We asked Bilston residents what they love about their town
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00:0085 years for her, and 73 for me.
00:03Oh my gosh.
00:05So what do you love so much about the place where you live?
00:08Well, it's friendly.
00:10Yeah.
00:11We've always had a good market, we've always had a good town.
00:14Yeah.
00:15Yeah, I think we know everybody, more or less.
00:18We have good, excuse me, we've got good neighbours.
00:21Yeah.
00:22Yeah.
00:23Would you say it's a safe area where you live?
00:25Have you ever?
00:26Yeah, used to be.
00:27Yeah.
00:28Just slightly, it's gone down a bit.
00:31A little bit, yeah.
00:32What are some of the good things that you like about it, though, here?
00:35I mean, if someone was going to move here, what would you say are some of your favourite things,
00:39some of the best things about Bilston?
00:41I don't know.
00:42Don't know.
00:43I don't know.
00:44Not now.
00:45When, before it was lovely, but not now.
00:50It's going downhill.
00:51What would you say about it?
00:52And the market.
00:53Yeah.
00:54Going downhill.
00:55Oh, that's a shame, isn't it?
00:56Yeah.
00:57Yeah.
00:58Yeah.
00:59That's one of the good things, isn't it?
01:00Yeah.
01:01We do, yeah.
01:02Yeah.
01:03Are people generally friendly around here with you?
01:04Oh, yeah.
01:05Yeah.
01:06Yeah.
01:07Especially the security guy.
01:08The community placement.
01:09We've just been talking to him up there.
01:10Oh, that's nice.
01:11What were you talking about?
01:12We just have a banter with him every time we see him.
01:13Yeah.
01:14Well, there you go.
01:15Because it's a small little community, you can just get along with people.
01:16Yeah.
01:17Yeah.
01:18Yeah.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Oh, thank you so much.
01:21Yeah.
01:22Yeah.
01:23Yeah.
01:24Yeah.
01:25Yeah.
01:27Thank you so much.
01:28You're welcome.
01:30So, it's like a little community hub.
01:31Like, you can walk in here by yourself, and you haven't got to worry, there's always someone
01:32to talk to.
01:33You know, there's always a conversation to be had.
01:34There's always banter going on between everybody.
01:35We have children in here as well.
01:36So, it's like a little drop-in centre for all of the community, which is nice.
01:37So, everybody can just come together, have a good laugh.
01:38We have entertainment on, karaoke.
01:39We have bingo.
01:40We have all sorts going on throughout the week, where you can, like, win a gallon, free
01:41food.
01:42Yeah.
01:43Yeah.
01:44Yeah.
01:45Yeah.
01:46Yeah.
01:47Yeah.
01:48Yeah.
01:49Yeah.
01:50Yeah.
01:51Yeah.
01:52Yeah.
02:53Yeah.
02:54Yeah.
02:55Yeah.
02:56Yeah.
02:57Yeah.
02:58Yeah.
02:59Yeah.
03:00Yeah.
03:01It's a great place to live.
03:02I've always lived in this area, and my house is a couple of streets from the town centre.
03:03Er, probably about three years.
03:04Three years.
03:05And did you work at the church before that as well?
03:11We've been members of the church for...
03:13Members.
03:14...40-odd years.
03:15And I'm guessing you're a Belfaston resident yourself?
03:19Er, just outside.
03:21Just outside.
03:22What do you like so much about coming here and being in the heart of Bilston?
03:26What do you love about this town?
03:31It's a wonderful town in terms of the market and the people.
03:40We are the hub of the town in some ways.
03:44You've seen we've got the cafe there and that's a place where people can just come and relax
03:51and they'll sit over a pot of tea for however many hours and just sit chatting, making friends.
03:59It's a place where people who are often lonely or have nowhere else to go can come and just
04:06sit there.
04:07We keep the prices as cheap as we can so that people are always welcome.
04:15We've always tried to be here to serve the people and that's our main aim.
04:22You know what, it's so busy in there as well, do you think there's just a real sense of
04:27community and friendliness here?
04:29There is, as I say.
04:34Many people come, there's a lot of bereaved older gentlemen who don't want to sit in the
04:42house on their own staring at four walls.
04:45They come out, they all chat, they all have a good gossip.
04:51Women are supposed to be the gossipers but believe you me, some of the men are just as good.
04:58You know, there's a gentleman that comes in almost every day, brings his pipe back, sits
05:05there, he'll leave all his stuff there while he goes up the town and does a bit of shopping
05:09and then comes back.
05:12It's just a welcoming place and we try to keep it that way.
05:19Thank you Jane, thank you so much.
05:21Right, so we're here outside Majors with Mandy and Bala.
05:26So Bala, you said Mandy's worked here for over 30 years?
05:2930 years, yeah.
05:30That's incredible, Mandy.
05:31And do you live in Bilston as well?
05:33Yeah.
05:34What do you like about this neighbourhood?
05:35What are some of the good things about Bilston?
05:38Well, Bilstonians have always been nice people and it's always been, it's home, it's the
05:45place I love so, and Majors has been here for as long as I can remember so it was inevitable
05:54that I was eventually going to end up working here.
05:58Just never thought I'd still be here 31 years later.
06:01So what do you like about this, do you like the other communities, I mean you see hundreds
06:07of customers a week, what kind of vibe does that give for you?
06:13Most of the time it's a really good vibe because like I say, most Bilstonians are really nice
06:17people, so they come in, we have a chat, we have a laugh, we serve them and that's it.
06:23Have you seen the area change much over 30 years?
06:27Yeah, it's changed a heck of a lot.
06:31But you know, sometimes you have to move with the times and some of it's good, some of it's
06:36bad, it's the same everywhere.
06:38That's how it is.
06:40What do you like about owning a business here in the heart of Bilston?
06:44Very vibrant and you know what, without them we can't run the business, really really supporting
06:53customers and they're always being loyal, 90% or more, so we are thriving on that.
07:00It's a big hurdle for us, a very big legacy behind the majors, we're still trying to work
07:07out how we can move forward with it.
07:12But I've got a good team of people around me, so you know, a tonne of experience.
07:19Well I mean you are literally, you've spoken about all across the west of Bilston, it's
07:23not just here in Bilston, you've made a real brand here and I mean how does it feel to
07:29be able to give back to this community?
07:33We are doing everything possible in our, whatever we can to do, some of the charity activities
07:41and all these, we always jump in, so if they come and speak to us, we get into the groove.
07:47And then some of the care homes and all, they sometimes watch us too and we always give
07:52them a great discount, where you can, it's just, you know, just giving back.
07:57Exactly, I mean, we spoke to the landlady at the market cavern and you know, they're
08:02also very charitable and I think that's really nice.
08:05We all have to get together, you know, it's a good thing that the government has put some
08:11effort to build back the charity market here, we all have to get back together to build
08:17it because it's a gang, like, you know, we can make sure that everything works.
08:21We can work together, because then the best things are made out of that, aren't they?
08:25Indeed, indeed.
08:26Thank you both so much.