Campden Will Lose it’s Identity
I have visited many towns in the Cotswolds and Campden is by far one of the most beautiful. It has a problem; Campden is in danger of losing it’s identity. We are now in a recession. For any town like Campden, if it loses its local butcher, local green grocer and other local business, it will cease to operate as the community it is today.
Supporting tourism for these businesses and the community is the information centre. Many people seem to under estimate the importance of an information centre. They have helped me imeasurably on more than one occasion I can tell you! The information centre makes up part of Campden’s identity. I urge you to get behind the centre and all local business to keep them alive during this recession or I fear Campden may end up looking a little more like Broadway – with no sense of community spirit, a kind of ‘pretty place to visit’ with its make up just so for visitors and far too twee for my liking!
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I agree wholeheartedly about the need to keep the TIC open. Its vital for our trade in the town without which, as you say, Campden’s high street would become but a another Broadway!
However we have alot to be thankful for to. We still have evnts like Dovers Games, May day morning, Scuttlebrook and the Christmas fair that brings us together as a community. How many other places in the Cotswolds would have had the flood party like the one in park road to bring everyone together?
What we need above all else is to keep our young ones in Campden!
Yes, keep the TIC – absolute nonsense not to. As to your observances about Broadway – equal nonsense. Like Campden, we have an excellent local butcher, convenience stores, Post Office, a Lygon Arms, tea rooms, upmarket restaurants,and many other local businesses.Also have a TIC. As to the community spirit – are you indiginous Campden or a visitor? either way how can you appreciate the true spirit of a place if you don’t live there? We have a youth club, toddler groups, two thriving schools, four inter-active churches,The Broadway Players Am-Dram, a mixed choir and much, much more- all capable of whipping up some community good feeling when needed as my many photos can testify. Flood street parties? look no further than the good people of Mill Avenue,(very badly affected by the July floods,pretty much on the scale of Park Road) who regularly get together to celebrate anything that’s going. As with Campden there are many long-standing families keeping the spirit of the village (for we still think of ourselves as such) alive and well. Take a look at the village diary. Tourists and locals are catered for alike; like Campden we need the tourist trade but there is much to keep the spirit alive, believe me. True, we don’t have a Morris troop but we can always borrow Campden’s….
Mike and I are yearly visitors,once being owners in Campden. We love your yearly Music Festival but can’t find the dates for next May in 2010. Does anyone know? Ta Ta