Broad Marsh Requiem: Last Post First Stop: Rani and Kelly: it’s been like working in a doctor’s surgery, we knew everyone…stolen moments..

Featured image Rani Matharu and Kelly Robinson, colleagues and friends working their last day in the Broad Marsh bus station newsagent.

Above: serving the last customers,  First Post Ltd Newsagent Sunday 9th July

When you listen, look, read and talk about the plans to re develop the Broad Marsh Centre where are the stories about the people who’ve worked inside the Bus Station?

(above: Live Outside series features PFC band members Clarence Bekker, Roberto Luti and Jason Tamba. Filmed on the streets of Brescia, Italy during the European leg of the PFC Band’s United World Tour, enjoy this acoustic version of the Gnarls Barkley hit, “Crazy.”)

Kelly: “I’ve loved working here, love working with my colleague, Rani. We knew everyone. People tell us their stories. I never realised how much poverty there is in Nottingham until I worked here”

Rani Mattharu’s parents set up the newsagent in the bus station 30 years ago, selling it to Ripple Glen the holding company of First Stop News who were acquired by James Convenience Retail in 2016.

Rani: “We’ve been made redundant, so we’ll be looking for a job, we’ve got families….I’ve worked here for 16 years, we know all the bus drivers, see hundreds of people every day. We’re really sad to go”.

Rani and Kelly who were locking up First Post News Ltd in the Broad Marsh bus station for the last time at 3.30 Sunday 9th July. Rani has two daughters, 13 and 3 and Kelly has two teenagers, 17 and 15 and a 9 year old).

The plans and schedules for the development have been well publicised: it’s grown into something everyone can feel real excitement about what it might feel like to work, shop and walk through every day:

Above images of Broad Marsh images from Nottingham Post,  and Benoy who designed the Institute of Mental Health building that opened at the Jubilee Campus in 2012

But we need also to look at the inside of things. Independent retailers are witnesses, like the conscience of Nottingham, at a time when people want to see things around them make sense, be of a size and a scale that they can live with, make a contribution to. Rani and Kelly have been touched by their experiences of working in a place where people from all walks of like come and go and I think it will inspire them to do something amazing with the next phase of their lives.

Good luck!

Thanks to the Nottingham Post: Trentbarton say the Cotgrave will be relocated to X1 Mount Street and C5 Collin Street, the Eighteen to B1 Beastmarket Hill, i4 to F3 Friar Lane, Indigo to F4 Friar Lane, the Keyworth to C6 Collin Street, Mainline to F2 Friar Lane and C5 Collin Street, Rushcliffe Villager to C6 Collin Street, Skylink Nottingham to F1 Friar Lane, C5 Collin Street and C10 Canal Street, Skylink Express to C11 Canal Street, 21 to X1 Mount Street, and 20 to B1 Beastmarket Hill.

Kinchbus 9 will relocated to C6 Collin Street. National Express coach services will move to Station Street. The Megabus service will pick up from outside Waterfront House, Station Street.

Nottingham City Transport’s Turquoise Line 77, 77C, 78, 79, 79A and N77 will move from their current stop on Broadmarsh Collin Street (coded C6) to stop C1, which is located under the car park at the bottom of Maid Marian Way.