I'd like to share a terrific conversation about the sort of town Ledbury is and could be, which I was privileged to hear as the organiser of the Ledbury People's Cafe on the Town Plan, at the Market House Cafe on June 19.
Much of the talk was about identity. Saying that Ledbury is a market town only gets you so far these days.
Does our identity come from the types of people who live here? Retired people, those who use it as a dormitory and so on? And/or does it come from how the town earns its living? As someone scribbled on one of the tablecloths, "Is it to be a tourist town like Broadway or Bourton on the Water, or is it to be a small industrial town?"
And/or does it come from characteristics such as independence, implying for instance support for small retailers, or creating a sense of belonging for everybody, which implies support for features like allotments which build community?
I hope we can have lots more conversation like this as the Town Plan takes shape.
Perry Walker, The Mews, Orchard Lane, Ledbury.
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