Janet House is such an interesting character. Down to earth one minute, working hard in a local fast food business at the Southbourne Crossroads end of the SoBo Mile, and then the next she could be on a film set like what has happened with her previous roles on James Bond movies.
I used to live two minutes walk away from there so had my own memories of an afternoon in the Southbourne Cliffs pubs before grabbing a bit to eat and staggering off home. Used to be nice and handy to have a pub at the end of the road.
Whenever I have mentioned Chick King, people generally have nice memories of a time in their lives where they used to grab a burger back from a party or music gig somewhere.
They have been there a long time and her parents had the fish and chips shop, now a curry place, nearer the big round about by the clifftop before then. Very much a part of the Southbourne local community and history.
One question I asked Janet was what did you think was needed for the area, as it has gone through some change with many businesses coming and going. She replied a family friendly pub, to draw more people to the location. We had the Southbourne Cliffs and the Grange Hotel. OK, not ultimately “family” orientated by today’s standards but they were within yards of the area.
It’s always been one of my concerns if that when we lose commercial buildings to residential buildings, they never turn back. So, after a few years or a generation, more families moving into the area, they then ask why are there not the services needed for the people around. That’s why I wanted to get involved in a Southbourne Neighbourhood Plan, but time is scarce. I still want to do it so maybe 2019 will be the year.