I've never been to a 'proper' festival.

I've been to the Godiva Festival which is 3 days/nights of lots of music, lots of food, lots of alcohol, lots of market stalls and either too much sun or too much rain but with no camping or other on site accommodation so it is back to your own bed every night.

You can, if you so wish, find out more information about The Godiva Festival here.  We have Sir Bob and The Boomtown Rats headlining for us this year.  It's a free festival so no entry fees.

I have also been attending the Queen Fan Club Convention every year since 1993.  This is pretty much a festival but indoors and with proper plumbing.  Three days and nights of music, albeit Queen and Queen related, games, market stalls, cough* lots of alcohol *cough but overnight accommodation, depending on the site, is either caravans or chalets, both of which contain proper bathrooms.

I will admit it, I am a snob.  I have camped in the past and will happily do so again once all tents have a fitted private toilet.  I have no need of a proper bed, I don't need a shower, but I do need my own toilet.

But festivals are so expensive to buy tickets for, and that is without accommodation, travel and spending money.  Attending a festival is very much on my bucket list, but I think I need to win the lottery first!

There needs to be more to do in Coventry

Having recently had to take my remaining annual leave in a block (I was off for 14 days in a row, I don't even take that much time off when I DO have plans) I have struggled to find places to visit locally.

We have the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, which is a fantastic space and a beautiful building, but I have never found the exhibits there as fascinating as I do the building they are housed in.

We have the Coventry Transport Museum, which has recently undergone building works and now has a larger floor area to house the exhibits.  As the museum has had free entry for many years now, I used to spend my lunch breaks in there, especially if it was raining, so I will have seen all the exhibits as they were rotated in and out of storage.

We have the Cathedrals, all three of them, but I worked in the new Cathedral for a time, so why pay to visit a place where I have already seen for free a lot of areas that the public don't?

On the outskirts of the city we have Coombe Country Park, great for young children as it has large areas where they can run about, there is pond dipping, holiday activities and play areas.  Not so good for single adults who are a bit too old for climbing frames.

We used to have a zoo and dolphinarium in Coventry, the entrance was guarded by a huge statue of a Zulu, it wasn't the best location for a zoo being pretty much in the city centre, but it was another place to visit.

There are currently works going on in the centre to open up the hidden Sherbourne River, There will be waterfront bars and restaurants so at least the students whom the City Council seem so desperate to hand the city centre over to will be happy.  Frankly I have no interest in getting all the way into and out of the centre to be Billy-No-Mates in the midst of all the beautiful people.

I like aquariums, but that means heading into Birmingham or out to the coast.

I like zoos but that means Dudley or Twycross.

I like big museums but that means London, Manchester or Liverpool.

I like outside spaces with more to do than just walk about, but that means going to places like High Lodge in Norfolk.

I like Ghost Hunts but they are rarely held locally.

I struggle to leave the house when I am not at work, and frankly, there is little around here that is worth leaving the house for.

Do you have interesting things to do where you live?

Yet MORE student accommodation in the city centre.

I have blogged before about the amount of student accommodation taking over the city centre and now permission has been given for even more.

This week it has been announced that a popular city centre car park is being replaced with student accommodation for 1000.  Clearly renting accommodation to students is a better money spinner than a car park, but then again, with everything in the centre being replaced by student accommodation, then people will soon have no need to go into the centre.

Near to the Belgrade Theatre, planning permission had been given for a block containing a 4* hotel (not sure why we need one in Coventry, but it would have been nice) and luxury apartments.  This has been in the pipeline for many years now, today it was announced that we would no longer be getting the luxury hotel and apartments, but more student accommodation.

I have a suggestion - why not make the whole of the city centre the campus of Coventry University?  Move all the students in the outlying flats and rented houses inside the ring road releasing the suburbs back to non-students.  The general public could still use the facilities in the centre, such as the theatre and the ice rink, much like they do on the University of Warwick campus on the outskirts of the city, the Arts Centre there is well known across the country and shows are open to all.

Does anyone else feel like their city is being slowly absorbed into the local university?

The Chocolate Teapot Train Station.

After many years of discussion and planning, more discussion and more planning, Coventry's latest railway station is due to open.

Located on the Coventry-Nuneaton line, the station is meant to service the Ricoh Arena (home to Coventry City FC, Wasps RFC and location of many high profile concerts including Bon Jovi and Pink) and the adjoining shopping centre which contains such stores as Next, Marks & Spencer and New Look.

Photo courtesy of Coventry Telegraph

Firstly the opening of the unmanned station was delayed due to staff needing training to use it.

Now it has been announced that only one train that will be running per hour with a maximum capacity of 75. There is apparently a problem sourcing further trains.

Also, the service will be suspended for an hour following any major event at the Ricoh.

Initially the timetable was to be trains every 15 minutes, but according to London Midland, who operate on the line, they advised five years ago that this would not be possible.

The station has been built as part of an almost £14 million scheme to update the Coventry-Nuneaton line, a joint project between Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and CENTRO.

Silent Sunday - 16/08/15

Farewell Coventry Co-Op, hello even more student accommodation (probably).

After nearly 150 years in the Coventry city centre, the Co-Op is due to close on the 24th October 2015.

From its humble beginnings in Cook Street in 1867 it moved to its current, multi-storey location, in 1956.

For many locals, born and bred in the city, the Co-Op is the first point of call for many things, from electricals (if you are a member of the Co-Op which costs £2 for lifetime membership you could get some great deals), to school uniforms, to suites and beds.

It was Christmas, however, that the 'Co' really came into its own.  Theirs was THE Santa to visit.

There was the sleigh, sitting ride behind reindeer whilst scenery rushed past.

 

The tinkling bells on the harnesses.

The exit into a decorated hut.

The authentic fat, jolly Santa.

The wrapped gift.

It was fantastic.

I went every year, my friends went every year.  My friends are now taking their children and grandchildren.  

But it will be no more.

According to the Coventry Telegraph a plea has gone out for someone to carry on the tradition and take over the Co-Op Santa experience.

So what will be built in place of the shop?  My guessing, and many people seem to agree, is that it will be yet MORE student accommodation.  

According to a report on the Coventry Council website, there are currently more than 4000 purpose built student accommodation units in the city, mostly in the centre.  There are also more than 8000 units on or around the site of the University of Warwick on the outskirts of the city.  There is extant planning permission for a further 3300 units across the city.

This does not include the recent change in plans for the former sorting office in the centre.

Nor does it include the great swathes of the suburbs where houses are converted to HMOs and operated by private companies or individuals.

I have posted before about students taking over the city, and the influx shows no sign of abating.

Storm Nail & Beauty - Coventry

Recently a new hair and beauty salon opened just round the corner from me, so I had to try it out.

I'll be honest, due to the location, and the wide variety of short lived previous ventures there (Army Surplus, Bathrooms, Pet Shop and Batch Bar) I wasn't expecting much but I couldn't have been more wrong!

Storm Hair & Beauty looks fantastic.  The decor is black and white and, thanks to at least one wall being knocked down, it looks much bigger than in previous usage.  It is really modern and it works, once you are inside you forget that you are in a suburb.

Amy & Ami, the two stylists that I have met are lovely and I have never been offered so much tea and coffee.

So much attention was paid to me, constantly being asked questions about my hair, apparently my hair is very soft, and being included in all conversations going on.  I do know when I have found a good stylist if I feel like I can fall asleep whilst I am being worked on, and today I did feel myself nodding off.  Sorry Ami!

My hair feels great and is so shiny too, even my grey hair seems less obvious, normally when I leave a hairdressers it is all I can see.

They also offer sunbed sessions, spray tans, vibro plate sessions, and nail treatments, recently they have added threading too, I will be definitely trying this next time.

It is a fantastic place, and certainly reminiscent of a city centre salon but with a local salon welcome.

As an opening offer, there is 25% off a cut & blow dry until the 31st July 2015.

If you are local, or willing to travel as there is limited parking outside and it is on a bus route (no. 5), I would definitely recommend them.

Photos courtesy of Storm's facebook page.

EDIT

Storm has now unfortunately closed (March 2016).

Silent Sunday - 08/03/2015

Silent Sunday - 01/03/2015

Does Coventry city centre really need more identikit pubs?

Coventry city centre is failing.  Shops are closing and moving out.  If a building remains empty for more than a week it is turned into student accommodation, or so it seems.  

In the last few years, the Leofric Hotel, main Post Office, a 7 floor office block and a Yates's have been turned into student halls.

The Post Office sorting office in Bishop Street has been sold for redevelopment, presumably for more student accommodation.

We have a 3 storey Primark, several pound shops, cheap card shops.  We also have many, many phone shops and bookmakers.  We have 2 Costas and a Starbucks, plus several independent coffee shops.  We have several charity shops.

And we have pubs.

Lots and lots of pubs.

All of which could be located in any town or city within the country.  

Whilst both city centre Wetherspoons have local photos adorning the walls, they are still very obviously Wetherspoons, and whilst the beer is reasonably priced and the food good they are still just part of a chain.

I know that it is a problem everywhere, but we are losing all the pubs with individual character, everything is becoming an identikit pub, almost flat packed to be assembled anywhere.

We still have a few independent pubs, or at least pubs owned by small breweries, hanging on, such as The Old Windmill in Spon Street.

Also known as Ma Brown's, it was in here that my Great-Grandmother, called Granny Brown (no relation) by everyone, knocked a man unconscious with one punch as he was pestering another woman and wouldn't leave off.

There is The Whitefriars Ale House in Gosford Street.

There are a couple more, but they are few and far between and get very busy with people who like to be able to tell what town they are drinking in.

This week we had the news that Cathedral Lanes, another White Elephant shopping centre, has been sold to be changed into yet more pubs and restaurants.

Will they be like a breath of fresh air?

Or will it be same-old-same old?

The first establishment is due to open in December 2015, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Silent Sunday - 13/10/13