Continued from Here
I've heard the moaning and complaining, and even
joined in a couple of times when the Metrolink took SO long to be completed,
along with all the disruption it caused to Drake Street and every other place
along the route... It's finished now though, and although it's really not
that convenient for travelling to Manchester, it's great for reaching other
places along the way, and when your mates live in Shaw then it's ideal for
popping over to see them on a whim!
That's where I was when this bet was agreed.
So I'll get back to that forfeit now, when I told him that I plan to
change the perceptions about Rochdale. He doesn't believe I can bring it
back from the depths to which it's reputation has plummeted, but I disagree.
However, I can't do it on my own. I live in Castleton now, which
was once one of the best nights out in the area. My friends and I used to
spend our evenings in the pubs here between Thursday and Sunday nights, so
Friday and Monday mornings were always very much hung over affairs where we ate
lots of chocolate and junk food (along with the obligatory crispy bacon butty
from Sweaty Betty's and a combo meal from Andy's Pizza Place (jacket potato,
coleslaw AND half a club sandwich!) and drank Jusoda and Buttercup Syrup (I
have no idea...) but now there are 4 pubs left that I can think of.
FOUR!! We used to have a full on pub crawl where we might actually
have to crawl to the last pub, and now we could have a drink in every one
within the space of an hour.
This is not an improvement. How are we
supposed to behave like a community when we don't even see our neighbours?
Where are we supposed to socialise when there are only 4 available public
houses? I just looked up the population of Castleton, and whilst I fully
appreciate that drinking isn't the only way to socialise, it's never going to
happen if we have to fit almost 2,500 people in each of those four buildings!
Sorry, I completely sidetracked myself there...
Rochdale is the Birthplace of Co-Operation, so I'm relying on you now, fellow
Pioneers. Do you have some fond memories of Rochdale that you'd like to
share? Or old stories you've heard that are worth passing on? Do
you have some photos you can post to enhance the hard work Derek's already put
in?
I have so many weird litte facts about Rochdale
that I really could be here all day, but I have a headache now so I'm going to
draw it to a close (Hah! I can hear your cheers from here!)
My friend has said that if I can change the
perceptions of Rochdale, he'll come to our local ASDA, the one on the old
cricket ground, and he'll do his full weekly shop - whilst nakie! Now,
this was supposed to be just a bet between two mates, but I'm never really one
to do things quietly, so I'm upping the stakes and therefore changing the rules
a little bit.
I'd love for this to have more than one good
outcome, so I suggest we make it a charity event and he can choose 2 charities
to gain from his bravery (or rather, his misguided bravado, since
neither of us had any clue then that it would grow into this!) He
also mentioned that his Aunty (or another relation, I'm not sure) appeared
in one of the ASDA Price ads and patted her back pocket - I love the connection
in that as well, so I'm going to ask a friend of mine to film him as though
it's a new ASDA advert...
As it's now being filmed and is for charity, and so
many people are saying "it'll never be allowed", maybe we'll have to
allow him some boxer shorts... Or am I being too soft on him??
However, if I fail, and Rochdale continues to be
seen as "just a town full of paedos" then I'll have to come up with a
forfeit. The best I've come up with so far is for me to do the shopping
in a swimming costume (there's no way I'm doing it nakie, not even the
remotest chance!) or to whizz down a zip line as per my Note to Self
earlier. I'll consider either of those, but let's try and get the new
advert instead please!
I love my home town, and I hate the thought that
all of its dirty little secrets are now seen as our definition. There are
many more towns with similar secrets, but I don't live there so Rochdale is my
priority. I'd love to see other towns take this challenge on though, so
please do let me know if you decide to do it in your area.
I think it's time for a change in thinking.
People make mistakes. People sometimes do really horrific things to
other living beings, whether that means other people, animals or the planet
itself - but generally, I believe that those same people also do many really
good things. Everyone has good and bad in them, and every place has good
and bad stories that accompany them. We're the ones who get to decide
which stories we tell, and we also have the power to replace a negative story
with a positive one.
Can we try and remember where we're from, who
we're descended from, focus on the positive stuff for once, and make those
people proud? I'd really like to give it a go, and I know I'm not the
only person who loves this town - we could even raise a lot of money for good
causes if we're really clever about it ;O)
 |
|
I googled "home of co-operation" in an
attempt to find this image, and ended up with a load of photos from Cyprus -
anyone who knows me and my obsession about everything being connected will
know why that made me smile!! <3 I guess home really is where the
heart is!!
|
At the beginning I asked whether you felt that
Rochdale is beyond redemption. Now I'm asking whether you still feel the same
now as you did then. Times have changed a lot since my arrival in 1970.
Mums don't really make clothes for their kids any more, haircuts are
usually from a professional hairdresser, little kids don't get to walk to
school and go on stealing sprees at the age of 6, and we no longer have
Maypoles or Morris Dancers to look forward to at school fairs. I'm not
convinced that we're progressing anymore, hence my rewind.
Here are a few quick snippets about Rochdale that I
may expand on at a later date:
- The River Roch wasn't always covered over by a road.
- There used to be two bridges between the banks at the bottom of
Yorkshire Street and the buildings that back on to Packer Street and one
of them was known as The Kissing Bridge because it was so narrow that
people were close enough to kiss as they passed each other.
- There used to be wooden cobbled roads before the stone cobbles were
introduced, and you can still see these behind the fancy dancy public
toilet that's been installed near Mango's.
- The market in Rochdale used to be the best around, and was one of
the first in Lancashire to receive a Market Charter.
- The cobbled tunnel leading down from Baillie Street to The Butts is
called Bull Brow, and until recently I thought it was for a cattle market,
but apparently there were bull baiting displays there!
- The Royds Family built a beautiful church near Spotland called St
Edmunds. Its a fantastic building, but closed down years ago due to lack
of parishioners. I found some info on it a couple of years ago that made me
want to see inside, but I don't think it's possible. Can we change
that please? A small donation on the door should help towards the
cost of upkeep and bring more visitors to Rochdale - what else could they
go to see while they're here?
- The Central Library and Childrens Library next door were also great
places to explore as a child. I loved that smell of old books, but
now I have to go much further afield to get that kind of
experience. Yes, we have a new one in the Wheatsheaf Centre, but
it's not exactly an inspiring place from what I remember. The
building that now houses Touchstones was (and still is; one of my kids
once admitted that they used to think that was were the Princess of
Rochdale live! Cute!)
- The Royds family were actually from Yorkshire, but they brought a
lot of wealth into Rochdale. They had family pride as well; many of
the streets around St Edmund's church are named after their family
members. Yes, that does include Emma Street. Our disgraced
ex Councillor used to live on a street named
after Hemorrhoids - isn't that a nicer story than the ones we've had
to read just recently? ;O)
One of the things I've always loved
about Rochdale and its inhabitants is our ability to laugh at ourselves.
That hasn't always been easy just recently, but I really think we can get
back to that. I genuinely believe we can have a town to be proud of again
too, but one person can't make this happen alone...
I've just realised I only used one song
in this blog! Totally slacking, so you get to share the song that was
playing on my magical mystery shuffle as I finished. It's fairly magical... The
lyrics really couldn't be more perfect as it appears I've just nominated myself
as one of The Voices of Rochdale. Are you really going to make me sing a
solo now I'm here?
This is my plan.
It's so cunning, I
stuck a tail on it, and now it's a Fox ;)
Thank you Rowan Atkinson! <3
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