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PhilR
22-Aug-04, 12:32
On my return to Wick for a holiday earlier this month after a long spell away, I was gobsmacked to see the state of the place. Ok, we've never been known as a 'Northern Paradise', but at least it had a bit of character and didn't look like a ghost town.

Top of the list was the slimy green trickle of water running through the middle which used to be known as a river. Cant imagine getting my rowing boat out to the island these days!! (Someone said it was the local anglers who persuaded the council to demolish the weirs. Is that right?) Next in line was the amount of boarded up buildings on the main drag through town....just depressing. It's a sure sign that a place is on its knees when the main street consists of mostly charity shops and takeaways. Perhaps as a result of this, there seems to be a big increase in crime which most folk feel the police are either unable or unwilling to sort out.

On the up-side, great job on the Pultney project in Telford St., great to see the North Baths and Trinkie back, and a couple of local traders mentioned that the closure of the Glass Factory (dont get me started on corporate incompetence!) has resulted in more tourists stopping in the centre of town....just a shame we haven't anything better to show them. Aftter travelling around the county it was noticeable that other places have really smartened up their act for the tourists (discount 'Mey Highland Games' from that.....a disappointing ripoff).

Wick has the potential to regain a lot of tourist business, which it obviously needs with the industrial problems, so come on councillors, get off yer backsides and put a bit of life back in the auld toon.

Suggestions on a postcard......

PhilR

MadPict
22-Aug-04, 22:52
Suggestions on a postcard......

PhilR

....the ideas wouldn't cover the back of a stamp!

I too returned "home" recently and was likewise saddened to see the decline of Wick. It seems that the artery of life that brought folk through Wick was the A9, and with that being rerouted to go directly to Thurso the life blood has been drained out of Wick. It may be partly to blame, it may have made no difference but I think it has.

Never mind though, when the county is awash with wind farms the whole sad sorry sight will be blown out into the North Atlantic and sink.... :roll:


http://hometown.aol.co.uk/MadPict/images/flaminmad.gifMadPict
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/MadPict/images/gruff_ext.gif

Zael
23-Aug-04, 08:42
Looks like you have to go away for an extended period, still have your marbles or be younger than 65 to notice this.

I heard a whille ago that the community council had been murmering about putting the weirs back but as the average age of them will be over 75, it has probably been forgotten about. I have also heard that this can be done with provision for the fish population so the anglers can all sit down again...

I hate to admit, the comments are correct, wick is crumbling along with its aging population, wont be too long before it becomes a retirement home. Its a shame that the gov provides alternate things for the younger population to sort out, like the maternity unit and our pitiful lack of dentists. Perhaps after these things have been sorted the fire will remain and be used to burn out the old twisted wood allowing for some new growth.

Tourism may be important, but for those of us that still might have children or have teeth that dont live in a glass overnight, it has to take a back seat for now.

.::Zael::.

JAWS
23-Aug-04, 12:29
Oops! Sorry!
The post which I wrongly placed here in one of my more extreme Senior Moments has now been moved by me to it's correct Thread to save confusion.
I promise to ensure that I have taken my Sensible Pills in future before posting.
I have written out 100 times "Engage brain proir to pressing the Submit Button" :roll:

Zael
23-Aug-04, 17:03
and all this has what to do with tourism and the state of wick jaws?

please dont tell me you're part of any group that has any control over anything.

Is that your youth catching up with you?

squidge
23-Aug-04, 18:10
Oops Jaws

I think thats the other thread mate. :D

Wick does have lots to offer and Tourism is probably the only thang that can deliver an economic future. The Agencies involved in Inward investment have so far failed to persuade any large emplyer to come to Wick and employ people, there are no Inverness medicals in the pipeline and even AEA batteries went to Golspie instead of Wick.

However there are lots of things that could be developed to make Wick an interesting place and attract visitors, just off the top of my head for example

1. The herring fishing
2. The role of wick airport during the war
3. The flow country
4. The presence of Telford, Stephenson and Lowry in wick
5. The castles
6. The geology the wilderness, the opportunities for walking and fishing and stuff.

I am not a Wicker and i am sure there are tons more things that would entice people to Wick but we have to WORK at it. We have to market Caithness properly and we have to stop looking inwards and complaining and we have to want it. Zael you are right in a way about community councils, except its not simply Community councils either, local economic forums, business partnerships, Caithness Business Clubs, Local Enterprise Companies, Caithness Partnerships, the list is endless. Sit in on any of these meetings and you will see the same tired and aging faces with little or no innovation, stymied by rules regulations and red tape who cant or wont take any sort of risks. Yes i know its public money but come on - how is Caithness Glass still empty after all these months? I am baffled. The same faces make the decisions, they never come and ask the young or old people in caithness, they never have any new ideas. There is a post advertised on here for the Caithness Partnership - lets hope this post can develop into one held by someone with vision and enthusiasm who can be a catalyst for change in all the agencies which they deal with.

Zael you are wrong that tourism should take a back seat, if wick was growing and delveloping and the economy was bouyant with people wanting to come here it would be more attractive to Doctors and Dentists and would be harder to ignore. Babies and teeth are important but so is the economy of Wick .

JAWS
23-Aug-04, 20:18
Oops, you are absolutely right. And that was before a lunchtim session!

Pleased ignore my last post folks and I will move it to the correct thread to start the riot! :eek:

JAWS
23-Aug-04, 20:33
Sorry for the confusion Zael, it's an age thing.
My brain is past it's sell-by date and then NHS refused to do a brain transplant for me.
Some sort of ethical problem with removing the brains of live patients they tell me.

And fear not, nobody has been daft enough to let me be in charge of anything so Wick is at least safe from that.
I just hope that things pick up in Wick and very soon too!

webmannie
23-Aug-04, 23:25
Off the A9 maybe!

Anybody know why?

{edited 24/8/04 20:05}

The post i replied to has been deleted and it looks stupid now, I will re-word

The A9 being re-routed must have had some effect.

Wasn't it changed so that it ended at Scrabster?

PhilR
24-Aug-04, 11:12
Lets not get too hung up on the A9 thing. It's only a letter and a number, and the most direct route to John O' Groats is still through Wick. I was in Groats at 9.00 one morning to catch the ferry and the place was hoochin'. Thats the crowd we've got to catch on the way through. (Anyone thought of an internet cafe for the backpackers?)

We've always suffered from a council with seemingly no imagination or motivation (apart from when it comes to getting their mugs in the Courier!). It needs someone with a bit of drive to shake them up and bang a few heads together.

I agree with Squidge that both economic and tourism development can mutually support each other...make it a place people want to settle in and they will take up jobs here. (BTW - Good to see Ian Baikie back in town with his company). This will improve the services available to the 'babies and teeth'. You're also right about all the attractions, but first in line should be just making the place look better - the river for example, and would someone PLEASE knock down the bloomin' cinema!!

webmannie
24-Aug-04, 20:34
Thurso has an Internet Cafe for Backpackers, it is very,very small. Just inside Sandras Cafe, next to the ice cream freezer. Must go down as the busiest and smallest in the uk!!

I think the effect of having a very large road sign pointing (A9) over the causweymire is underestimated.

The current councillors seem to be all focusing on the one issue at the moment, can they not appoint individual 'Champions' to individually focus on different issues that the county has?

For a number of years the term Community Planning has been mentioned in HIE circles.

Community Planning is a process to guide the preservation, development, or redevelopment of a community. more info at www.communityplanning.org.uk

It seems to me that any form of planning for the well-being or evolution of a community must have at its very core a plan for how business - the creator of jobs provider of wealth for any community - will fit in to the overall picture of a fit, healthy and financially viable community

Mr P Cannop
25-Aug-04, 06:21
[quote="webmannie"]Thurso has an Internet Cafe for Backpackers. Just inside Sandras Cafe, it cost 75p for 15 minutes

josepk
26-Aug-04, 01:54
I hate to admit, the comments are correct, wick is crumbling along with its aging population,

Is it really? Surely the maternity unit closing isn't to try to combat the growing number of teen pregnancies in wick? And if wick is crumbling, leaving the children less to do with themselves... :confused

I cannot find any statistics on the age group % for small towns, I could only find that wick's population is falling slower than thurso's.

homeboy
26-Aug-04, 21:20
Reading whats been said above about the lack of Industry in Wick i can't understand how the council have not attracted any new business given the good transport links.
Wick must be one of the few towns with a Harbour a Railway Staion and a Airport
all of which are not used to their full potential. Surley any new business wanting to
setup anywhere would consider the local transport infrastructure.

2little2late
26-Aug-04, 21:50
Reading whats been said above about the lack of Industry in Wick i can't understand how the council have not attracted any new business given the good transport links.
Wick must be one of the few towns with a Harbour a Railway Staion and a Airport
all of which are not used to their full potential. Surley any new business wanting to
setup anywhere would consider the local transport infrastructure.

Have the council and CASE advertised the Wick business park? Perhaps if they advertised it nationwide, they may get a few interested parties.
Seems to me the council aren't really bothered.
Trouble is when businesses want to set up in Wick they are refused permission.

Take for instance when Tesco, (I think) wanted to build a supermarket where Lidl now stands, they were refused because, did they not want to build a petrol station aswell? If they let businesses like this in the town others would follow suit.

If the people of Wick don't like the decline then perhaps you ought to do something about it.
You are doing a good job fighting to keep maternity services at the hospital.
Why not set up an action group to prevent the town slipping even further in decline.

After all I lived in Wick for almost 6 years and I never saw any change at all. Then when I visited a couple of months ago I couldn't believe the sorry state of the town.

Come on you people of Wick. You are very proud people you have got to fight to keep your town a good one!!