About twice a month I come back to Newtown in Wales. It's a nice smallish community that I've loved for a long time. Having come from Zimbabwe in August 1986, I moved to Newtown at the end of 1987. I bought a home in Newtown (in November 1995) and enjoy the sense of community here.
 
There are a number of reasons why I like Newtown, but most of all, it’s because everybody in town is kinda equal. Nobody is better than anybody else. Money has real value and for many people, it is hard to come by. Businesses in town are also kinda equal; they all look after their shop front and keep the buildings fairly well maintained, but nothing too grand or exceptional. In the pubs, it's about getting together and having a beer, it not about pinewood floors, no fancy lighting and looks.
 
This Easter weekend I've noticed a huge change for this small community. I started to notice that people and businesses are entering a rich-poor divide. A few businesses have closed, many businesses are not maintaining their buildings very well, presumably because they can't afford it. And some businesses are flourishing and have fancy decor etc... I see more people are not as well dressed as they used to be and I wonder if this is because money is even harder to come by for these folk. Not to mention that the cost of living in general in the UK has raised a lot in the last year or so. I even saw a girl selling the Big Issue (a street newspaper published on behalf of and sold by homeless people). This for Newtown is unheard of.
 
Thinking about it, looking back in hindsight, it started with the Elephant and Castle pub. It redecorated a couple of years back and its new look was much flashier and everybody in town commented that it was too posh for the area. Then another pub, the Castle changed its decor. Slowly but surely, a few other businesses changed. I just didn't realize the change that was occurring.
 
So I wonder if Newtown is getting poorer (in general) or is it getting larger?
 
I think it is probably getting larger and with larger communities, I think you probably get a larger cross section of people and businesses. Newtown is a major town in Mid Wales and if it is getting larger, then I suppose we can expect the culture to change also... Unfortunately, the reasons why I like Newtown may soon disappear.