Posted by Anon
I wondered why Swanage wasso quiet on Sunday with very little trade in the shops and cafes until I read the Echo report of the thousands who had turned up for the arrival of Father Christmas in Wareham that day. What a contrast to the non event in Swanage on Saturday in the previous weekend.As there is a direct relationship between the number of people in town and business takings you would think that our local businesses would get together and organise things but not a bit of it. Why? When you talk to them there always seem to be lots of reasons for doing nothing and insurmountalbe obstacles to doing anything themselves. Why do we not have a weekend of Christmas related activities so that the accommodation providers getpart of the action for example. But why, oh whyare they so averse to paying something towards the costs of increasing their turnover?
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Who organises and pays for it in Wareham?
Thats a good question but I don't know the answer. Could you ask Wareham town council or their chamber of trade and report back to this thread as it would be interesting to know this. Thanks.
The interesting thing about the arrival of Santa in Wareham was the way it provided some spectacle which drew large numbers of people into the town. We have a carnival committee with a great deal of experience in doing exactly that, perhaps they could be persuaded to mount a winter event. Hint Hint.
Oh, all right then I will tell you. Disregard the last posting. If you put Wareham Father Christmas into Google the first thing it finds is the Wareham Town Guide which says this is organised by the Wareham Father Christmas Committee. The contact name given is Colin Appleton. The also have a fancy dress parade and collect for charity.
What worries me is that it took less time to find that than it will have taken to post the question in the first place which seems to sum up the Swanage attitude of passively expecting someone else to come up with the answers.
Have you ever been out for a meal with a group of people and at the end of the evening somebody says: "Let's split the bill"?
OK, so you're new to the group perhaps and you go along with it and pay your share.
The next time you go out for a meal with the same group, you notice that at the end of the evening it's the same person who suggests the bill should be split equally.
The third time you notice during the evening that the person who usually suggests you all split the bill, is drinking and eating far more than anybody else.
Isn't Swanage a bit like that? Isn't it always the same people who give up their time to organise things, and put a huge amount of their time and effort into making them work?
And aren't there a lot of businesses that benefit from these events, yet never contribute time, effort, money or quite often, even verbal support?
It's amazing that Swanage has as much going as it does, you know. Only somebody who stands on the sidelines and profits from these events would dare suggest that the carnival committee should do yet another event in winter!
Perfectly put 10.52!
Although I agree this can be a problem and I have been on the wrong end of it it also highlights another side of the problem which is that we have so many people who expect an immediate and direct benefit to themselves proportionate to their effort.
Everybody is terrified of someone else achieving a marginally better outcome than they do. As a result nothing gets done. Is there another way to split the bill? Taking this example of a Father Christmas weekend, would local businesses be prepared to open their books and pay up in proportion to how much their turnover is boosted? Silly question.
To quote American revolutionary Benjamin Franklin facing a difficult situation "We must hang together, or we will assuredly hang separately." Clearly some Swanage opinion favours the latter option.
There are things happening here but when you talk to those who organise them you find their experience is that businesses that receive a boost of thousands of pounds balk at contributing even the smallest amount. The place is turning into some sort of Adam Smith Hell in which we all pursue our self interests under the mistaken imppresion that this optimises the general outcome.
What can be done? The fact is that voluntary effort everywhere is declining. The membership of local organisations is ageing with precious few replacements coming in. We have generally retreated into our private interests for decades as the earlier poster indicates. Its a national rather than just a local thing. My suggestion is that it de done prfessionaly through the creation of a properly funded post to organise events and give the public more reasons to decide to come to Swanage. Other places do this so why don't we? The response will no doubt be "Who is going to pay for it?" but equally who is going to pay as local businesses are flushed away in the recession which is now under way? Are there any other suggestions or does negativity reign triumphant?
We are living in an age where bankers have turned a blind eye to risky lending so that they can pay themselves more and more, bringing the whole world to a state of financial collapse where millions will suffer. Bankers are a bit like that octopus in the aquarium that is feeding on itself...
And politicians have been feeding at the trough for such a long time too, building their own financial safety net without a thought to the people.
It's hardly likely that a bunch of business people in a little Dorset town will reverse the trend and do the right thing, is it?
Mind you, if they did, what a story! and what a way to put Swanage on the map, ensuring visitors, trade and prosperity for years to come!
The Town That Turned The Tide! I can see it now...
Sorry, I've got to go. The nurse says I've had my turn on the computer and it's time for my medication to stop me being delusional.
Very amusing but how very defeatist. What it amounts to is saying that all will be well if we do nothing with sufficient enthusiasm.
I am not talking about turning the world upside down, just having some events that bring people into town in the off-season. Swanage is not going to turn itself into Palm Beach but getting an increase in local spending of a few hundred thousand a year is an achievable goal. There are about half a million people living within an hours drive. Getting a tenth of them to make one more visit here a year would do for starters. Providing something for them to spend their hard earned on would be better still.
Steve Darrington writes:
Anonymous says: “I am not talking about turning the world upside down, just having some events that bring people into town in the off-season.”
Is that all? The tone is that there’s nothing to it… let me assure you it takes a massive amount of effort and time, plus money too.
Let’s take what I do. Swanage Blues Festivals are deliberately held out of season to bring money into the town in early March and early October, and getting on for 2,000 people have turned up on occasions.
The 15 participating venues are packed, it’s not easy to get a bed for the night, and many food and other businesses do a roaring trade too.
Admission is free so I rely on donations from the people who come to the festivals, and advertising from the local businesses that benefit from all these extra people on what would otherwise be a quiet weekend.
From 2004 to 2006 the blues festival was struggling to keep going, so I thought rather than just giving up, I better show everybody that I could do an extra one as well if it's supported.
When I increased the festivals from one a year to two a year in 2007, I honestly thought that local businesses would offer more support in the form of advertising on the websites. Support actually declined.
You might think that I must have been asking too much money from local businesses? You tell me. For seven years the cost of advertising on the festival website was only £12 per business per year.
So in order to keep going, and at the suggestion of regular advertisers, this year I finally increased the cost to £20 per year per business. That’s far, far less than you pay for one week in a local newspaper or one month in a magazine, and you get a whole year on the website.
But more than that. You don’t just get a nice picture of your business or a description of what you do and how people can get in touch with you. You actually get a huge number of potential and actual customers coming into the town when there wouldn’t otherwise be anybody here!
But, as the blues festivals have grown and attracted more people into the town, so support from local businesses has actually got less!
Nevertheless – and you may call me a fool - with undaunted optimism I floated the idea of a new festival for early June, this time celebrating World Music and Local Food. Again, at a time when I was told business was slack and the town could do with a boost.
But when I floated that idea, support for the existing blues festivals in March and October declined even further still!
Well, I’d learned my lesson by now. So I postponed plans for this additional festival, which would be taking place in June 2009.
So, that’s the story so far. The town could already be having at least one more event to bring people in. But it’s not.
Did I mention that one authoritative local businessman gave a conservative estimate as to the worth to the town of each blues festival of at least £136,000?
Consider this. It’s not in the town council’s remit to organise events, is it? The Holiday Accommodation Association and the Chamber of Commerce don’t do it. So any events are down to enthusiasts like me.
It's very difficult to keep being enthusiastic though when the bills arrive!
Personally, I am most grateful to the LVA, venues and businesses that do support me, some of whom are willing to pay more for their adverts than the £20 a year requested.
So please see the "Accommodation" and "Artists" pages at http://www.swanage-blues.org and http://www.bluesroots.org and support them if you can.
As always, I welcome suggestions from anybody who wishes to comment or assist in any way.
May I take this opportunity to wish everybody a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Steve Darrington
Steve,
I had the problems you have encountered very much in mind. I was not trying to suggest that running events here is easy at all.
Someone said "It's hardly likely that a bunch of business people in a little Dorset town will reverse the trend and do the right thing, is it?"
I was attacking the do-nothing mentality behind that. In fact local business by promoting the local economy can do a good deal to reduce the effect of a recession. You can both bring money in and you can reduce the rate at which it leaves again by sourcing as near locally as you can and keeping the money circulating in the local economy.
Unfortunately the scoffers look like winning and nobody will pitch in and do the right thing.
There was an event in Swanage on the 12th December organised by the traders of Commercial Road, I don't know how you managed to miss it.
Also, a well known and respected ex council member had planned on organising something bigger and better for the last two years but unfortunately had to cancel them due to lack of support, services being offered and then withdrawn etc.
So it seems even if you do spend a lot of time and effort (not to metion money) on organising something in Swanage, someone will manage to pull the rug out from beneath you leaving the town to suffer as a result.
Instead of moaning about it, why not try DOING something? Then this "Apathy" would start to disapear!
It was the lack of anything happening apart from in Commercial Road that prompted my original posting after I had read of the success of the event in Wareham.
How can I, or anyone else "do something" if any discussion of what can be done is dismissed as "moaning" or I am mocked for wanting to change the world. Again more negativity. Far from sniping from the sidelines I have been involved with organisations trying to achieve something in Swanage for a decade or more and it is a sad fact familiar to anyone who has made the attempt that you are blocd at every turn unless you just get on with it yourself with not support.
Forget to add there'll be 2 meetings late in Jan. one at Swanage First and one at the Mowlem.
I'll supply dates when I can - unless someone else can.
This discussion is fascinating to an outsider.
There appear to be different groups here:
1. one wants events to happen but does nothing about it
2. one wants events to happen, knows that there will be little if any support, and tries to do things anyway, sometimes succeeding
3. this one puts a block on any creativity and somehow prevents things from happening
4. there also appears to be a business group, some of whom benefit from events. Of those that benefit from events, some of them contribute and some don't.
Is that about right?
You forgot the accommodation association who want lots of visitors but don't like to support anyone who tries to bring business into the town.
Sorry all, my 2.22 post was meant to be in the Schools thread, and now is!
Obviously, that's the first of the two 2.22 posts!
Oh, and while I'm here - remember, STC didn't support the railway until it started to become a success and STC realised that it had public support.
oh bloody hell - 4th post in 5 minutes - why has my brain stopped working?
Just consider the RNLI.
The Gov't would LOVE to fund them - the RNLI say, no thanks.
They love their independence and because of fantastic public support they don't need the interference of bureaucrats.
"1. one wants events to happen but does nothing about it."
I started this thread. As I posted as anon. I did not say what I have done and continue to do. I have no intention of bragging but I do take exeption this remark, made on the basis of no knowledge at all and merely intended to attempt to discredit my position.
I suspect we have reached the limits of what can be done by individuals and small groups and have reached the stage where we need to take a professional approach. My point was that the businesses that would gain from this do not have the vision to get together and dip into their pockets. So far the postings in response to my initial one have confirmed this gloomy prognosis.
Perhaps it is in the nature of doing business at the seaside where we see our customers wash in and out like the tides without any effort on our part to think that we an go on relying on happenstance. My own efforts and those of lots of others never exactly been acclaimed. Wiser heads than mine have reached the conclusion that we may as well give up.
Outsider replies to the last comment by Anonymous:
Please don't think I was aiming anything at you or anybody in particular. I am trying to identify different groups as they appear to me, and not referring to the previous posters. I could have put a, b, c and d.
This is a logical approach to trying to understand the problems you seem to be experiencing in working together. To an outsider Swanage seems a great place with lots going on.
Why don't we have a Swanage Father Christmas Committee then?
Why let the mockers put you off? Why not go ahead and 'do something' without discussing it with mockers, and an anonymous forum attracts mockers.
Perhaps now is a good time to point out that many businesses are up for sale in Swanage. Perhaps that explains why some business people are reluctant to invest in the future of the town?
The original post asks why local businesses do not get together to organise things that will attract people into Swanage, and why they are averse to paying something towards the costs of increasing their turnover.
May I point out that approximately 11 pubs, 2 restaurants and 2 hotels do get together to provide the venues for Swanage blues festivals twice a year out of season. These venues are paying out around £6,000 per festival to the 100 musicians who attract up to 2,000 people into their businesses. There have been 10 blues festivals now since they started in 2001.
It is not feasible to charge admission to these small venues and I rely on volunteers collecting money to cover my organisation, marketing and advertising costs. The average donation from each person coming to the festival is under £1 each per weekend, that’s all.
There are some businesses - including accommodation providers - that contribute by advertising on the blues festival websites.
I can’t ask for more from the venues, they’re already paying out £6,000 per festival. I can’t get more from the people who come to the festivals. So that means it’s up to local businesses if they want to see more events going on.
Steve's business model for the Blues festivals works very well but I doubt it can be expanded much although I hope he will try. Its not a one size fits all situation. We need a variety of models, one man, voluntary organisation, e.g. the carnival committee, to say nothing of municipal authorities and private business.
Unfortunately the district council does not think it should put public money into activities and venues that will be used mainly by tourists, despite this being the life force of our economy here so perhaps we can cross them off the list.
Part of the reason there are so many businesses for sale is that it is so hard to get a loan to buy one or to sell property to finance the deal. It is no worse here than anywhere else. I came across a businesses for sale website that listed over 120 in Bournemouth, over 70 in Weymouth and just 2 here. Of course a high proportion of local businesses are sold through our estate agents rather than through business transfer agents who are more active in the larger places but it is an interesting comparison. The other striking thing was the number of pubs for sale in some places.
Taking Steve's figure for the amount of business generated by the Blues festival another seven or eight festivals would bring in a million pounds. That number could be organised by a couple of people at a cost of their salaries and expenses, Something in the region of 5 or 10% of the extra revenue. An extra million into local business translates into a pretty decent amount of net profit which would cover this several times over. The flip side is how do you persuade 100 or so cash strapped small businesses to fork out a tenner a week in anticipation of this?
The last post suggests that another seven or eight festivals could be organised by two as yet unknown people for a cost of £50,000.
Ahem. How about me - with my proven track record - organising more festivals for much less money than that?!
What is the matter with people in this area that seem to think I shouldn't make any money out of my efforts?
Why aren't people asking me how on earth I do it, and backing me to do more?
Why start talking about new people and paying them far more than I am getting for doing two festivals a year successfully already?!
I offered this town a new festival in June and people crossed the road rather than chipping in £20 each - per festival.
So you've got no chance of getting 100 businesses to chip in £10 a week!
And another thing! If people are going to hide behind 'Anonymous', then what chance have we got of getting together to form an alliance of like-minded people and making things work?
It's like I've said before: stop talking about things - especially anonymously - band together and get things going. It doesn't matter how small to begin with, if it's right it will grow.
The first blues festival in March 2001 had one pub with a solo pianist (me) on the Friday night playing to around 60 people.
The latest festivals have 15 venues packed with capacity crowds and more people in the streets!
Look what is happening at Bar Seven on a Sunday from 5-8pm. More and more people are coming every week for the live music. It's free to get in; beer, lager and cider are £2 a pint.
There are carpets, soft furnishings, good lighting, excellent sound and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
It's a great place to be and you don't feel embarrassed if you're over 50 either, because it caters for people of all ages. As long as you want a fun time and enjoy live music!
Some Swanage people told me that they wanted it done so I am doing it in conjunction with Nathan and Michael at Bar Seven.
I can do more, if I receive the remuneration... and if I'm asked!
Steve,
This is turning into a dialogue with interjections from others. Lets not get at cross purposes. Yes, organise all the festivals you can. I was suggesting we add to the range of ways in which events are brought about not abandon one of them. I think you should be able to make an income from festivals and find the attitude of some of the venues which you have described to me churlish and short sighted. I was trying to float some numbers to demonstrate that the investment is minor compared to the return.
I have no problems with any of the venues, they pay the acts and get what they want. Without the venues there would be no festivals! Their attitude is spot on - they are willing to pay artists that will attract more customers into their businesses.
Also, it has never been my style to tell people what to do. I ask each person, venue, musicians, volunteers etc how they would like to participate and find the right niche for them.
As for this topic turning into a dialogue, as far as I'm concerned yours is one of a number of anonymous postings that could be made by one or more people.
And with regard to me doing as many festivals as I can, I already am without more financial backing. That's why I take exception to even a suggestion that £50,000 should be raised to pay two unknown and unproven festival organisers!
Can you not see that it makes me feel you do not value my contribution? Do you think I achieve what I do by luck or something?
If you want more of something (more events in Swanage out of season) does it not make sense to see who's achieving it already and see what it will take to get him to do more?
The original post asks the question "Why do we not have a weekend of Christmas related activities so that the accommodation providers get part of the action for example."
Then the post goes on to say that they are averse to paying something towards the costs of increasing their turnover!
I think you've answered your own question there.
"Unknown and unproven"? Why? If there were funding for posts, e.g. from SWRDHA, they would have to be filled by a proper recruitment process and its hard to see how experience would not be a vital qualification. Honestly, I thought this was so blindingly obvious that I did not spell it out. I know that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys but you do need to start off by trying to get good people. We have Blues, Blues and Roots, Jazz, Stings and Folk festivals, all run by enthusiasts but surely if festival culture is to expand it needs to have a broader organisational base.
If you pay peanuts you get monkeys... I think the world financial crisis shows that if you pay a lot of money it doesn't necessarily mean you don't get monkeys!
This thread originated with the success of the arrival of Father Christmas in Wareham. The Wareham Father Christmas Committee recently celebrated 50 years of organising this event.
Today I spoke to the Chairman and I have done my best to reproduce the essence of what he explained to me.
The format is fairly simple: there’s a parade, Father Christmas arrives and goes down the chimney, there is a stage set-up with carol singers, the lighting of the town tree, a local minister blesses the tree, the mayor welcomes everybody, and there’s a grotto for the children – no charge - where they get an apple, orange and some chocolates.
The same committee of around 8-10 people also organises the Christmas lights. They’re all volunteers and meet every month to discuss plans for the event, and each has certain tasks. The meetings are minuted and everybody gets a copy. Nobody is badgered, they give up their own time and do it freely and willingly. Volunteers are encouraged if they have a Sunday to spare, can hold up a ladder, be a runner or for any task, no matter how small.
They sound a bunch of good natured guys who like being part of a team and making it all happen. There aren’t Chiefs and Indians, they all share jobs and responsibility and the people who have ideas are pro-active and get on with doing things.
For example, they go out and cut down the Christmas tree, drag it out of the forest, put it on a hay bale trailer to transport it to the town, then put it up themselves. It sounds like everybody enjoys it and it’s a lot of fun.
Everything is financed through fundraising and donations. People have ideas for fundraising, get on with it and raise funds.
In one example around 40 golfers paid £50 for a day’s golfing, the course made no charge, the rugby club provided amenities free, and the caterer charged a minimal price. There was a raffle and the whole event raised £2,000 for the funds.
On another occasion there was an evening dinner where people were charged £15-£20 for a full meal, a hall was donated free, there were singers, the town band and an entertainer, and £800 was raised.
There seems to be a wonderful sense of achievement, with people working together to see the whole thing through from concept and design to completion.
As the Chairman said to me: “Once you get the ball rolling, it’s self-generating.”
A previous post suggests that people should be recruited to organise festivals and their salaries should be funded by SWRDHA - South West Regional Development Association.
According to www.southwestrda.org.uk their core strategies are:
To continue the gradual improvement in South West productivity as measured by GVA/hour relative to UK average
To reduce the region's contribution of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) relative to GVA as measured by tonnes of GHG per £'000 of GVA
To improve the rankings of priority places as measured by the FDI's European Cities and Regions of the Future index
Just thought you'd like to know!
Sorry to ask what might be obvious, but why does there need to be a "broader organisational base" to have more festivals?
What's wrong with more enthusiasts putting on more festivals?
All these events seem to have a common denominator: they do not rely on people who do not want to help.
So surely the message for the person who made the original post is that's where you've been going wrong?
You said you talk to local businesses and
(1) there always seem to be lots of reasons for doing nothing
(2) insurmountable obstacles to doing anything
(3) they are averse to paying something towards the costs of events that will increase their turnover
My advice is: don't talk to them then!
Why put effort into trying to change the unchangeable? Put that effort instead into holding an event of some sorts, no matter how small, even if you have to do it yourself.
The equivalent body to SWRDHA in htesouth east funded a development office post in New Milton. It is within their remit. They have been working with the Town Partnership for years.
The festivals we already have must bring in the region of £500,000 into the place. If Swanage tourism was a single business it would be very strange if it relied on enthusiasts and volunteers for this much of its turnover. However, it is not a single business, it is atomised. Adding to the number of indivuals and voluntary orgainisations arranging events is better than nothing but I think it would be better for something to be done on behalf of the town's tourism economy in general.
The post that started this thread asked "Why are the accommodation providers so averse to paying something towards the costs of increasing their turnover?"
I think you've got it wrong. I bet they're not at all averse to paying towards increasing their turnover.
I bet they spend a lot of money on refurbishment and advertising to produce more business. Many of them pay several hundred £££ towards this accreditation scheme, or they're not allowed to advertise in the Purbeck tourism brochure.
In fact, if a booking is made through the Tourist Information Centre, don't they have to pay 10% of the first night's cost to the TIC as a booking fee?
What some of them are probably not happy in doing, is turning over their cash to people who want to develop their hobbies and put on festivals. After all, those people are going to put those festivals on anyway, aren't they?
You can see their point. Why spend money unless you have to. As a salesman, I would be talking to these businesses and pointing out that if they benefit from the festivals, it's in their interest to make sure they continue to enjoy those benefits.
I would say that everybody agrees that 50% of advertising costs are wasted, but nobody knows which 50%. At least by putting some money into the festival funds they know that people will be coming to Swanage and they'll definitely get their money back and maybe more besides.
If they were still resistant I would suggest that they allow an amount in their advertising budget FOR NEXT YEAR, and ask them to book some space provisionally for next year, to make it easier to sign them up next time.
Also, I think you'll find that there are still some organisations that will assist you with funding if you can get a certain amount of money pledged in advance by local businesses.
Worth a try, isn't it?
So who have we heard from so far?
Anonymous - 28
Steve Darrington - 5
Outsider - 2
Swanage Person - 1
Square Dealer - 1
Occasional Visitor - 1
Researcher - 1
Just A Salesman - 1
Anybody learnt anything new?
Anybody feeling better about the subject?
Anybody got anything else to say?
I can understand businesses being reluctant to fund festivals based on the personal enthusiasms of the organisers which is why we need to add to the efforts of the latter with a professional input. There are 45 weekends that do not have festivals or are in art weeks. Take out the main bank holiday weekends and the ones covered by carnival and that about leaves 40 when there is the opportunity to bring people in. Take out another dozen or so for the coldest part of the year and that still leaves over half the weekends with nothing going on here. If Steve had the backing he would take a good bite out of this of course but there is still a lot of potential. There are also lots of events apart from music festivals.
sorry clicked a moment to soon. Meant to say
that could happen here to make this the exciting vibrant place someone (not me) has asked for in another thread
You're absolutely right. Swanage has a gap in the market for festivals - a great big gap. But is there a market in the gap? I think the answer has to be a decided No.
According to much of what has been written here, there is very little support from local associations, businesses or councils.
As Steve said, he would have put on another festival if he didn't have to struggle to get £20 out of local businesses for the successful festivals he does put on.
How sad. Surely if you like what somebody does and they make money for you, you apply the age-old formula that works so well.
Applaud and Reward!
If you had gone round local traders before any of the festivals existed and asked for support to set one up you can easily imagine the answer. Its always the case here. Anything new is a threat but once it is up and working it becomes an asset.
About ten years ago a local organistion offered to set up a market here. The emphasis would have been on locally produced food and crafts with the aim of stimulating the local economy. The council was very sniffy thinking a market would lower the tone of the place. After a good few years they changed their minds but instead of a farmers and craft market we got a set of homogonised stalls selling whatever cheap tat you can buy anywhere else. This was nother opportunity lost through failure of vision.
Hegel said "that which is is necessary, that which is necessary is." (always wanted a chance to quote Hegel) In other words we always have everything we need already and there is no need for anything different! Was Hegel a Swanage man by any chance?
If you had gone round local traders before any of the festivals existed and asked for support to set one up you can easily imagine the answer. Its always the case here. Anything new is a threat but once it is up and working it becomes an asset.
About ten years ago a local organistion offered to set up a market here. The emphasis would have been on locally produced food and crafts with the aim of stimulating the local economy. The council was very sniffy thinking a market would lower the tone of the place. After a good few years they changed their minds but instead of a farmers and craft market we got a set of homogonised stalls selling whatever cheap tat you can buy anywhere else. This was nother opportunity lost through failure of vision.
Hegel said "that which is is necessary, that which is necessary is." (always wanted a chance to quote Hegel) In other words we always have everything we need already and there is no need for anything different! Was Hegel a Swanage man by any chance?
Is that you trying to do the Hegelian Thesis, Antithesis bit?
Dunno. Is the antithesis of nothing something or everything?
Here's another quote. Tennessee Williams this time
Blanche DuBois in Streetcar "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
Just about sums up the attitude of many doing business in Swanage.
Can there ever be nothing?
Ah, the problem of perception.
To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the project manager, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
For this debate to be valid, we realy ought to hear from local businesses and the councils too.
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