This is an old topic but I wanted to add my comments anyway as I was surprised at the somewhat negative tone from LizzieW. I made a conscious decision to come to Dursley 12 years ago and it's one of the best moves I've done.
Andy - We left Dursley in 1976, having lived there for 2 years. Even though my children went to school there, 2 at Rednock, 2 to the junior school and 1 to the infant school, I still maintain that it was - at the time - a very unfriendly and parochial place. None of the parents spoke to me outside the school gates, or in the street when we saw each other. We moved from Derby, which was very friendly and the first week we lived in Dursley I went to the local corner shop. When I got to the counter to pay, I made some general chit chat to the assistant who promptly burst into tears. When I asked her what the problem was she said that in the 3 years she had lived in the area, I was the first person who had passed the time of day with her. Now if people don't speak to the assistant in the corner shop, what sort of place is that?
My 12 year old daughter and a friend decided they would like to go to church one Sunday morning. When they came back they were in tears. I asked what the problem was and they said it was the reaction of the churchgoers to them. They were told in no uncertain terms that they were not welcome in the church as they were not local to the area.
If it has changed since the mid 70s, well that can only be a good thing, as I stick to my opinion that when we lived there it was the most unfriendly and parochial place I have ever lived in. The people seemed to resent outsiders coming in and showed it in every way possible.
Lizzie
