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Friday 9 November 2012

Ramsey regeneration


You'll see from the front page that I popped up to Ramsey last night to take photos of the Ramsey Firemans runs. I had not been to Ramsey for almost four months (since the week of the marathon!).

It took me about 20 years ever to see the Firemans runs. After one visit, a watched nearly all of them for a couple of years only to miss them all again last year. And I've still never competed in them.

My recollection of them though is that they are usually held in cold and windy weather so last night's mild and calm was a bit of shock. In fact the whole scene was a bit of a shock.

You sometimes read in the paper about shops closing in Ramsey or other negative things but having spent the previous Thursday in Stoke-on-Trent I realised just how good Ramsey is. There are an amazing number of pubs for such a small town and there are loads of takeaways, convenience stores and two supermarkets. The paving of the main street looks like it should be good too.

In the Potteries, Newcastle-under-Lyme was considered one of the posher towns and, although I was never a night club person, I used to stagger home the three miles from the student union bar in Stoke to my digs for most of my first two years there. I'd pass a couple of night clubs. The photos below show their current state.

Some contrast to going up to Ramsey last night. Or was it down to Ramsey? The debate continues but either way its a thriving town.


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