Sunday Trading

Sundays have changed forever.
(15 years since Sunday Trading was introduced)

When I was a curate I lived by a huge Shopping centre – Merry Hill , which was called ‘Merry Hell’ by locals, and which rivals Meadowhall for size. Sundays used to be very quiet, even living on the junction of two A roads, and you could if you wanted walk across the junction diagonally confident that you wouldn't ever see a car on a Sunday. Midweek it was very busy, as the road linked Dudley with Stourbridge. One Sunday it all changed, and the traffic was queuing bumper to bumper, all heading one direction – down to Merry Hill, as Sunday Trading had just been allowed. Later that day the traffic was just as busy returning from Merry Hill. Sundays were never the same again, traffic noise, pollution, traffic jams meant I could hardly get the car out of the drive on Sundays leading up to Christmas (any time from November onwards).

Church attendance remained pretty constant, though the increasing number of car boot sales has affected church attendance lately, and Sunday television has knocked evensong for a six. Satellite and cable, together with Freeview mean you can watch almost anything on TV at any time, and what you can't watch on TV you can always watch 24/7 on the computer or Mobile Phone.

Sundays – porridge and runny boiled egg, with bread and scrape, polishing shoes, cycling to church, Sunday lunch sat down with the family (of variable quality) being allowed to go in the lounge after lunch – the only time we were as far as I recall. Sundays were different, we weren't allowed to buy sweets on a Sunday and if we did they were confiscated. Jimmy Saville's Old Time Record Club on the radio at lunchtime introduced me to music from the 50s 60s and 70s. What are your memories of Sunday? Time together at home with the family was part of what made a weekend what it was, though with a vicar for a father that was far from guaranteed.

Were pubs ever open on Sundays? I don't recall seeing them open, though we never seemed to go out on a Sunday apart from Church. There were no such things as garden centres where so many flock nowadays. Was football played on a Sunday? I recall players refusing to do so, when Sunday games were first brought in.

Sundays were different from other days. Now it is a day much the same as any other day, you can go to church, to the pub, garden centre or car boot sale, to the cinema, restaurant or sports event. Sundays are just like any other day. Is the world better now Sundays are the same as any other day, or worse?


Your friend and vicar,

Adrian


Road Safety
How safe it it to cycle on our roads?

As children our family had one car, and as my dad was out preaching each week in different churches we had to cycle to church. Were the roads less busy then? Was driving better? Both seem to be the case to my recollection. Safety standards have increased though, with cars being designed to protect pedestrians or cyclists, and with emphasis on wearing helmets and bright or reflective clothing.

How safe are our roads? Think of people riding horses - pass slow and wide, avoiding revving the engine, see if it is safe to stop and allow the horse to pass you. Please be considerate of other road users. The road is not just for the motor car.

Almost half of people questioned think that shopping on a Sunday can add to people's overall stress levels at the weekend.
NOP Consumer Poll 2004