I have to admit it -I’m on Facebook.

I have a profile of myself online with a photo. I have 32 friends and I can see their photos. We can “poke” each other and send messages and join groups and god knows what else.

Now, I know what you’re thinking - what has that got to do with Stourport and your very first blog? Well, as it happens, Stourport is quite big on the odd world of social networking sites and I recently took a look.

Now, social networking comes with a health warning. It’s like everything to do with using the internet. If you use it every now and then, you’re fine. If you use it a lot, you’re a geek. If you use it all the time you are possibly a pervert. I try to keep my usage down to a minimum.

As is often the way when sitting in front of a computer with the whole of the World Wide Web at your fingertips, every corner of the globe ready to explore – you have a look at something you already know everything about. I had a look for Facebook groups from Stourport to see if I would recognise anything.
Yes – sad, I know.

Anyway, you may be interested to know there are 29 groups on Facebook who all have some interest in this old river town. And what a selection.
There are the obvious ones – Stourport Hockey groups, a rowing group, the Swifts. Then some random ones pop up: The Stourport Sports Centre group, “for former members of staff”. It promises “fun” and “jokes”.
Those crazy kids. Its full of comments where “school” is spelt “skool” and “any”, “n e”.
Like I say – crazy.

So I keep searching: The Stourport Trampoline club all look smart; Burlish Olympic FC – I used to play for them; Brass Band; Rugby club; 6th form….
Then something caught my eye – “I Managed To Escape Stourport” group.
This looks funny.
The group boasts 124 members swapping notes on how they managed to break free of Stourport – on – Severn and start a life elsewhere. It is fantastic reading and not something I would recommend the council put in a tourist brochure.
Seemingly Stourport is a town of underage drinking, fights, chavs and inbreds, according to those who escaped. Well, hey, they might have a point.

I read all the groups comments and it made me think. Behind their slightly snobby writing and their exaggerated anecdotes they may have provided a rare warts-and-all look at the place. Stourport is a bit rough around the edges, a bit odd, a bit quirky. It’s what I quite like about it. It was actually quite refreshing to read about the place in a way you can relate to. There was no talk about an old vinegar works or the confluence of two rivers. Just everyday Stourport.
I love the Internet

P.S. By the way, I had to laugh – someone called Ellie writes on the Facebook group about how she escaped Stourport in ’99 and now is a budget controller. She wants to tell all the teachers who said she wouldn’t make it – “I told you so!”.
Budget controller. I bet those teachers are eating their words now.