My Barnsley

Barnsley...Barnsley, is it that place between Sheffield and Leeds?

So goes the humour of those who should, by now, realise that Barnsley is the Centre of our Country. It’s the best place to learn.
You can learn a new language, improve your humour and marvel a community that learned the lessons of hardship sufficiently to know how to respond.
To give us patience and long suffering we were given Barnsley FC.
To ensure we would never forget Cricket we were given Dickie Bird.
You can always tell the Importance of a Town by its McDonalds and where else is there a McMillan?
Our Town Hall stands on the hill, emblazoned by light at night like a Rocket ready to travel and create new Barnsley Colonies where no-one will need to hear the word “Gerartnit” because everyone gets a welcome in Our Barnsley.
You might be an Owl or a Terrier but we like animals here.
We are sympathetic and the proof is that we understand the challenges of life “darn south”. It’s always better to be at the centre.
In London they have the Underground but then again so do we. We have so many tunnels it’s likely the quickest route round Barnsley is the Coal Route.
Travel to and from Barnsley abounds via motorways, trains and air. To help the surge from Wakefield we even widened our roads.
Our suburbs sound interesting. Monk Bretton, Dodworth, Silkstone, Gawber and Stairfoot all create expectation.
We provide challenge like expecting someone to ask where Schwabisch Gmund Way is.
Barnsley has been described on TV as “Godless” until the recent return of Danny Wilson.
Seeing our "Tarn" through the eyes of others can be interesting. A handful of years ago a friend born in Italy but having spent most of his life in Africa came to live in Royston on my recommendation. His wife would jokingly talk of the many times he would go missing. Leaving the house for a ten minute round trip to get his Chronicle, he would be an hour and half!
The reason was a Barnsley tradition in practice. He was amazed that if you said hello to someone they would stop and chat to see how you were or where you were from. They would joke about finding himself in Barnsley but he soon knew to add time to his expected walks.
What was especially uplifting was his love affair with our Market. He thought the staff on food stalls looked “so smart” and he loved how they would begin to greet him by name. He was a giant of a man physically with a gentle touch and people loved him as he grew to love them.
This was a man who had travelled and lived in many places around the world but who felt Barnsley was home.
In some ways the negative perceptions of Barnsley result from our contentment to think local and rely on each other. The only Planet recognised outside our Town is “Meadowhall”.For many it’s the only part of the world worth venturing out for.
We are told we have moved from a Mining Town to a Creative Town but the ideas had problems catching on with people walking past the Digital Media Centre and wondering what goes on in the building.
The few memorials around Town remind us of a mining history as our young ones begin to forget what a lump of coal looks like. This is a job for our Museum.
A tough life it was but never without humour. One Miner told me how discipline was never an issue underground. The solution to solving issues lay “in the power of a spade”.
Our Town is changing but also unfolding. The Town Hall looks new and the Fountain, lit up at night with colour could be Barcelona. The Town Centre will be transformed. It’s important for first impressions but the most important first impression is the friendliness of Townsfolk.
It’s true we are between Sheffield and Leeds and the reason is simple. Any true heart of Yorkshire will be found at the centre.