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Doncaster
is attempting to put its troubles behind it and project a more positive
image.
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| What
do you think is the spirit of Doncaster? |
The
town will carry a new slogan - "discover the spirit" - after local
people and businesses said the borough needed to send out a more
enterprising message.
The
idea is that this will help market Doncaster to new employers, developers
and visitors.
Councillor
Ian Spowart has said that he is certain it will make a real difference.
He
told the 大象传媒, "The branding is a project for all of Doncaster,
not just for the council.
"It's
for the benefit of businesses and the people who live and work here.
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| Is
Doncaster in need of this boost? |
"Hopefully,
it will attract people into Doncaster to spend their money!"
An
attempt 12 years ago to rebrand Doncaster as built on 'black diamonds'
failed when the pit closure programme destroyed most of the local
coal industry.
Doncaster
has twice applied for city status, but has been rejected each time.
And the town is now notorious for the Donnygate corruption scandal.
We'd
like to know what you think of the South Yorkshire market town.
 |
| What
makes Doncaster different? Share your views! |
Is
Doncaster on the up? Is it a thriving, enterprising place? Or should
the council be concentrating on other things?
And
what is the spirit of Doncaster? Is it the people, the place - or
something else?
Send
us your views, and we'll publish them on our site!
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Sean
- Sheffield
Following on from my earlier comments, I decided to visit Doncaster
yesterday for the first time in years.
Sadly,
despite minor cosmetic improvements to street furniture and
the creation of a major traffic jam on the inner ring road
near North Bridge, nothing much has changed. Indeed, many
shops had shut and an air of depression hung over the place.
One
thing did catch my eye.
A
newspaper fly poster summed up in a nutshell what a thousand
words on here couldn't say.
It
was imbued with the best Doncastrian down to earth values.
Above
all, it was a clarion call to all outsiders that Doncaster
IS a forward thinking kind of town...if your thinking is still
anchored somewhere in the 1970s.
This
is what the Doncaster Free Press poster said...
"WIN
YOUR WEIGHT IN FREY BENTOS PIES"
Oh
my, Donny you've such a long way to go.
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Tim
- Doncaster
Reply to Sean - Sheffield Thank God you dont live in Doncaster
there is enough stuck up people with out anymore. Doncaster
is a fantastic town with its own identity thank you. Unlike
places like Rotherham which is indeed just a suburb of Sheffield.
I agree that Sheffield has a diverse population, but at what
cost. Nineteen murders in 12 months, resourses sucked in from
the rest of the county. Especially your stupid tram (that was
our money well spent!). No Doncaster is a fine place that has
tollerant citizens and not a homophobic as you might think.
Fair play to the people of the town to try and improve and better
the town.Id rather live in Doncaster than anywhere else. |
Anonymous
i have lived here in doncaster for the full 30 years of my life,
and i can tell you now that it does not diserve city status.听
It doesnt matter how much effort goes into sprucing the place
up, it will always look the same!!!! schools are closing, the
retail trade is being taken over by the numerous new bars, resteraunts
and themed pubs.听 Public transportation leaves nothing to the
imagination! we already have to cities close at hand, LEEDS
and SHEFFIELD, and as for an airport well ..who-ever though
up that idea needs locking up!!!! |
paul
- Auckley doncaster
I have lived in doncaster all my life,the town did have a bad
reputation but come on the town is on the up.the new council
are trying there best and in mayor martin winter we have a man
with vision.so will all the knockers of our GREAT TOWN please
stop moaning and do us all a favour |
richard
- doncaster
has being born and rised in doncaster but worked mainly in the
south,i have to say i agree with the people with a negitve view
of the town it make me laugh when the local council puts us
forward for city satus. the town is to small and is not going
anywhere fast the lake? at the lakeside is just a big hole no
watersports no nothing realy waste of money in my eyes as being
a avid sailor. the only jobs i see coming in to the town are
call centers and some new warehouses where has all the big players
gone i.e. ici international harvesters etc. people do not want
to work as i can see they like the life on the dole if you have
pride you would take a jod at mc dees for 拢4.30 if you have
pride not not a $$$ser. i used to like to go for a pint round
town on a weekend but no more sad to say to many young girls/women
showing them selfs up and to many young bucks trying to see
how hard they are(not very)in most cases. so get a new council
with young blood with new thinking a new outlook and get the
town back on its feet not a new logo that makes f all diffarance
to the towns problems. so come on stop the rot. |
Chris
- Doncaster
I have lived in Doncaster most of my life but I have also travelled
the country and lived in various other towns and cities.
Despite
what many others seem to think I do not believe that Doncaster
has any more or less problems than many other towns in the
country. Though I do accept we do have some problems such
as drugs, alcoholism and crime.
One
of Doncaster聮s main problems is that during the 80's
Doncaster's industry was devastated by the then Tory gornerment,
who closed most of our coal industry. This represents Millions
of pounds worth of cash which is no longer being earned and
spent in our town.
This
is now changing, Doncaster IS getting investment money (The
Lakeside, Doncaster Interchange etc..), jobs ARE being created
for our towns聮 people (BT, Green Flag etc..), Corruption
in the council has never been scrutinised so heavily.
Doncaster
is not a bad place to live, we have many friendly and honest
people, we have some good places to shop and nice areas to
live. We have a reputation for one of the best pub nightlives
in the area and some of the best markets in the country.
Give
Doncaster a chance
|
Sara
- Vienna, Austria (but permanent address is Doncaster)
What most people have said here is true - Doncaster needs a
university to drag it out of the squallid state it has fallen
into. Police presence needs to be higher, particularly on the
streets in the town centre and on thursday friday and saturday
nights, when the majority of the town appears to think it amusing
to start fights, swear, spit and generally make fools of themselves.
The town seems to be stuck in the mindset of "if youre an individual
then theres something wrong with you" - hence the penchant for
all things either lycra (for women) or ben sherman (for men).
It needs a serious overhaul to be taken seriously by most people,
including the inhabitants themselves and this is clearly never
going to happen whilst the current council are in power. I usually
feel ashamed to say I come from Doncaster, and I can see from
the messages here that I'm not alone. |
Ray
Hind - Sheffield
I like Doncaster.It has the best music shops for instruments,and
the cheapest at that.far better than Sheffield has.Good on yer
Donnie.Keep it up. |
Kevin
- Doncaster
To Mat:
I
agree that it is not only Doncaster that suffers this isolation
from the real world, perhaps, the pubs and clubs should be
forced to play Radio 4 programmes in lieu of any other 'sounds'.
Maybe then, for some at least, a whole new perspective on
life may be influenced.... It might even get some to start
using un-tapped regions of their cranium.
For
Sue:
We
share similar concerns about '5-Streets, Hyde Park and what
seems to be long-winded promises about improving the area.
I attended a meeting some weeks ago to add my bit to the so-called
re-development survey (hmm, wonder what that cost)! Anyway,
I was asked if I would be prepared to have a further interview
at home, to which I agreed. What have I heard since, about
such a visit - you guessed it - nothing!
|
Mat
- Rivelin Valley, Sheffield
Kevin has a very good point about the cultural climate of Doncaster,
and the same comment can be made about may other smaller towns
in Yorkshire as well. I spent the past weekend in Barnsley and
was amazed at the lack of anything more than blokes in shirts
and women in next to nothing on the streets. It's not as if
these places are lacking in pleasant venues and pubs, it just
seems that the people who dominate them have a tolerance for
nothing more than lager, football and low-brow conversation.
Comming from Sheffield to these places I agree that a university
would force them to look beyond the mundane and embrace a more
cosmapolitan attitude to life in general. The influx of students
from different part of this country and abroad has forced cities
like Sheffield and Leeds to broaden their horizons and as a
result have undergone a rennaisance in the past few years. The
Sheffield of today is a far more pleasant and forward thinking
place. Towns like Doncaster and Barnsley need to drag themselves
out of the dark ages before they're left behind for good and
end up as a tourist attration. |
Sue
- Doncaster
How come Doncaster Council have all this money to spend when
the people of the 5 Streets area of Hyde Park are in desperate
need of redevelopment. This area of Doncaster is nothing but
an eyesore for visitors entering our Town to visit the Racecourse
etc.
A
total waste of money.
The
reason we are not a City, lays at the Council Door!
|
Kevin
Duckham - Doncaster
I am on a soap-box role now!
I
have just opened my new council tax bill - Band A - 拢683.13
for 2003/2004.
How
lovely that there are lots of high percentage increases for
our services. One that really strikes me is the extra 27.3%
for SY Police Authority!
Now,
I am not disputing that extra policing is vital in the area,
but would love to know how much of this increase finds itself
sponsoring street policing and how much just keeps the police
pension and sick pay funds available.
I
must say that in the last few weeks I have noticed a higher
police presence in the area I live, Hyde Park, and welcome
that. I hate to be cynical but...... was that I wonder, a
deliberate attempt to soften us ready for this massive increase
in policing costs?
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Kevin
- Doncaster
I have recently returned to Doncaster (my roots) after 25 yrs
working in mainland Europe, and the South of England, including
10 yrs in London.
It
(Doncaster), seems to have changed little in that tme. It
is caught in an alcohol based social trap, which is ever more
being capitalized on by the never ending adition of more places
to 'swill' the depression away. Girls and women of all ages
seem to compete in how little clothing they can wear no matter
what the weather thrusts at them.
Doncaster
market, once a focal point of trade in the town, now seems
to offer little except mobile phone covers for sale. Although
I accept the vegetable, meat and fish markets are still some
of the best around. The Frenchgate centre seems to be the
most popular commercial shopping area, which I believe is
a detrement to the town and agree with a previous commenter
that 'unless a guy wears a macho Ben Sherman loosely swaying
on the outside of his trousers he is unlikely to be 'socially
acceptable' in the click of things.' However, there are a
couple of pubs that are noticeably different, The Tut 'n'
Shive and The Leopard, and attract a more abstract crowd.
What
this town really needs is a Uni which will encourage some
diverse thinkers to influence some badly needed cosmopolitan
change here if it is develop in anyway.
Cities,
by definition from my experience, always have diversity and
a cosmopolitan feel, Doncaster has a long way to go before
joining that bracket and as such should spend its time on
changing that face and then maybe it will evolve into the
face of a city.
|
Howard
Murray - Canberra Australia
Our daughter and son-in-law live near Doncaster and we visit
teh area from time to time. Certainly, the town centre and surrounding
road network need some brightening up and some improvemetns
to traffic flow but eh strength of doncaster is in its peiple.
We have met wonderful people and the future of the town should
be built on encouraging the people to have confidence in their
community and to continue to be open and welcoming. |
JD
Keen - Bessacarr
How apt that the word Spirit should be mentioned - as the Council
have allowed so many pubs and bars in the centre of Donny it's
not that difficult to find the spirit. Just a little harder
to find shops as more close in the Frenchgate and surrounding
area. |
Mark
Doncaster seems to be an eyesore around the 'gateways' to the
town. The rail and bus stations are next to some pretty grim
buildings, particularly South Bus Station. Some serious cash
needs to be spent to improve the town centre. Saying that though,
money is being spent. Look at Lakeside. I think it's getting
better generally, and there's some really nice surrounding areas
like Bawtry and Tickhill. |
Sean
- Sheffield
This is a pointless marketing exercise that will do nothing
to reposition Doncaster. Ultimately this is an irrelevent, pointless
little town with a backwards attitude and little of any value.
It
has no university and any student with the misfortune to roll
up in this backwater would risk being beaten up for being
a potential homosexual or a subersive for not conforming to
the standard 'ladswear' issue Ben Sherman in one of any number
of tasteful pastel shades.
No
arthouse cinema, gay friendly clubs, student population and
a cultural identity all work against Doncaster.
It
does have low employment, high crime and a major drug problem
though. Perhaps they could market this?
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听
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