With my Exeter FM radio hat on, I was given the honour of officially starting the 2011 Santa Run on Sunday morning. What a fantastic event ! Not only did it raise lots of money for a great local charity, Dream-A-Way, but the surreal sight of 350 adults and children heading off down the High Street in Santa outfits will stay with me for a very long time.
Great credit to Pete Ferlie from Ironbridge Runner for masterminding this event. There were red suits and white beards wondering around the city centre for the rest of the day and, because of it, the festive spirit seemed to raise a level as thousands went about their christmas shopping.

The High street was cordoned off to buses for a while to allow the event to take place, and it got me thinking about how nice it would be if this could become a permanent arrangement. I’ve long been an advocate of pedestrianising the High street area from the Queen Street junction, and, while I appreciate that this is not a new idea, i think it’s time to seriously consider it again.

Clearly some major work would have to be put into developing suitable bus drop off points in Queen Street, but the benefits of the wider part of High Street being traffic free would be immense. Not only would we all have double the space to walk, but there would be far more opportunity for street entertainment and continental style outdoor eating and drinking.  It would link in perfectly with the great atmosphere that’s been created in Bedford Square and Princesshay.

I understand that because of the new John Lewis development, the City Council is considering extending the Paris Street one way system down to the junction with Longbrook Street. Why not go one stage further. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if this area could be pedestrianised too, along with the higher part of Sidwell Street.  What better way of giving the whole area a massive ‘shot in the arm’.

I’m not a big fan of Plymouth, but the central pedestrianised shopping centre does have a good feel to it.

I also hope the planners appreciate the extra traffic that will be heading into the city once John Lewis store opens. I’ve noticed that in the build up to Christmas, the main car parks are already struggling to cope. Last week cars waiting to use the Southernhay and Princesshay car parks were queued right back down Paris Street and were actually affecting flow at the roundabout by the Vue cinema. There is a real danger that without some joined up thinking, these ‘snarl ups’ will become common place even outside of the normal peak times.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited by the way Exeter City centre has developed, and will continue to do so in future years. However I think some brave decisions remain to be made if the final pieces are to be put in the jigsaw.

Like a lot of people I normally get the urge to lose weight and get a little bit fitter in early January. The festive excesses culminating in a New Year resolution to live a healthier lifestyle which, in my case, lasts just a few days...a couple of weeks at most.
This year my guilt trip has started a little earlier and it’s all the fault of social media. Perhaps I should give that up instead in 2012!  For those of you that aren’t devotees of sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, let me explain.  The latter, in particular, allows you to see what your friends, relations, work colleagues and frankly some people you’ve only ever met for 10 minutes are up to. They use their mobile phones to check in somewhere, and a message duly arrives up on my mobile phone to tell me that little bit of ‘fascinating’ news.  I do the same of course, so when I pop into the local supermarket, I can triumphantly inform the waiting world of my heroic domestic endeavors.

Of course it’s quite easy to become obsessed by this ‘travelogue’. Some have even described it as a bit sad. It’s apparently massive in the US, where arrival at certain places can lead to discounts and ‘in store’ incentives. It’s nowhere near as big here yet, but give it time! That’s my excuse for being sucked into this phenomenon. I just want to be ahead of the game (which is just what it appears to be)

Unfortunately several people I follow on Twitter and Foursquare are keen gym members, so while I’m tucking in to a fast food lunch, or slouched in front of the TV, you can put money on a message arriving to tell me that they’ve just arrived at a well known local fitness centre to embark on a two hour ‘body pump’ or similar ‘sweating buckets’ type workout.
I’m sure that they must realise what a demoralising effect this has on the rest of us normal mortals. It’s the modern day equivalent of the ghost of Jacob Marley telling us in a non too subtle way that we need to rethink how we live our lives.
As far as gyms go, i’m a lost cause. It’s ‘Bah, humbug’ to them as far as i’m concerned !

So with that in mind, I’ve decided to dust off my old bike, and wheel it out of the garden shed. I’ve taken inspiration from Devon County Councillor, Stuart Hughes, who tells me, via Facebook, on a seemingly daily basis that he’s just pedaled twenty miles at some ridiculously early hour around the roads that he’s in charge of maintaining for the rest of us ! As a former member of the Monster Raving Loony party, Stuart is known to have the occasional crazy idea, but when it comes to cycling he’s talking a lot of sense. I interviewed him for Exeter FM radio last week about the official opening of the fantastic new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Topsham. It’s a lovely wooden structure near the Bridge Inn that takes away the danger of crossing the River Clyst on the narrow old bridge.  It links into the Exe Estuary Trail, and reinforces a commitment to give us all some joined up routes for leisure, and a viable and healthier alternative to commuting into Exeter using our cars.

I made Stuart a promise that I would use my bike a lot more in the lead up to Christmas and lose a few pounds in advance of devouring the Turkey this year. I’ll let you know how I get on and what I think of some of our local cycle routes. By the way, i’ll be using this website and the pages of the Express and Echo, rather than those social media outlets !

It so nearly didn’t happen, but the day has finally arrived. I don’t mind admitting that I really look forward to the switch on of the Exeter Christmas lights every year. I must be a kid at heart, because the magic of the festive season begins to wash over me as the city centre is illuminated.
Of course this year it looked for a long time as if the High Street would be a festive free zone. When a vote for a city centre Business Improvement District (BID) went the wrong way (in my humble opinion), it was clear that it would be a tough battle to try and get the High Street lights paid for bearing in mind the tighter purse strings at the City Council. I know that many people, including City Centre Manager John Harvey, Express and Echo Editor Marc Astley and the Chamber of Commerce’s Derek Phillips worked tirelessly for many weeks and months to try and make something happen, but it went right down the the wire in the end. Thankfully the Exeter Chiefs Supremo, and SW Telecoms boss Tony Rowe stepped in to underwrite the cost and effectively ‘save’ Christmas for those of us who care about these things. I’m not sure Tony will relish comparison with the great one in the red suit and white beard, but it was a fantastic gift for the City.
I realise that City Council finances are desperately stretched at the moment. We’re facing cuts of up to £1 million in the next financial year, but I want to make a heartfelt plea to the powers that be, and to all those major High Street stores who benefit from the extra trade over the coming weeks. These modern day ‘scrooges’ need to wake up, and see the light (literally) and make a financial contribution next year, and beyond.
Please do not put our Christmas lights under threat again!

I’m looking forward to playing a small part in the official light switch on in my role with the Families for Children adoption charity. I’ll be introducing a special song written for the charity on the main stage in Princesshay, and will then head up to another presentation area outside the Giraffe restaurant where a Formula One car will help raise much needed funds by allowing ‘F1 fans’ to sit in the car and pose for pictures.
Thursday late night shopping may not be everyone’s cup of tea in the lead up to Christmas, but I love it. I suppose it feeds my romantic vision of the seasonal build-up immortalised in all those classic black and white festive films set in Macy’s department store in New York, and, more recently, Richard Attenborough’s courtroom battle to prove that Santa Claus is actually real !
With the whole city centre lit up, and a skating rink on offer to fearless youngsters and brave adults, the atmosphere after dark will be brilliant. Mind you, as a man, I will probably leave actually buying anything for my loved ones until Christmas Eve !