From Andrew Hall
Thursday, 3 January 2008

Just in case there's a fairy godmother somewhere up there, these are my wishes for HB for 2008.

1) A solution to the traffic congestion on Keighley Road. We all know that there's a problem, but nobody seems prepared to do anything about it.

2) Reinstatement of car parking spaces in Hebden Bridge. Perhaps Calderdale Council should give Hebden Royd free rein to sort out parking in Hebden - it currently could not be more disastrous for the future of the town (ask most shopkeepers).

3) Parents to take a greater interest / responsibility in what their offspring are getting up to in the town centre. The headlines on the HB Times and on Hebweb are far too often concerned with "mindless vandalism"

4) Everyone to support their local pubs rather than going to Tesco, Asda et al, most of whom seem hell bent on selling beer at less than cost price (and less than bottled water) and turning us into an introvert stay-at-home culture.

5) More people to get involved in countryside conservation and maintenance. The Friends of Calderdale Countryside is an entirely voluntary body of people who spare a little time in maintaining footpaths and getting involved in other countryside activities. The council's Countryside Service will give you more details.

6) A decent supermarket in town. I've written to Booths (those of you who've visited one it will know what a good chain it is) and they reckon Hebden fits in well with the type of town they could do business in. The only problem is finding a site.

I think that's about it. Any additions?

From Joseph S
Friday, 4 January 2008

Agree with much if not all you've said. I'd like to add...

1. A decent curry house/takeaway.

2. Proper opening hours for the Waterside Gym. Last Saturday it was 10.30am til 2pm. On a normal day it opens at 9am. Ideally I'd like to be in there at 7.30, and out by 8.30. We used to call the White Lion Fisheries opening hours esoteric and look what happened there.

3. Keeping the noise down late at night on a Friday & Saturday in town. The smoking ban (good) seems to have increased the noise levels on the street as boozed up faggers have their fixes outside now. Just keep it down a bit please. Do smokers need to shout then because they are a little hoarse?

4. More car parking at the station. I know its not ideal but I'd hate to think people were driving to Leeds/Manch et al because they can't get a space within 500 metres of the station.

5. The White Lion to recognise its not a Gastro-pub and stop charging £8 plus for fish pie. Child friendly or not its why we don't go anymore. Oh, and £15 for 2 pints, 1 glass of wine, a squash and 2 packets of crisps is poor value.

6. Burnley Football Club to sell tickets fairly. Yes i want to go to Sundays game. Yes I'm happy to pay £22 for a ticket. Yes you've got tickets left. No I don't want to be told that in order to get a ticket for the FA Cup, I need to buy another home game ticket at the same time at a combined cost of £80 for me and my Dad. Cheeky t**ts.

7. More people to post on this forum. Its slowed down a bit, and got a bit overly serious. I think we need to be discussing more nonsense.

Posted by Simon B
Saturday, 5 January 2008

Yes how ridiculous. Expecting the 'fans' who want to go and watch their players in the one match against a big team to help support the 365 days a year 'financial juggling act' of all non-Premiership clubs!

From Joseph S
Sunday, 6 January 2008

Simon B... I had to read your post twice to realise you were taking the p***! I take your point though. Can I not be a "fan" without having a season ticket however? I've got a young family and could not afford to (time & money) go every other Saturday.

As a part time percy "fan" I realise I'll have to pay more for my ticket than the regulars, and this seems fair enough. But Burnley's strategy seemed to have (by the looks of the tele) left a good few tickets unsold which is surely daft.

Posted by Simon B
Tuesday, 8 January 2008

But Burnley's strategy seemed to have (by the looks of the tele) left a good few tickets unsold which is surely daft.

This depends how many of the people there bought tickets for said home match when they wouldn't normally have done so.

From Andrew Hall
Tuesday, 8 January 2008

It's somewhat telling that the only discussed item on anyone's wish list for Hebden Bridge concerns ticketing arrangements at Burnley Football Club!

Oh well - as usual, apathy rules. That rather sums up our little town.

And Joseph, I agree with all your items. Except one. The Eastern Spice isn't at all bad. Oh, and another. Have your ever considered lending your support to Huddersfield Town (as I do)?

From Helen T
Wednesday, 9 January 2008

I agree with Joseph's comments about Eastern Spice - they use too much food colouring and too much salt.

Proper opening hours for the gym would be good, but I probably still wouldn't go as it's one of those places that charge a membership fee and then you have to pay for the sessions on top of that as far as I can work out.

What about more keep fit type classes at a reasonable time for working people in Hebden so I don't have to drive there? At the moment there is quite a lot for people who are about in the daytime, then quite a bit that starts about 6pm, but not much for those of us who get back from work later than that unless you want to travel to Tod or Mytholmroyd. I find that anything that takes up too much time of my non-work life puts me off going.

From Andy M
Thursday, 10 January 2008

What traffic congestion problem on Keighley Road are you talking about? Thee are frequent very short pauses whilst people maneouver past each other - at low speeds - but no long delays.

I'd like to see a commuter train service to Leeds which wouldn't compromise Bradford commuters!

From Adam B
Thursday, 10 January 2008

I'd have loved a decent curry place in Hebden, I moved away only recently and I think such a place was one of the biggest misses of the town. I only ever tried any of the existing takeouts once and never again. I do love the Thai place though as well as the Chinese on Crown Street and AJs (one of the best chippies I've ever been to!).

As for the gym, I was a member there for a number of months and quite enjoyed it. One of the biggest downsides was the lack of opening on a Saturday afternoon or early weekday morning. I used to walk down the towpath in the mornings to wake up and would have loved to be able to go to the gym at 07:30 or 08:00.

I do need to correct Helen though, you can be a Pay As You Go member or you can pay a fee (either monthly, a one-off 6 month, or a one-off 12 month fee if I remember rightly). You don't have to pay once then pay for a visit. It may be worth popping in, they're very friendly and down to earth. They have some good facilities, do a lot of classes and have a number of deals which may suit. I know that sounds like I'm on commission but honestly I'm not... :-)

From Lizzie W
Thursday, 10 January 2008

No not fair! On a good night, which is more often that not, I find the Spice to be wonderfully tasty (just try to stop worrying worrying about salt & E numbers & enjoy life), excellent value & saves travelling to Bradford where similar curry cafes can be extremely variable (thinking here of erstwhile faves, The Kash or Karachi).

I realise that some of my more sophisticated chums are a little squeamish about the somewhat shabby nature of the Spice, and so I do agree that something a tad more up market/glamorous/pricey would be an asset to the town.

How about we lose the Paradise (does anyone who's not indulged in 8 pints of special brew actually order from this establishment?) & wish for the likes of of say something similar to La'Taj (King Cross) but preferably without the pretentious/unnecessary punctuation to take over what is becoming a worrying trend of empty shops on Market St.

From Emma Crute
Friday, 11 January 2008

I too would like a Indian resturant / takeaway in Hebden. However he have recently discovered Asras Spicey House takeaway in Luddendenfoot - its super and I would really recommend the Vegetable Karahi.

From Helen T
Friday, 11 January 2008

Thanks for the update on the gym Adam, I'm going to a class there on Wednesday so I'll enquire about the one off payments & how much it is. I can go to the student union gym at work in my lunch break, but after work would be better really.

Lizzie can rest assured that I don't spend my life worrying about salt or e-numbers. Whilst I may not enjoy a meal that contains too much salt or colouring, it doesn't prevent the rest of my life (or the evening in question) being an enjoyable experience.

From Jacob G
Monday, 14 January 2008

I think the Eastern Spice is wonderful. They will cook curries to your specification (have you ever tried asking?) and are always happy to modify ingredients. Shabby? What, more than the Karachi or Kashmir in Bradford? I think not. And salt and colouring. For a crash course in both, the Chinese on Crown Street is the place. I've tried AJ's twice and been disappointed both times - the driest chips I've ever encountered. Its a matter of taste, surely and, if Hebden Bridge could support a 'decent' Indian/curry restaurant, I'm sure some wily entrepeneur would have installed one long ago.

From Adam B
Monday, 14 January 2008

I've seen a few posts on this thread defending the Eastern Spice on the basis that just because it may look 'shabby' doesn't mean that it doesn't serve good food. The odd thing is that I haven't noticied any posts on this thread which say that it is shabby or rundown.

I don't think it looks bad. I wouldn't care if it did. I don't like it because I don't like the food. Personal taste, as Jacob says. I love the Chinese on Crown Street and AJs too. Either way, all 3 establishments seem to do a good trade.