Introduction

"The walls of this town


Are full of renown,


And strangers delight to walk round 'em;


But as for the dwellers,


Both buyers and sellers,


For me, you may hang 'em or drown 'em"


-Jonathan Swift on Chester, 16th Century

Chester, it seems has always had a bit of a bad reputation. The city itself is beautiful, thriving with history and unique architecture. Thousands of tourists flock to Chester summer after summer to take photographs of historical landmarks such as the Eastgate Clock and the stunning River Dee landscape. Millions of pounds is spent each year on developing tourism within the city, drawing people in.

However, visiting Chester is one thing, living in Chester is quite another. The city is poignantly surrounded by walls, built by the Romans in AD 79. Once, they stood to defend the city and all who stand within them, nowadays they have become a physical metaphor at what Chester has become. Tourists come and go, but true Cestrians never leave. They are permanantly fixed within the walls, set in their ways, defensive, conservative, comfortable.

Now, this is a seriously cynicle point of view, probably quite insultive and very provocative and if the point to this rant was to change people then I would be a hypocrite, personally, i'm just itching for so much more than Chester currently has to offer.

Utility Promotions is about shredding all of our cynisism surrounding the city and rebelling against our own better judgements, it's about bringing a little of what we like into Chester. It's about giving people more options. It's about knocking down walls and building bridges.

-Holly Amelia Ashbrook