NEW: Taylor Talks-‘It’s time we take pride in Romford.’

 St Edwards Ward Councillor David Taylor today, starts a monthly column in the Havering Daily.

Since I moved to Romford, in 2016, I think the town has been on the up. When I first moved here there was little choice of restaurants. Now, there’s plenty. From fantastic boutique places like Bunno through to lively chains such as Turtle Bay, Romford is becoming a destination town. 

I am proud of Romford.

It’s not just me saying that, people are beginning to recognise the potential of our historic market town. 

New hotels have opened in the centre and yet more leisure is planned. This week the New York Times even mentioned Romford as a place to visit, in an article about how the Lizzie Line is opening up new places for tourists. 

But one thing is bothering me. We’re too fast to talk our town down and we treat it with contempt.

Everyone else seems to see something we don’t. The New York Times speaks of classic East End dishes from Robins. It talks about our Historic church and fascinating history. These, in my opinion, are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Romford is home to beautiful green-flag parks and a short distance from Havering’s historic deer parks. We have traditional British pubs such as the infinitely historic Golden Lion. We’ve cinemas that cost less than half that of Westfield. Families can visit lazer-quest or bowling. The Brookside Theatre provides brilliant plays at family friendly prices. And you can actually park your car here!

If you walk through the town and look up you’ll see amazing examples of art-deco architecture and stunning shop fronts. If you drop into our pop-up art galleries you’ll see talent you didn’t expect. If you stepped outside your front door during the coronation you would have seen the very best of our community spirit. Raphaels hosted a brilliant Coronation concert and is soon to feature another Shakespeare in the park. 

Romford is brilliant!

Last week, my wife and I had dinner with a lady visiting from Italy. She spoke of her disappointment of the way people treated the town. “People smoking just drop the cigarettes everywhere”, she said. “There are no bins, so everyone just drops their litter”. This lady was stunned to see a lack of respect for the place people call home. 

As politicians, we must become champions for Romford. We must start to sing praises about the fantastic people who make up this community and the brilliant businesses that have made Romford their home. We must also use our power to improve the town. This looks like ensuring there are bins. It means pushing to ensure our streets are paved properly, that trollies are collected, graffiti removed, and litter picked up.

I also believe it’s time for our council, politicians, and local business, to look at a Havering tourism campaign. We must lead from the top. A visit Havering campaign, with Romford at the heart of it, could lift our presence further as a destination and a base for visits to London.

East-end classics, without the London prices! 

But, if we’re going to see Romford fulfil its potential, we also need residents to join the fight. 

I believe in the power of words. There’s an old saying that “The tongue is a sword”. Proverbs speak of words being able to build people up or pull them down. “The tongue has the power of life and death”. 

The way we talk about Romford, the way we treat it, will determine its fate. 

If we drop litter without care. If we’re quick to talk the town down. People won’t come here, and Romford will die. If we each take responsibility to take our litter home and to share about what’s good in our town, Romford will thrive. 

I got into politics because I want to improve the lives of people around me. I believe in Romford and I’m going to use my voice to speak hope over our town. I love that, right at the heart of our historic town is the beautifully named Hope Café.

The rest of the world is waking up to what we have to offer. Thousands will be opening up the New York Times to read that Romford is the place to visit. 

Let’s make sure that when they look into our town, they find what I found when I moved here. A welcoming, vibrant community. 

Romford needs a champion, someone who is proud of it. 

That champion can be you.

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