Phil Gillam: When we dreamed about being comic book heroes

Which then, of course, has you asking the question: So why are you using a picture of the TV21 comic from 1967?

Patience, dear reader. Patience.

All, as they say, will be revealed ...

The fact of the matter is, when I was 10 years of age, the Dana footbridge with the railway tracks and station below, and the pathway running alongside Shrewsbury Castle was a key element of my life.

Other key elements were The Weir at Sydney Avenue and - yes, you’ve guessed it - TV 21, the weekly publication based around the Gerry Anderson-produced television sci-fi puppet shows Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet!

The comic was bursting with colour, adventure and excitement.

It spoke of possibilities beyond the realm of ‘the block’ formed by North Street, Queen Street, Burton Street and West Street - our block where the most excitement you could expect was a particularly thrilling game of hide and seek or a ride on your dad’s rusty, clapped-out bike.

Gerry Anderson’s world of space travel, aliens, car chases, gun fights and massive explosions was a tonic for an otherwise bored schoolboy.

When I was 10, I wanted to be Captain Scarlet. In fact, in my mind, I WAS Captain Scarlet - the indestructible hero of the Spectrum organisation, battling the Mysterons from Mars.

So this 10-year-old boy would swagger (inwardly at least) around his regular haunts - the Dana one day, Sydney Avenue the next - with his best pal from down the street (who would sometimes assume the role of Captain Blue or Captain Magenta … or, if wanting to play the bad guy, Captain Black).

The very edges of our world (as far as our parents would allow us to go) were defined by The Weir or by The Dana, and so these became fascinating and much-loved areas for us youngsters, places where we would talk for hours about what we were going to do when we grew up, and which space aliens we would have to battle.

Pleasant

Well, here we are in 2018, and (thankfully) not a space alien in sight.

But I was interested to read last week about a new footpath at The Dana, and have noted also the very pleasant looking cafe at The Weir.

The cafe, called Polly’s, looks absolutely charming, and I took a quick look at it the other day while cycling past. But I must revisit it soon and sample the refreshments on offer.

Meanwhile, the new footpath at The Dana, has been talked about for a quarter of a century, and only now is becoming a reality.

Work is finally set to begin with the hope that it will be in place by the next tourist season.

The £50,000 scheme will see paving slabs placed, railings installed and the flagpoles in the Castle Grounds relocated, all to improve access to the town centre for those walking to and from Castlefields.

It’s all about avoiding those steep steps into Castle Street which can be difficult to navigate at the best of times, but especially after rain or snowfalls.

The plan includes the formation of a new gated opening in the historic brick wall leading from the Dana footpath to the town centre via the castle gardens in the forecourt of the castle.

Within the forecourt, the new footpath will follow a route on Shropshire Council-owned land adjacent to the castle wall and will return through an existing historic doorway along the Castle Drive.

The scheme, as local people will know, has been at the centre of a long-running disagreement between the town council and Shropshire Horticultural Society, which withdrew its own proposal for a footpath last year.

The move follows a 25-year campaign by residents who launched a petition that attracted 1.200 signatures in 2015.

It is hoped the new path will solve long-running access issues for the elderly, people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs.