Do I live in the most boring town in Britain?

I was having one of my random chats today with a complete stranger while we were waiting for the bus to turn up (two turned up together as often happens after a long wait). I really should have done my shopping yesterday when it wasn't so cold, but at least the snow had stopped!

Anyway, turns out the guy, who was about 2 years younger than I am, worked at the same place I did in our youth. Not only that, we both joined the workplace on the same intake. A mass hiring used to take place when the latest school leavers became available. He worked there for 35 years, I moved on after 5 years and our paths never crossed (it employed over 1,000 people on a huge site) but we had an interesting chat. The place closed down in 2001, after drastically reducing in size over the previous decade, and that is when the town began to die. The heart went out of it, along with the associated Clubs, Societies, entertainments and the well paid jobs provided by the work place and extensive support companies that grew up around it.

Another major company moved into town in the 1990s but that too has now moved elsewhere. I worked there for a while when my kids were grown.

All that is left of our once thriving community is an excellent 6th form college and the Technical College, which both still attract students from a wide area.

Because of its good transport links to London and other places this has become a popular Dormitory town. The emphasis has been on stuffing in as many tacky, badly built but not cheap, flats as possible. Office blocks have also been converted. Land is too valuable to be "wasted" on entertainment venues. That is why our Community Centre and Leisure Centre were demolished, to make room for more flats for commuters with, maybe, a smaller new Leisure facility. Such a shame that half the grant given for the new facility seems to have been frittered away by the previous incumbents of the Council.

Our Council administers two adjacent towns. A few years ago the County Council announced that the building used in one (the other one) as a Community Hub and Entertainment Centre, run by locals, was to be sold for "redevelopment". When the rep of the County Council turned up to "consult with" (tell) the locals what was going to happen the police had to be called as the inhabitants wrath was so great at the thought of losing their last remaining community-run venue the lady was felt to be in danger. The CC chickened out, so the "Westie" as it is known still survives - for now. The town also has a cinema, a theatre (I go sometimes if my daughter also wants to go - she provides the transport), multiple fast food joints, slot machine venues, a Bargain Booze some other shops and a drugs problem. Mentioning drugs, a few years ago a drug dealer killed a customer who didn't pay up half a mile from where I live, but this town is much better than the other one, positively posh by comparison. It is reasonably safe to be out after dark.

I come from near there, and would agree. It's definitely not a bad place, and has a decent number of shops, pubs, etc. It's just that there's not much about the town which really stands out as unique or better than what you'd find in dozens of other British towns.

I come from near there, and would agree. It's definitely not a bad place, and has a decent number of shops, pubs, etc. It's just that there's not much about the town which really stands out as unique or better than what you'd find in dozens of other British towns. 100001.onl/

I got this,...

Patsy70

There is a wealth of advice here Aely, which you would be wise to take. Failing that, a visit to your GP maybe, as you could be suffering from depression.

I think to have that get up and go, and regain curiosity about people and life, you need to perhaps consider attending to your depression first.

direct instructions "pull yourself together" "stop being negative", its the worst thing to say to someone who is depressed, just makes folk feel more inadequate than ever and withdraw further.

Consider some anti depressants. a lot of people take them and there is no shame in it.
I would just say, please do try a little walk in the park at the same time each day, one does "bump into" the same people and greetings get exchanged. Also worth a try is going to somewhere like a local Costa, again at the same time, people do get to know each other and the staff. You sort of "become someone".

I would move if I were you.We only get one life! Move further in the direction of your DD and read up on towns and then visit one you like.It will give you purpose to do this planning and you will end up somewhere you actually like.

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