster on the map for Street Art and Street Theatre. A bicycle rickshaw service and a review of parking will also tackle the traffic environment.
Liskeard, Cornwall – competing against the edge of town supermarket with a vibrant arts scene, guerrilla gardening and yarn bombing to inject fun back into the town centre.
Margate, Kent – putting education and enjoyment at the heart of the town centre’s transformation with courses, “job club” services and pop up shops.
Market Rasen, Lincolnshire – drawing customers in by restoring the market town look and feel, advertising free parking and mentoring new businesses.
Nelson, Lancashire – attracting local students with a young persons café, sports activities, and a new art and vintage market.
Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland – better branding of the town to draw people in, improving local transport and hosting pop up shops.
Stockport, Greater Manchester – realising the character and potential of the Markets and Underbanks area with a creative arts complex, outdoor screenings, a new parking strategy and street champions.
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire – live entertainment at the Globe Theatre to boost the evening leisure economy alongside specialist High Street and evening markets.
Wolverhampton – bringing the city will to life with modern day town criers and on-street performers and a ‘dragon’s den’ style competition to support local entrepreneurs.
It swiftly becomes apparent that what the winning towns all share in their plans is an emphasis on localism; an interest in encouraging or propping up small businesses and local traders and embracing some form of local culture or tradition. They demonstrate ideas that will add vibrancy to their towns, creating something unique and different that's worth going to visit because it's the only place you can find it. There's something else they all featured - the most crucial component of all: LOCAL PEOPLE!
Compare the above videos with Addlestone's entry and you will notice that the focus in our bid was misguided. Far from encouraging localism or any sense of community spirit at all, it seemed more preoccupied with its faceless, corporate agenda that's in the pipeline for Runnymede (and which, for that matter, doesn't completely focus on Addlestone). Given that, it might be a blessing in disguise that the council didn't get the funds to play around with after all. Not that they could have reproduced Addlestone Civic Centre - that cost £16.4 million.
Congratulations to the winning towns, and I hope our council takes note in time for round two. If we can replicate the attitude of the successful towns, there's nothing stopping us from turning things around and producing something quite impressive with the space we have. A weekly market, perhaps? A leafy town square? Could we create a nifty little export with our very own "Addlestone Brewery"? It just takes a bit of vision.
What wouldyoulike to see in Addlestone? Or are you quite satisfied with what was proposed? Do you want to promote your business here? Leave a comment with your suggestions, or tweet me@TheAddlestonian.
