Big fish in a little pond

Well that's certainly how I used to feel in Warwick in my little network of tweeters, safe behind the comfort of my iPad. Today however I suddenly felt very much like a tadpole in the ocean. WarwickTweetup and Hatton & Harding were mentioned in the House of Commons! Yes, that's right, little old us - a small network of Twitter networkers- used in the same paragraph as words such as 'Right Honourable' and 'constituency' - Twitter power indeed!

When Chris White (MP for Warwick and Leamington) rang me to say we had his backing I either misunderstood or under-estimated his meaning. Never in my wildest dreams did I think less than 4 days on, and he would use our name in the Commons! Such an honour and a compliment to the Pilot and indeed to Hatton & Harding and their achievements. Warwick has been so supportive and indeed Mary Portas noticed this in the run up to the Telegraph awards last week. The response has been amazing and I really hope that by Tuesday's WPP meeting next week we have an agenda and focus on which to use all this positive energy. We owe it to our town, our businesses and our MP and Mayor who have been so supportive of this proposal.

Today was such a gorgeous day for most of the UK. The fog lifted and the sky blessed us with a warm bathing of sunshine. As the sun shone down on Warwickshire I was lucky enough to visit Warwick and manage a quick catch up with David and Jerry at Hatton & Harding. If you have been to this wonderful shop you will know what this experience is like. A warm welcome of tranquil music seamlessly blended with beautiful smells from the spitalfields candle burning on the counter. Add to that the charismatic hosts and the incredible collection of interior delights and you really know you are somewhere special. It was here that this all started, in the gorgeous Old Square shop. Tucked away from the market square with the most fabulous view of St Mary's church, it really is a gem. The beauty of Warwick though means that it's by far the only one. Warwick is literally cramed full of beautiful and individual independent shops. It's exactly what every shopping centre hasn't got. A soul, a heart, and most of all a sense of community.

So why the proposal, you may be thinking...

Warwick, like many towns, is suffering from the out-of-town shopping centres. With their out-of-town free car parks and simple navigation they are beating small towns with their brilliance. Don't get me wrong - they are good, very good at what they do, and have a place in society. But as Mary Portas explains in her review for the Government, it's not about laying blame on their doorstep - it's about breathing new life into our high street and towns.

We're a market town with one market a week. We're a town full of shops that are closed on a Sunday. We're a town designed around a castle when the only transport available was a horse and carriage. The car doesn't do well here. We're fragmented into different parts and I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard:

"Where are all the shops?"

Linking all this together is a challenge. So many people have said that they don't hear about Warwick's offering when they get here. The car parks, train station or attractions out-of-town should be advertising spaces to our town, and driving people to us. I am not under the illusion that people come to the castle or racecourse and then leave. This is impossible, and I regularly see people spilling out of the castle onto Castle Lane and making their way up towards St. Mary's - such a great guiding light from there. We could do so much better though. We're proud of our town so why do we not shout about it from all these places with co-ordinated messages? Why is our market square empty all week? Why do we not shout about the beautiful Smith Street? Why do most tourists wander our streets looking to the skies? It's not God they seek, or even a quick weather check, they need a sign...

"Shops this way."

Well that would be a start! Smith Street was once outside the castle wall but it certainly is a big part of Warwick town now - let's tell everyone.

This week has seen much brainstorming and many ideas flying around a huge email conversation. On Tuesday our mission is to set the rules that will shape this Portas Pilot bid. Don't keep that idea in your head - tell us what you think! This a a Warwick initiative and that includes visitors and neighbours. We all make it what it is...let's make it what is could be.

Thanks for reading, as always comments are very welcome and responded to.

Cheers

Todd @Underwoodwines and @Warwicktweetup