Mr Telford moves on

'It's the end of an era' must be one of the most cheaply used journalistic cliches, writes Neil Thomas. On rare occasions it is justified. Judge for yourself if this is such a rarity.

When Ray Hoof became centre director of Telford's shopping mall it boasted two supermarkets - Sainsbury's and Carrefour - along with just 23 smaller retail units, and you could briskly walk from one end to the other in around 60 seconds. It was referred to locally as 'a shed in a field'.

On Maundy Thursday this year Ray Hoof retired after 30 years. He leaves behind Shropshire's largest indoor shopping centre, boasting some of the biggest names on the high street.

When he took up his post in 1978 Jim Callaghan was Prime Minister, Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John was the top-grossing movie, and singer Kate Bush burst onto the scene with her number one hit Wuthering Heights.

Ray has handed over the reins to Chris Jones, who himself has nearly 30 years of experience in shopping centre management and has run Crystal Peaks Shopping Mall and Retail Park in Sheffield since 1991.

"I know Chris and think he will do an excellent job," says Ray.

Chris Jones knows, though, that he has a hard act to follow. Ray Hoof was involved in the development of Telford New Town from an early stage, joining Telford Development Corporation in 1965.

"I was going off to have some further education but then my mother died and I stayed here," explains Ray. "Though it came about in sad circumstances, I have not had a moment's regret. I have enjoyed it all thoroughly. I was with the TDC when the first phase was built and opened in 1973, when it was a shed in a field.

"At that point we had Carrefour at one end and Sainsbury's at the other, and 23 units including WH Smith, Hinds the jewellers, Lloyds and Barclays banks and Halifax building society. Funnily enough the shoe retailer Stead and Simpson, which has just left the centre, was also there at the start."

One of Ray's early tasks on taking over as centre director was to drive through a major extension of the mall. Marks & Spencer was originally lined up to head Phase Two, but declined to come.

"So, instead, we brought Debenhams to the town and that was a real coup for Telford. It was virtually unheard of in those days for a major department store to leave the high street for an indoor mall, so were were delighted to bring them in, and I think it has really worked well."

Another arrival at that time was a real name from the past - the now defunct national fashion chain C&A.

Phase Two was eventually opened on Friday, November 13, 1981 by The Queen. Meeting Her Majesty was a red-letter day that Ray describes as the highlight of his 30-year tenure.

"There were lots of meetings with the security forces beforehand and we had to put up crowd-control barriers all around the centre, but it was a very rewarding day," he recalls.

By the mid 1980s Telford Town Centre was proving hugely popular with shoppers, lured by some top high-street names and thousands of free parking places on its doorstep.

The big retail guns were were queuing up for a piece of the action - and none bigger than the one that arrived in Phase Three in 1986.

"There was a knock on the door and Marks & Spencer, having previously said they didn't want to come, decided they'd had a change of heart and did."

It is safe to say that, nowadays, you'd need more than a brisk walk to get from one end to the other in a minute.

There can be no let-up in the development of the centre, though, says Ray, with an emphasis on introducing evening attractions.

"Central to the development of the town as a whole is a properly developed town centre with housing, entertainment and leisure facilities, so that the place feels alive after the shops have closed for the day.

"The benefit of Telford is that it is in the middle of the town rather than on an estate on the outskirts. But creating a so-called '18-hour economy' is so important. It is critical to create this night-time economy."

One of the more controversial tasks Ray and his team drove through in recent times was the introduction of car-parking charges in 2003.

"There was a good deal of adverse reaction initially, as there was bound to be when people had enjoyed free parking for 30 years. But we had to do something. We were choking ourselves up. Office workers were leaving their cars for the day and going nowhere near the centre, and shoppers just couldn't find parking spaces.

"Now shoppers can actually find spaces near the shops because the office workers are on longer-term car parks further out. Cherry Pink, the first multi-storey car park, has been well used. Overall, charging to park is working very well and it's an acknowledgement of Telford's success."

Driving through the national ban on indoor smoking in public also caused the odd ripple, with Telford introducing it ahead of the law which came into effect last July.

But the smoking and car-parking controversies are nothing to the stresses caused by the threat of terrorism.

"The most difficult period was when the IRA was active. There were lots of evacuations and lots of meetings with the police on security. They may have been hoax calls but, quite frankly, you can't afford to ignore them and you have to empty the centre. It was quite a difficult time," recalls Ray.

From now on, though, Ray Hoof will have other calls on his time. The youthful-looking 64-year-old might have retired, but his days will be pretty full.

He is a governor of Telford College of Arts and Technology, with which he has been involved for a dozen years.

Involvement

"My work at the shopping centre means I haven't been as involved as I would like, so now I will be able to devote more time to that. I'm estates committee chairman so I will have plenty of involvement in the continuing development of the college."

Ray is also a trustee of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, where he is involved in the trading company. There will be plenty to do there, too, with "very exciting" £10 million expansion plans.

He also aims to devote more time to his role as chairman of the local group of Mencap, a cause he became involved in through his son Andy, who was born with Down's Syndrome. Public life clearly runs in the blood since Andy, now 39, plays an active role as a national trustee for Mencap.

And, of course, there's the lure of sport. Ray is a member of Worfield Golf Club and aims to drive down his handicap of 14. He also plans to watch plenty of cricket, about which he is passionate, though he no longer plays.

It will all seem a long way from the daily pressures of running a major retail centre and looking after the interests of thousands of shoppers a day.

Thankfully, though, Ray's vast experience won't be lost for good as he will still play a role in the centre's development on a consultancy basis.