Wagamamas, raccoons, and frogs: All the things Lancs students think we should have in town

Lancaster, as quaint as it is, lacks in many things. With Lancs boasting such a big student population, you’d think they’d listen to our demands. So, we’ve created a list of all the things students think Lancaster needs, whether they’re actually feasible or not. After all, it doesn’t look like we’re getting a Wagamama any time soon, so perhaps a population of raccoons is just as likely.

Wagamama

By far one of the biggest demands, Wagamama would infinitely elevate Lancaster’s status. We’ve got a Zizzi, a Bella Italia, even a cheeky Nando’s, so logically we should have a Wagas too. It’s such a pain to plan a trip to Manchester every time you’re craving a ramen bowl or their katsu curry. While we all want this, maybe it’s for the best that Lancs doesn’t have one — our bank accounts would be sobbing.

Another McDonald’s

Lancaster town centre is so small that this may seem redundant at first. But think about how less chaotic a Maccies trip after Sugar would be, or how we could designate one for the rowdy teenagers and one for the (slightly less rowdy) adults. We have two Greggs, so why can’t we have two McDonald’s?

H&M

Rumour has it, Lancaster used to have a H&M. There is a severe lack of decent clothes shops here, and I think we’re all sick of relying on Primark for most of our shopping. Our bank accounts may be praying for a H&M to never take up residence in Lancs, but at least it’d save us from doing massive online hauls.

Blackwells

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We all miss Blackwells on campus, right? There was never anyone in there, but its presence was reassuring, like Bowland Tower, or the ducks. There’s just something different about having a physical bookshop on campus because it just really makes the aesthetic. It’s time to bring back Blackwells.

Another Wetherspoons

Let’s face it — Spoons is heaving most nights. Wouldn’t it be lovely to not fight to the bar and not have to shout over your plates of chips to hear each other? For a university city, Lancaster’s Spoons is way too small and honestly, that needs to change.

Pret a Manger

Lancaster definitely needs another coffee shop for students to waste their money on. With their coffee subscription for £30 a month, it would definitely fuel our caffeine addictions. Think about it: in deadline season we all need those five coffees a day, and it’s even better when they feel like they’re free (even though you’ve paid £30 for them).

A half-decent one-way system

Many Lancaster students don’t drive, but we’ve all seen the chaos the one-way system causes. While it’s one of Lancs’ quirky little features, it’s more a nuisance than anything. We can’t exactly fix the problem ourselves, nor do many of us even have the knowledge to suggest how to make the one-way system “half-decent”, but the thought was there at least.

Cat Cafe

This is a definite NEED. What better way to destress after a long hard day in the library than to go to a cat cafe, eat some cake and stroke some cats? This would solve all of Lancaster’s problems, no doubt.

Bowling/Crazy Golf

Let’s be honest, going to Morecambe to do some bowling is an absolute pain. No one wants to sit on the 100 for that long just to chuck the balls into the gutter. At least if there was a bowling alley in Lancaster, we wouldn’t have to travel to be absolutely shite at it.

In the same vein, a crazy golf course or even a laser quest would be so much fun. It would definitely spice up a rainy weekend in Lancaster, and give us more wholesome activities to do with our housemates.

A wild population of raccoons

We may not all agree this would be the best addition to the streets of Lancaster, but there are definitely some people who would enjoy the chaos (or I guess cuteness) of a population of raccoons. They can’t be any worse than the teenagers who hang out at McDonald’s after school, anyway.

A collection of frogs

So apparently students think Lancaster is lacking in wildlife. Smaller than raccoons and with fewer teeth, frogs would probably be a preferable addition. It’s so rainy in Lancs that they’d definitely feel at home here, and they’d love a swim along the canal. While they may not be as useful as a Wagamama or a Pret, we’re sure they’d bring some people a lot of joy.

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