We asked Bilston residents what they love about their town

Express & Star

Transcript

00:0085 years for her, and 73 for me.

00:03Oh my gosh.

00:05So what do you love so much about the place where you live?

00:08Well, it's friendly.

00:10Yeah.

00:11We've always had a good market, we've always had a good town.

00:14Yeah.

00:15Yeah, I think we know everybody, more or less.

00:18We have good, excuse me, we've got good neighbours.

00:21Yeah.

00:22Yeah.

00:23Would you say it's a safe area where you live?

00:25Have you ever?

00:26Yeah, used to be.

00:27Yeah.

00:28Just slightly, it's gone down a bit.

00:31A little bit, yeah.

00:32What are some of the good things that you like about it, though, here?

00:35I mean, if someone was going to move here, what would you say are some of your favourite things,

00:39some of the best things about Bilston?

00:41I don't know.

00:42Don't know.

00:43I don't know.

00:44Not now.

00:45When, before it was lovely, but not now.

00:50It's going downhill.

00:51What would you say about it?

00:52And the market.

00:53Yeah.

00:54Going downhill.

00:55Oh, that's a shame, isn't it?

00:56Yeah.

00:57Yeah.

00:58Yeah.

00:59That's one of the good things, isn't it?

01:00Yeah.

01:01We do, yeah.

01:02Yeah.

01:03Are people generally friendly around here with you?

01:04Oh, yeah.

01:05Yeah.

01:06Yeah.

01:07Especially the security guy.

01:08The community placement.

01:09We've just been talking to him up there.

01:10Oh, that's nice.

01:11What were you talking about?

01:12We just have a banter with him every time we see him.

01:13Yeah.

01:14Well, there you go.

01:15Because it's a small little community, you can just get along with people.

01:16Yeah.

01:17Yeah.

01:18Yeah.

01:19Yeah.

01:20Oh, thank you so much.

01:21Yeah.

01:22Yeah.

01:23Yeah.

01:24Yeah.

01:25Yeah.

01:27Thank you so much.

01:28You're welcome.

01:30So, it's like a little community hub.

01:31Like, you can walk in here by yourself, and you haven't got to worry, there's always someone

01:32to talk to.

01:33You know, there's always a conversation to be had.

01:34There's always banter going on between everybody.

01:35We have children in here as well.

01:36So, it's like a little drop-in centre for all of the community, which is nice.

01:37So, everybody can just come together, have a good laugh.

01:38We have entertainment on, karaoke.

01:39We have bingo.

01:40We have all sorts going on throughout the week, where you can, like, win a gallon, free

01:41food.

01:42Yeah.

01:43Yeah.

01:44Yeah.

01:45Yeah.

01:46Yeah.

01:47Yeah.

01:48Yeah.

01:49Yeah.

01:50Yeah.

01:51Yeah.

01:52Yeah.

02:53Yeah.

02:54Yeah.

02:55Yeah.

02:56Yeah.

02:57Yeah.

02:58Yeah.

02:59Yeah.

03:00Yeah.

03:01It's a great place to live.

03:02I've always lived in this area, and my house is a couple of streets from the town centre.

03:03Er, probably about three years.

03:04Three years.

03:05And did you work at the church before that as well?

03:11We've been members of the church for...

03:13Members.

03:14...40-odd years.

03:15And I'm guessing you're a Belfaston resident yourself?

03:19Er, just outside.

03:21Just outside.

03:22What do you like so much about coming here and being in the heart of Bilston?

03:26What do you love about this town?

03:31It's a wonderful town in terms of the market and the people.

03:40We are the hub of the town in some ways.

03:44You've seen we've got the cafe there and that's a place where people can just come and relax

03:51and they'll sit over a pot of tea for however many hours and just sit chatting, making friends.

03:59It's a place where people who are often lonely or have nowhere else to go can come and just

04:06sit there.

04:07We keep the prices as cheap as we can so that people are always welcome.

04:15We've always tried to be here to serve the people and that's our main aim.

04:22You know what, it's so busy in there as well, do you think there's just a real sense of

04:27community and friendliness here?

04:29There is, as I say.

04:34Many people come, there's a lot of bereaved older gentlemen who don't want to sit in the

04:42house on their own staring at four walls.

04:45They come out, they all chat, they all have a good gossip.

04:51Women are supposed to be the gossipers but believe you me, some of the men are just as good.

04:58You know, there's a gentleman that comes in almost every day, brings his pipe back, sits

05:05there, he'll leave all his stuff there while he goes up the town and does a bit of shopping

05:09and then comes back.

05:12It's just a welcoming place and we try to keep it that way.

05:19Thank you Jane, thank you so much.

05:21Right, so we're here outside Majors with Mandy and Bala.

05:26So Bala, you said Mandy's worked here for over 30 years?

05:2930 years, yeah.

05:30That's incredible, Mandy.

05:31And do you live in Bilston as well?

05:33Yeah.

05:34What do you like about this neighbourhood?

05:35What are some of the good things about Bilston?

05:38Well, Bilstonians have always been nice people and it's always been, it's home, it's the

05:45place I love so, and Majors has been here for as long as I can remember so it was inevitable

05:54that I was eventually going to end up working here.

05:58Just never thought I'd still be here 31 years later.

06:01So what do you like about this, do you like the other communities, I mean you see hundreds

06:07of customers a week, what kind of vibe does that give for you?

06:13Most of the time it's a really good vibe because like I say, most Bilstonians are really nice

06:17people, so they come in, we have a chat, we have a laugh, we serve them and that's it.

06:23Have you seen the area change much over 30 years?

06:27Yeah, it's changed a heck of a lot.

06:31But you know, sometimes you have to move with the times and some of it's good, some of it's

06:36bad, it's the same everywhere.

06:38That's how it is.

06:40What do you like about owning a business here in the heart of Bilston?

06:44Very vibrant and you know what, without them we can't run the business, really really supporting

06:53customers and they're always being loyal, 90% or more, so we are thriving on that.

07:00It's a big hurdle for us, a very big legacy behind the majors, we're still trying to work

07:07out how we can move forward with it.

07:12But I've got a good team of people around me, so you know, a tonne of experience.

07:19Well I mean you are literally, you've spoken about all across the west of Bilston, it's

07:23not just here in Bilston, you've made a real brand here and I mean how does it feel to

07:29be able to give back to this community?

07:33We are doing everything possible in our, whatever we can to do, some of the charity activities

07:41and all these, we always jump in, so if they come and speak to us, we get into the groove.

07:47And then some of the care homes and all, they sometimes watch us too and we always give

07:52them a great discount, where you can, it's just, you know, just giving back.

07:57Exactly, I mean, we spoke to the landlady at the market cavern and you know, they're

08:02also very charitable and I think that's really nice.

08:05We all have to get together, you know, it's a good thing that the government has put some

08:11effort to build back the charity market here, we all have to get back together to build

08:17it because it's a gang, like, you know, we can make sure that everything works.

08:21We can work together, because then the best things are made out of that, aren't they?

08:25Indeed, indeed.

08:26Thank you both so much.

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