Radio Times...

Every day, whilst working in my shop, I chat to most of the visitors through its doors. Understandably, one of the most common topics that we discuss, is the upcoming BBC series; a lot of which was filmed outside my shop on the Market Place. I am still surprised to hear local people saying it will be an interesting series, but no one will know that it was filmed in Shepton Mallet.

Some of these customers are no longer regular visitors to their local high street. Its a shame that a little pride in the place seems to have been lost. I make it a point to reassure them wholeheartedly that viewers to the series will be left in no doubt that it was indeed filmed in their town. Research into its history was important to the producers of Wall to Wall, and I feel sure that they will include much of the information that they discovered. Also, I regularly heard the presenters of the show saying, 'This week, lets give the people of Shepton Mallet...'

The modern high street is under threat these days. Many do their shopping on-line, or are happy to push a trolley around a soulless superstore. I do believe that the BBC programme tomorrow will have people thinking again about using their local high streets and to regain a sense of local community. I know myself how good I feel inside when I have spoken to someone and have had an opportunity to chat about their day. Having spent almost 7 years selling on-line, I know the flip side - It is very isolating. Seeing people out on the Market Place, bumping into friends and neighbours and stopping for a quick chat, goes some way in keeping the community alive. To stop for half an hour and perhaps share a coffee in one of the cafes can be good for the soul.

It is my belief that the high street is the hub of the local community. My favourite eras during the filming were the Victorian and Edwardian ones. Much of the trading spilled out onto the Market Place and people became more involved with one another. By the 1970's it was all for convenience, speed and done behind closed doors on conveyor belts...people were no longer interacting.

Also, at the end of each era, an event was filmed where the whole of the town could come together. For the first episode, it was the Victorian Market. It was fantastic to see the amount of people in the town on that day, and went some way to prove that Shepton could regenerate and become the town that it once was. If events were regularly organised in the town, then people would come...Hopefully the Victorian Event organised for tomorrow evening will prove this point.

(click on the picture above to read.)

For those in any doubt, (I know some local people read my blog via the website 'Shepton Life'), here is an article in this weeks Radio Times. It clearly mentions Shepton Mallet, and rest assured, it will be mentioned in the programme itself too!

Here it is mentioned in the schedule as well!

I do have visitors to my shop who have come from other areas around Britain. They tell me of their local high street, or of one near to them, that is suffering in the same ways as Shepton. So although the new programme has the added interest to me and the residence of Shepton and the surrounding areas, of being filmed there, I think it will be of great benefit to the whole of the UK, in that it will make people see that if they don't use their local high streets, that they could lose them forever, possibly along with the community that it supports.

Fingers and toes crossed that it will be a wake-up call and we can all fight back and do our bit, during the difficult times ahead...

Hope you enjoy 'Turn Back Time; the High Street' if you watch it tomorrow evening,

Niki x