So, the Department of Transport has awarded the contract for £1.4bn worth of new trains - for the new Thameslink route - to Siemens of Germany, instead of a rival bid from Bombardier of good ol' Derby. Here in Axminster, a firm who were supplying components to Bombardier consequently missed out too.
Another shameful, short-sighted, bonkers decision.
Value for money for the UK tax payer? What about decreased taxes and increased benefit payments in Derby when Bombardier - our last train manufacturing facility (after the French closed the world famous Metro Cammell works in Birmingham (where my Granddad worked) a few years' ago) - inevitably closes? Yet another skill lost to the UK forever. Then, whether the Government of the day wants it or not, EVERY train ordered for use in the UK will HAVE to be foreign-made. So much for Cameron's new-found love of manufacturing. When is this country going to wake up?
I won't bother setting an alarm clock.
Hello.
I'm Jane McIntyre, a Sony-winning BBC producer who asked to take the money and run. Now running, daily, and er... spending the money. Also, writing (recently runner-up in LateRooms travel blog competition) and working regularly as an 'extra' in TV, commercials and movies. Hurrah!
About Me
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Stembridge are a graphic design and web design company based in Axminster, a small market town in Devon, famous for its carpet-making and, these days, River Cottage.
We’re small, friendly and unpretentious - a bit like Axminster itself - and specialise in corporate identity and brand development for businesses in East Devon, South Somerset and West Dorset.
That said, we can turn our mind to pretty much anything - apart from (maybe) lion-taming - including business stationery, promotional items, marketing advice, websites and print management. Our design work is all carried out in-house, including any copywriting - ensuring cohesive results that will always sound right, as well as look right.