Luton memories

I've got good memories of Luton

• feeding the ducks and playing in Wardown Park on sunny afternoons (what WAS that big musical thing?)
• walking round the cricket ground and past the museum to get into town
• sledging down Pope's Meadow when it snowed
• sitting on the concrete steps to watch the fireworks when they used to be at the cricket ground
• looking out the window as we drove down Stockingstone Rd so that I could see right across Luton
• shopping in the Arndale Centre with Mum or Nana and then later when I was allowed to go on my own
• working at the football ground selling burgers
• being involved in various Luton Youth Music things
• learning about how my town used to be at school
• climbing Warden Hill
• playing samba in the carnival
• sheltering from the rain in a festival my church did in the park

I'm a Luton girl right through. My grandparents and family worked at Vauxhall! I love it. It's my history.

I've just come back from a 2 hour walk around Luton, I didn't really know where I was going, which was fun. So I travelled through Farley Hill, Dallow area, then towards the hospital, taking all the back roads. My aim was to get myself lost.

But I passed all kinds of areas, the ones that look very middle class and 'content' and the ones that look just plain dodgy and run down. But my thought was that there's something of all these areas in every town or city you go to. There are rough areas, but some places are just good at hiding them away.

We're not so different from their 'prize town, 2003' or 'Best City, 2004'.

heart

There's an A0 map on my wall of Luton. I never realised until recently what shape Luton is in. It's a heart.

Farley hill and capability green are its point. Lewsey farm serves as a left ventricle; the A505 from Hitchin in the place you'd expect blue spent blood to come in from.

Go through your kitchen cupboards. Chances are you'll find something that says 'distributed by...' on it - and that company will come from Luton. Things are distributed, transported from here. We have a romantic image of the heart, of love, passion - but the reality is the heart is a hard working lump of muscle and fat - it beats 2.5 billion times in a life, keeping us alive. Both roles are neccessary and valueable, and complimentary.

Still loving it

Well, as predicted the talk around Luton being crap is still murmering its way around media. It prompted a search for crap football grounds in the Observer this Sunday, we came second, largely due to the hatred incited by the away fan ban days (silly yes, but meant it was safe for me and my sister to hold season tickets during our teenage years!)

So, what to say. I'm coming round to the opinion that it is somewhat fruitless to just try and say that Luton is great. There are things about it which aren't. But its more important I think that we love it nonetheless.

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More soon