It’s at times like these you appreciate living in a small town…
Some weeks ago, in the centre of the Free Press, was nothing short of a 30-page advertising puff for Wrecsam. We’d bet that no one read its small print from cover to cover but the fact it was there for Ruthinians to see will be enough to generate interest, especially at the recent opening of the new Eagles Meadow shopping centre.
You’ve got to admire Wrecsam for the way in which it has brought itself up by its miners’ bootstraps. 40 years ago, it was a colliery town of no particular merit. Remember the heavy traffic in the town centre? The face of Wrecsam began to change some 25 years ago at the pedestrianisation of Regent Street. Today, its large socially commissioned housing estates cannot hide its industrial origins and it will always be overshadowed by the prosperity of near-neighbour Chester. But its transformation from lava to butterfly is still admirable.
Lured by Eagles Meadow’s new Marks & Spencer and what turned out to be a rather stylish Debenhams, I went to see. Will it match Chester as an occasional shopping venue for Ruthinians? EM is actually quite good. But it does leave several large holes in the town centre, where Next, M&S, River Island, Burton, Top Shop and 3G used to be. When Woolworth closes—and wasn’t Woolies busy—there’ll be another empty.
What I found off-putting at EM was the polite yet misplaced request from a yellow-jacketed security guard to desist from taking photographs. Why? He cited data protection but when I reminded him that it was there to protect me from corporates like him (and not the other way round), he quickly changed tack to ‘anti-terrorism’.
Eh? This is Wrecsam not Stockwell tube station. If terrorism in Wrecsam were such a threat, why aren’t police routinely stopping you taking photos on the streets? Or just stopping you? Correct me if I’m wrong but currently there’s no law that stops anyone taking photos in public places.
OK, EM isn’t strictly public, it’s private property. But come on guys, just come clean, the reason you won’t allow photography is for commercial reasons, plain and simple.
After the incident, fearful of my life on the guerrilla-infested streets of Wrecsam, I hastened back to the safety, security and tranquillity of Rhuthun, where you can get on with your business unhindered. Not even 20+ per cent off at Woolies, Marks, Debenhams and a number of in-town stores could tempt me further. I left precisely empty handed.
Not all that glisters is gold...
Some weeks ago, in the centre of the Free Press, was nothing short of a 30-page advertising puff for Wrecsam. We’d bet that no one read its small print from cover to cover but the fact it was there for Ruthinians to see will be enough to generate interest, especially at the recent opening of the new Eagles Meadow shopping centre.You’ve got to admire Wrecsam for the way in which it has brought itself up by its miners’ bootstraps. 40 years ago, it was a colliery town of no particular merit. Remember the heavy traffic in the town centre? The face of Wrecsam began to change some 25 years ago at the pedestrianisation of Regent Street. Today, its large socially commissioned housing estates cannot hide its industrial origins and it will always be overshadowed by the prosperity of near-neighbour Chester. But its transformation from lava to butterfly is still admirable.
Lured by Eagles Meadow’s new Marks & Spencer and what turned out to be a rather stylish Debenhams, I went to see. Will it match Chester as an occasional shopping venue for Ruthinians? EM is actually quite good. But it does leave several large holes in the town centre, where Next, M&S, River Island, Burton, Top Shop and 3G used to be. When Woolworth closes—and wasn’t Woolies busy—there’ll be another empty.
What I found off-putting at EM was the polite yet misplaced request from a yellow-jacketed security guard to desist from taking photographs. Why? He cited data protection but when I reminded him that it was there to protect me from corporates like him (and not the other way round), he quickly changed tack to ‘anti-terrorism’.
Eh? This is Wrecsam not Stockwell tube station. If terrorism in Wrecsam were such a threat, why aren’t police routinely stopping you taking photos on the streets? Or just stopping you? Correct me if I’m wrong but currently there’s no law that stops anyone taking photos in public places.OK, EM isn’t strictly public, it’s private property. But come on guys, just come clean, the reason you won’t allow photography is for commercial reasons, plain and simple.
After the incident, fearful of my life on the guerrilla-infested streets of Wrecsam, I hastened back to the safety, security and tranquillity of Rhuthun, where you can get on with your business unhindered. Not even 20+ per cent off at Woolies, Marks, Debenhams and a number of in-town stores could tempt me further. I left precisely empty handed.Not all that glisters is gold...
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