Thank you, Brighton!

‘Thank you’ – two words when spoken. ‘Thankyou’ – one word very often written. As a bit of a stickler for correct spelling and English grammar, I find this modernisation of our language a little uncomfortable. I’ve even seen these two very expressive words written with a hyphen ‘Thank-you’. Where will it end? We have come to accept the spelling of ‘all right’ as ‘alright’ so it’s just a matter of time…

Anyway, back to ‘Thank you’. Two words that divide Brighton from the rest of the country. “What is she talking about?” you ask. Well, have you travelled on our local buses? Have you noticed that all the locals say ‘Thank you’ when they get off the bus? From small children to Senior Citizens. From students to businesspeople. They all thank the driver as they get off.

As a Londoner, who came to live here 22 years ago, I was astonished the first time I took a bus ride into town. It just isn’t done in London. Ok, so now the exit on London buses is from the centre of the bus, but even before this new design nobody thanked the driver. What about abroad? France, I don’t think so. Italy, nope, Greece, definitely not.

I think it’s something of a tradition – and what a wonderful tradition. Let’s keep up the politeness, Brightonians – it makes our city that little bit special.

Hilary