Was interested to see if anyone had any opinions on how Hanley Town Centre could be made to be a more welcoming place than it is. I spent 2 hours today and wondered around the museum and on a positive note that was superb and so informative. Walking around the city centre I noticed lots of empty shops and it is no different to many High Street throughout the Uk. What was quite unsettling is the amount of shall I say people who were sat on benches drinking booze or smoking whatever and many looked to be on a different planet. I would describe parts of Hanley Town Centre as very intimidating. Sad to see so many youngsters who have their whole lives ahead of them being at such a low point. I am old school and would be quite brutal in my approach. I would round them all up and cart them off to a camp to get cleaned up , exercise re schooling and basically try to get them to see that they have a choice at what path they take. I would imagine most could turn their lives around with some real support and help but in a very rigid environment to start. I was also surprised at how full some pubs were, thought most people had to really watch the finances nowadays. Maybe I am just too out of touch.
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