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Colwyn
Bay in 10 years time :
a short story by Emma Maloney.
I enter Eirias Park first. Both entrances are now open, and the cars are
flocking in. Eirias High School has had a new extension, and the colours
have changed. 1 notice that through the windows of the leisure centre, the
pool has changed. There is now a dragon slide, similar to the one in the
Sun Centre in Rhyl, and a large whirlpool.
1 hear children's laughter from further down on the grass, and as 1 turn
1 find a large playground, much the same, as the one in the mid-Nineties,
complete with a swinging tyre, roundabout, a set of swings, and a large
pole. Towards the back, the bar bus has been replaced and the large climbing
frames.
The lake now has swans upon it, and small rowing boats which you can hire.
Families sit beside the lake, throwing bread to the swans. I note a small
stall beside the lake, with tables and chairs outside and an ice cream kiosk.
Where the?park used to be at the bottom of Colwyn Bay, there are now gardens
and rockeries, complete with ponds and fountains.
The promenade has expanded, and several hotels have been built along it.
The pier has been built tip and painted and now consists of a bar with dance
floor, a bowling alley and cinema. Also, there is a card-playing club.
On the beach, a dozen little stalls stand beside the steps, and the sea
is full of children taking their first swim and adults swimming fifty metres
out. The jet skis have their own area and zoom across the sea, sending sprays
everywhere and creating waves. There's a Punch and Judy show, and music
playing from a small van.
I make my way to the main road, where 1 am glad to still find the butchers
still there, with the jolly men weighing out the sausages for the customers.
Woolworths is still there too. On Station Road, the market has moved elsewhere,
to a new car park in the East end. Trees line the road, along with benches
and flowers. A new cinema has been added, and the pub at the bottom has
been made into a beautiful establishment, a new hotel complete with balconies
and verandah.
The secret valley is still as secret as ever. The large house Hathaway is
still standing, with the black iron gates still making it secretive and
private, the magnificent three storey modern house, with a pond and stables.
I'd always wanted to live there. Down by the stream, I find that the bridge
has been restored and more flowers have been planted, so they are blooming
and colourful, like a picture from a storybook.
The woods have so many new paths, leading everywhere and anywhere, and I
walk these paths and find other small paths, leading up to the Colwyn Heights.
I take the postman's path, also known as Fox Hill, down to the valley, and
find horses around.
In the West end, I visit my old neighbourhood. Lidl has long since gone
and been replaced by a beautiful park, where old couples sit and feed the
pigeons, and children run about the grass, screaming I want a go on the
roundabout!" There's a Spar shop where the book shop used to be, and
Global Tiles has now expanded to three shops. I am happy to find the Indian
takeaway and the post office still there, with the same people serving.
Across the road, a pet shop has replaced the tanning studio, and the newsagents
now has an ice cream kiosk window. The chemist and repair shop are still
there, and the hairdresser's is now two storeys, complete with nail bar.
I visit my old house, which has not changed, except for its name, and the
flowers still grow in the garden. I walk up my road and come to Lansdowne
Road. The convent has gone, but the cricket field is still there, and is
now not part of Rydal, but has become Colwyn Bay's new cricket club, with
seats all around. I pass the cricket field and take a walk up King's Road,
still with the old houses, although I find a new housing estate on the other
side of the road. More millionaire houses have been built Up Llanrwst Road,
and I notice the balconies leading out from the back, with magnificent views.
In the centre of Colwyn Bay, the houses by Bay View Road have been restored
and rebuilt, and new flats have been built, with small squares. On Greenfield
Road, the houses have been rebuilt. Bod Alaw school still sits upon the
hill, although it's had a lot of work on it, and the hall has been rebuilt.
The Bay View Shopping Centre now has two storeys, the top storey with an
Italian style restaurant known as Mambo's, clothes shops for men, women,
boys and girls and shops such as the Gadget Shop and Toymaster. Bevan's
has now been replaced by Mc Donald's, and Aldi by Sainsbury's. The aisles
in Safeway have been changed back to how they looked in the mid-Nineties,
with the aisles longer and the coffee opposite the cake mix.
The Princess Diana statue has been moved to Queen's Gardens. It is surrounded
with flowers and a beautiful golden fence, so that nobody can vandalise
it. She sits beside the statue of the soldier, with all the men's names
still carved into the plaque. They are both surrounded by flowers. More
fountains have been added to the garden, along with a stream that runs from
top to bottom, with waterfalls and bends along the way. Children paddle
in the water, splashing each other and laughing. Red roses grow on bushes
lined around the park.
In ways, Colwyn Bay has changed after ten years, but in ways, it has stayed
the same. Many buildings have been modernised and rebuilt or restored. But
Colwyn Bay will always remain as it will ever be, the happy and healthy
town beside the sea.
EMMA MALONEY
AGE 14
Read another of Emma's stories "The
Dragon's of Wales" >>
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