Tag: Ludlow

Expanding Ludlow business could move operation to Wales after lack of council help

Expanding Ludlow business could move operation to Wales after lack of council help

One of Ludlow’s most significant employers, Flowfit, is on the verge of signing a deal for expanding its business in Wales. This move comes after Shropshire Council has failed to help the company find a site in Ludlow. Simon Parsonage is Chief Executive of Flowfit, a market leader in everything hydraulic, from distribution to systems and manufacturing has been based on Ludlow Business Park and celebrates 25 years in business in June. At the beginning of the year, Simon contacted Shropshire Council’s Business Growth team. Flowfit has been expanding and wanted to expand further on an adjacent vacant site owned by Shropshire Council or a site close by. Although there were promises to help from council officers, after more than three months Flowfit has not received a valid response. It is now at the point of signing up to expanding on a site in Wales.

Escape to the country programmes and articles by urban journalists don’t give a real view of rural life

Escape to the country programmes and articles by urban journalists don’t give a real view of rural life

Am I the only one who find programmes like Escape to the Country unsettling? The clue is in the word “escape”. That idea of rural life being idyllic compared to the nightmare of living in cities. Before anyone gets worked up, I don’t think cities are a nightmare. A buzz of life 24 hours seven days a week. Almost everything available whenever you need it. Walkable neighbourhoods. But cities and large towns are too busy for me. All those people you don’t know rushing past not saying hello. I don’t think rural areas are a nightmare. Far from it. But people seem who escape to the country sometimes have unrealistic expectations of rural life.

Despite the current problems, Ludlow can be the new future of shopping for pleasure

Despite the current problems, Ludlow can be the new future of shopping for pleasure

We have empty shops in town and we will probably have more. Other than convenience stores, supermarkets and a limited outdoor market, no one is trading through their high street stores at the moment. Reopening is probably more than a month away.   Our town centre has been weakened by the pandemic. It is far from dead. Behind the shuttered and darkened shopfronts are businesses working hard online. Or resting. It’s hard to cut hair or trim nails on the internet. We must stride into the future. Not just post-pandemic. Over the coming decades. We must not turn our back on our high street and the traders that give it colour and life. If we give up on our town centre, we will ensure its obsolescence. There are currently around seven or eight retail premises in Ludlow town centre that are empty or up for let. One of the most recent advertisement to let is Joules on the Bullring. It has always been a trophy shop, attracting the attention of passers-by and festival goers who might drop in and buy a bargain but were just as likely to buy the products online later. High streets have always been changing but…

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Ultrafast gigabyte broadband to come to Ludlow but telegraph poles are needed in some areas

Ultrafast gigabyte broadband to come to Ludlow but telegraph poles are needed in some areas

Ludlow is to be upgraded over the next couple of years to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). That replaces the copper cable between the green cabinet and your house or business (FFTC) with fibre all the way. That will increase potential broadband speeds from 30Mb to 40Mb to up to 1Gb. The entire town should have ultrafast gigabyte broadband within two years. It will not just be faster. It will be more reliable. But there are some drawbacks. Some streets do not have telecoms ducting. The current plan is to erect telegraph poles in these areas and run cables overhead. The alternative would be to dig up the roads, people’s drives and sometimes gardens to install the new fibre cables. That will be much more expensive and could lead to the work being delayed.

Covid Watch 118: Vaccination centre to open at Ludlow Racecourse next month

Covid Watch 118: Vaccination centre to open at Ludlow Racecourse next month

Most of you will have heard a vaccination centre is to open at Ludlow Racecourse. This will be in early February and we hope to announce the date next weekend. The centre will serve a wide area. We understand that transport will be provided from Ludlow but we don’t have details yet. This will be run by Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group. Local GPs will not be involved.  Many of those registered with GPs in Ludlow will be able to be vaccinated at the surgeries. Those housebound will received home visits.

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