17:57 Wednesday 20th March 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
[C]HRIS MANN: The Times newspaper today published it’s list of the thirty best towns to live in Britain. The top three were Alnwick in Northumberland, Arundel in West Sussex, Cranbrook in Kent. And down at number twenty four is Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. Yes, Wisbech named as one of the thirty best towns in Britain by the Times newspaper. Jonathan Farmer moved there, moved to Wisbech in 2000, and was Mayor until recently, and he joins us now. Hello Jonathan.
JONATHAN FARMER: Hi there.
CHRIS MANN: What’s your reaction?
JONATHAN FARMER: (UNCLEAR) I think it’s reflection of reality, to be honest. It’s a wonderful place to live.
CHRIS MANN: And surprised to find it in this list?
JONATHAN FARMER: Well there are a lot of towns, and this is the top thirty. It is surprising in as much as it must have beaten off an awful lot of competition to find itself up there with Chipping Norton and Keswick and such like.
CHRIS MANN: It says the Times asked the question, “why is it so great?” and says it’s “an impressive Georgian town. It’s people are creative.” And it’s home to the Operatic Society.
JONATHAN FARMER: Well we have got an Operatic Society, a theatre, we’ve also got a cinema, which for quite a small town is not bad going really.
CHRIS MANN: No railway station of course, unfortunately.
JONATHAN FARMER: Well no. Although that may come to fruition. Cambridgeshire County Council and the Wisbech Town Council have been pushing towards .. in this direction. And it’s now being seriously looked at, and it’s a possibility that it might well go ahead. The two councillors who have been really pushing that have been Councillor Samatha Hoy and Councillor Simon King, who are two of the County Councillors for Wisbech.
CHRIS MANN: I know they had a Cabinet Meeting there recently. So, being named in the Sunday Times list. It could be the start of bigger and greater things for Wisbech.
JONATHAN FARMER: Well it could. There’s lots going on in Wisbech, one way and another. We’ve got coming up in June will be the Rose Fair as usual. Plenty going on during that week. We are really at the centre of everywhere really, if you think about it, because we’re within an hour of a whole range of county towns. We’re within an hour of Norwich, within an hour of Cambridge, within an hour of Nottingham, within an hour of Leicester. We’re quite at the centre, a good place to base yourself if you want to go somewhere else for the day.
CHRIS MANN: Wisbech. At the very centre of life for Jonathan Farmer, former Mayor. Thank you for joining us.
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