A year or so ago a festival was held on Meadowbank. Strangely enough this was a Thai festival, for what reason this was i'm not sure, it did prove however to be very popular and interesting. What about for Dorking, an annual Carnival, I think a precession of decorated colourful floats going through the town on a lovely summer's day along with all the other activities a carnival brings would be great for our local town
This has been duplicated on http://www.allnewdorkingblog.blogspot.com/ at the request of David N.
Dougie.. I'm trying to get this site going just to make posting as easy as possible for all visitors to the site, please have a look and just add comments as you wish.
James
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James
ReplyDeleteExperience in my own town is that a carnival does involve a lot of work/goodwill and that the local Chamber of Commerce is possibly a good starting point because they (should) have the ear of most traders in the town. That is if your local Chamber is up to it....... I am a bit suprised they haven't violently opposed that evening car parking scheme now that business trading extends well beyond the traditional 9-5. Might be worth a letter or email rather than phoning them. My experience is that the latter often results in a quick but negative answer. David N
I like the idea and given a bit of goodwill by everyonethere can be no reason why it shouldn't happen. If Leslie Gilbert is correct (I think he said this and I apologise if I'm wrong) the Chamber of Commerce may not be able to help too much as far as the shops go because not many of them are members of the Chamber.
ReplyDeletePepin
We did have Carnival in Dorking
ReplyDeleteBut as usual Health An Safety took over.
Say no more !!!!
Civil servants take over and we don't stop them
Leslie Gilbert
PS
ReplyDeleteThe C of C only have 3 retail members
Leslie Gilbert
Leslie. That's a sad state of affairs at the Chamber of Commerce in Dorking. Surely, they could leaflet every shop in the town and ask for a minimal subscription - say £10, in order to create a body of business men who could be kept informed and mobilised when controversial matters arise? When I was in business 25 years ago in a Sussex town smaller than Dorking, virtually every shop keeper was a member - there were just 4 or 5 awkward/mean people who wouldnt do or pay for anything but had the advantage of the christmas tree and lights, the carnival etc but you will get that sort in any town, even Oxford Street in London I suppose. Do Dorking shops have a ring-a-round system to alert each other when thieves/shoplifters are noticed? If so, who organises it? If not, isnt it something the C of C could deal with? What organisations do the local shopkeepers belong to? Rotary, Lions, Round Table?
ReplyDeleteIs that furniture shop ROBINS still there,towards the eastern end of the High Street?
David N
Davi N, sadly Robins closed quite some time ago and in its place is a Starbucks and a rather good shop (I say this having only looked in the window) selling reproduction French furniture. I don't think Dorking has much of a community spirit as far as retailers go, Leslie Gilbert could answer that better than me.
ReplyDeletePepin
Pepin
ReplyDeleteI asked about Robins because I used to pass this double fronted shop on the way to school in the 1940s. Then, in the mid 1980s my wife and I attempted to enter the shop for a look round. We had some money in our pocket and could have bought the odd piece of furniture there and then, and perhaps seen something more substantial that we could have ordered. But we were not allowed to browse! We were met at the door and had to state, there and then, what we wanted. We didn't know so I said the first thing that came into my head and we were taken along various gangways to some chairs amid loads of stacked furniture, We looked at each other and decided to bolt. I then just assumed that Robins relied on 'trade' work and the shop was more a furniture warehouse than a retail shop and it just happened to be on the High Street for many many years way back.
David N