Talking Telford: An ode to Wellington, a town transformed by love

Watching my beloved high street fill up with hundreds of enthusiastic revellers inspired me to share my favourite romantic tale - how I fell in love with Wellington.

I proudly consider myself one of Telford's biggest fans and there's never a day that goes by that I'm not trying to convince friends, family and colleagues to love this place as much as I do.

And in those conversations, there's one place in particular that I never fail to espouse passionately: Wellington.

Since the age of 16, I've spent a good proportion of my time in the market town. I attended New College, worked at the town's library and am now lucky enough to call it my home.

But there was a time when it was on my list of places not to live. In 2010, I would have spat out my two-for-a-fiver Jägerbombs onto the sticky floor of whatever bar my friends and I would have wandered into during student nights if you'd have told me 31-year-old Meg would be one of Wellington's cheerleaders.

During one of those nights, I witnessed a man get his ear bitten off during a fight outside The Beacon. And it didn't even strike me as strange, it was just Wellington. Dodging airborne takeaways and learning not to respond to the ever-present "What you looking at?" was part of the whole experience.

In the daytime, while safer, it was hardly more appealing. The rundown market hall was the centre of sad streets lacking in both character and diversity.

But now, every Saturday I'm not at work, the dog and I wander into the town centre for brunch. Brunch! In Wellington! What a time to be alive.

It's cleaner, it's brighter, it's beautiful - and not once in the last three years has anyone asked me what I'm looking at.

Not only has the high street improved (who among us could have foreseen Wellington as the home of an independent cinema, zero-waste store, micro-bookshop and incredible Polish bakery?), but the investments made to the market hall have injected more life and love into the town than anyone could have guessed.

The passion of the dozens of small business owners is infectious, and between them, they have created a sense of community that has lifted Wellington out of its slump.

The nightlife too has changed completely. No longer the home of cheap shots but a place to go for great food and craft beer.

Where else in Telford can you get Latin street food, waffles, tapas, Thai and Caribbean? And please, a moment of silence for Odd Pal's Yorkshire pudding burritos.

There is a happiness to Wellington now that you don't feel in other places and its origins is this clear sense of pride. I dare you to visit the food court of the market hall on a Saturday at 11am, or the Bowring Park cafe on a sunny morning, and not feel it too.