Word on the Street

ColneLife took to the streets to discover exactly what a few of our local businesses think of their home town…

MEET Shauna Withnell – Saintz and Dragons

“Colne just has a buzz and an aura about it like nowhere else so for me. I’ve lived in cities, I’ve lived in Manchester, but I’ve still came back here. We have a really good alternative community, gamers, geeks, goths. We’ve always been very open-minded in Colne, it’s always been a good, down-to-earth town. We just need to get the word out on what we’ve got.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“I say so, so long as it still stays more independent. We thrive off local, small little one-off businesses. More investment on the independent side and keep the chain stores at bay: we don’t need them.”

MEET Simon Stuart – Mr Chips

“Colne is quite a unique place really. The town’s got loads of events coming up, you’ve got the Blues, the bike race and next year there’ll be the Soap Box race. My favourite memory is how busy we were with the Blues festival. The Colne BID is doing a lot for the town.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“I’d like the shops to be a bit more diverse, I believe the markets being done up as well in the next couple of years. There’s going to be a cinema there so that should be quite uplifting for the town.”

 

MEET David Birro – Birros

“I took the shop on in 1984 when I was 17. I like the diversity of shops in Colne, but we could do with more different types of shops. There are friendly people, we’ve been dealing with some customers so long that they become friends. There’s a community spirit here.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“I’d rather it be smaller, it’s more tightknit and people prefer it. Once you become a big town, it’s not as intimate, now the shops that are in Colne are all owned by people that work in them, it’s more friendly. If it became bigger, I think it would lose that.”

 

MEET John Townson – Party Planet

“Colne is a nice, attractive little market town. It has a reasonable variety of independent shops, plus a few events across the year, all set in nice countryside. I like being out in Colne on a nice sunny afternoon, I like seeing the changing seasons on the tree-lined main street. We just need a way for more people to be encouraged into Colne, but I suppose that’s what the BID is for.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“I think so, but first it needs to grow as a town and we need more affordable housing. If you get a bigger population there becomes a bigger demand for services, shops, schools, which then brings about a more thriving, progressive town.”

 

MEET Lisa Wright – Funky Gifts

“Colne is friendly, clean and has a variety of shops. We have Colne bid, and a lot of support from bidders and the town council. We get a lot of support from the customers, people come from all over and it’s thanks to that that we were able to grow and grow, from starting on the market to where we are now. But we need more small businesses. And public toilets. But other than that, I don’t think it can improve.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“Yes. We do like a tight-knit community, but we also like people to come from outside the area. It’s just that people coming through on the roads often don’t get to see what Colne has to offer.”

 

Claire Davies – Union Hotel

“Community spirit is at the heart of Colne. People help and support each other here and you can see this in the variety of small business that we have in Colne. When times have been tough we’ve all banded together and supported each other, that’s made business and the community stronger. The Union has been home to so many notable moments in Colne… too many to name in fact!”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“Always! Colne is a thriving town and I’m excited to see what the future holds for the expansion and development of our area. Community spirit is at the heart of Colne.”

 

MEET David Harris – PCCU

“Colne is welcoming and friendly. We’ve been involved in providing services here for around 20 years. The connection to the local people and the high street with independent shops is nice – it’s a busy high street. There’s a great variety of independent shops and there is a good relationship between the different shops around here. We’re a community organisation so we only serve people who live in this community, and I think a lot of the shops have that feel about it.”

Is there potential for Colne to expand?

“I think we should continue to build on the high street, it’s the strength of the town. We should continue to promote the market too as it brings people to the town.”

To share your views on Colne email editor@looppublishing.co.uk.

ColneLife Autumn 2022