Cat Phillips, proud to have been raised in Worcester, ponders (with a little help from her mum) what it mean to be from the city.

You know you're from Worcester when...

  1. People ask where the city is and you reply, “Where the sauce is made”. If you tell someone it is close to Birmingham they will instantly reply: “Oh, so you’re a brummie?”

    No, we are not
     
  2. You hear a busker in the city centre and immediately think of Chicken George (from Seventies TV series Roots).

    His dancing made many of us smile. 
     
  3. You remember the Worcester Carnival and back calls for its return.

    We all had a cousin, aunt, sister or mum who was the carnival queen, and many of us enjoyed sitting aboard a decorated lorry trying to catch pennies thrown by the crowds. Nobody quite remembers why it came to an end – health and safety and lack of numbers are usually blamed – but everybody wants it to return.
     
  4. You find yourself moaning about the traffic to family, friends, the milkman, strangers.

    Sadly, Worcester’s number one talking point is most probably the traffic. Talks of a northern bypass have got about as far as a car stuck on The Tything at 8.30am on a weekday and we all have an opinion about whether it would alleviate the problem or not.
     
  5. You refer to Brickfields, Ronkswood, Tolladine, Perdiswell... as Brickies, Ronksy, Tolly and Perdi And Worcester as “The Woo”

    Most people know Birmingham is called Brum, a few refer to Bristol as Brizzle but nobody outside of Worcester refers to it as “The Woo”.
     
  6. You scan Worcester News’ Letters page for the latest George Cowley musings. Has he squished a spider lately? What’s his latest thoughts on John Philpott’s column?

    Yes, we all love - or love to hate - George’s letters.

     
  7. You have an opinion on which side of the river is better, and this usually depends on which side of the river you live on.

    This argument gets particularly heated during the floods which effectively splits the city in two.
     
  8. You recall with a mixture of pride and disgust how Blackpole ground to a halt when KFC opened.

    Traffic was gridlocked, police were called and there were over 1,600 transactions as hungry people tried to get their hands on KFC’s finger lickin’ chicken. The takeaway restaurant was opened in 2009 following an online petition launched by Kentucky Fried Chicken fans.
     
  9. You roll your eyes after another “joker” has popped a traffic cone on the head of the Sir Edward Elgar statue.

    Every few months or so, some comedian think he or she is original by popping an orange cone on top of Elgar’s head. It may have brought sniggers the first few times but it is getting a bit boring now.
     
  10. You drive up the M5 and the tree on top of the hill before junction 7 makes you think “home”

    Many of us like to complain about the city but it really is a beautiful place to live.

 

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