ff newsletter oct 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Felixstowe Forward Your Coastal Community Team
I am pleased to be sending our October newsletter whichaims to get Felixstowe connected and keep you informed. It seems only yesterday that I was looking forward to thesummer and here we are with autumn upon us; how timeflies?
The long awaited opening of the Seafront gardens wassadly marred by inclement weather in August. Despite thewind and rain over 100 attended the official opening. Thankyou to Heritage Lottery Fund and Suffolk Coastal DistrictCouncil for funding this project. Felixstowe has something itcan treasure and be proud of in the future.
In contrast, the sun shone on this year’s Art on The Prom.In its 12th year this event goes from strength to strength. I walked down the Ranelagh Steps where the view wasspectacular – bright blue sunshine, a Promenade that waspositively buzzing with thousands of visitors enjoying the
event with the Seafront Gardens providing a stunningbackdrop.
Late in August I was invited to meet the Harbour Foot Ferryoperator and enjoyed a pleasant trip over to Harwich andShotley and back. The season has been excellent, so muchso, it has been extended and there are plans fordevelopments next year. I was disappointed not to see theharbour porpoises but I was reminded me of what a greatday out this is for residents and visitors. Finally you can read all about the follow up work to theengagement event that was held on 17th July and progressFelixstowe Forward is making.
Helen Greengrass, Felixstowe Forward Change DirectorEmail: [email protected]: 01394 444577Mobile: 07717 150993
Friends of Felixstowe Seafront Gardens This year has been a busy one for the Friends of FelixstoweSeafront Gardens. As most of the gardens are now openthis has increased the amount of work the Friends havebeen able to undertake, maximising the impact of theseessential volunteers who help keep the gardens lookingwonderful for everyone.
The Friends are a very important part of the project, nowand in the future. It is essential that we have a dedicatedteam who are able to assist with hands-on gardening suchas pruning, sweeping, tidying, edging and dead-heading inour historic gardens. No previous experience is required andwe welcome all ages and abilities.
As a Friend of the Gardens youwill be invited to the AGM in2016 where your feedback andinput regarding futureinvolvement is an essentialpart of our development.
If you are interested in joining our groupof volunteers please contact us usingthe details on our website. We arehappy to answer any queries you mayhave, and hope to see you soon.Moira Chapman, Project Support Officer
Felixstowe Seafront Gardens Opening EventFelixstowe Seafront Gardens Opening Event held onWednesday 26th August 2015 saw the re-opening of themajority of the Felixstowe Seafront Gardens. Over 100people attended, including local community groups,volunteers, residents, Council leadersand media. A reception, includingspeeches and refreshments,concluded with the unveiling of aplaque commemorating this historicoccasion.
Seven of the eight gardens are nowopen to the public. Works in the TownHall Garden are to continue withinstallation of the wooden-framed shelter in the next month.Work can then be completed in order to re-open theremainder before the end of the year. The Gardens willcontinue to improve, as the plants bed in and mature. A 10-year maintenance plan is in place, agreed with the HLF, toensure the Gardens are kept in pristine condition; including
plans to obtain ‘Green Flag’ status fromthe Civic Trust.
“The Gardens are looking fantastic now and will onlyimprove as the plants bed in properlyover the next year or so,” said Cllr TJHaworth-Culf, Suffolk Coastal’s CabinetMember with responsibility forCustomers, Communities and Leisure.“It is important that we do notunderestimate the importance of thisproject to Felixstowe. We need to lookto the future and take pride in what weare helping to achieve in Felixstowe.”
“This is a long-term investment in the future prosperity ofFelixstowe. This is just one of many exciting developmentshappening in the town, which link to the positive work nowbeing done through Felixstowe Forward.”
Click here to visit our website.
News
Landguard Partnership
Landguard Nature Reserve
Felixstowe Seafront Gardens Bench Appeal
Port of Felixstowe’s CEO Mr ClemenceCheng accepted an invitation for ashort tour of the Nature Reserve, accompanied by Mr Alan Tinline, thePorts Environment and EnergyManager.
I was very pleased that Mr Chengmanaged to spot a Ringed Plover onits’ nest. Mr Tinline outlined somesteps that the Port has undertaken tolessen its environmental impact andalso invited me to take a closer look atthe Port.
Three flora surveys completed withHollesley botanist Laurie Forsythe. Todate we have not found the elusiveStinking Goosefoot plant this year,although six Sea Holly plants wereidentified where none have been recorded before.
Five pairs of Ringed Plovers managedfour chicks fledged successfully. Sixchicks were predated, one infertile eggand four nest failures (totalling sixteeneggs) possibly had their eggs predatedby Gulls and Crows.
Further information can be found viathe website.
Catch up on the latest discoveries byreading the blog.
Chris Hyde, Landguard Ranger
There are an impressive number ofbenches situated throughout the entirelength of the Gardens, giving visitorsthe opportunity to take a well-earnedrest and admire the views, gaze out tosea, have a picnic or maybe a snooze.
We would verymuch like thepublic to havecontinuedinvolvement inthe enjoyment ofthese gardens;one way to do this is by sponsoring amemorial bench.
It is evident that the gardens have aplace in peoples’ affections from the
presence of the many plaquesdedicated to those who had specialmemories of time spent there.
The cost of bench sponsorship is £250(incl. maintenance term of 5 years).This does not include production or
cost of a memorial plaque. We askthat all plaques are provided byyourself to Suffolk Coastal Norse forinstallation.
If you are interested in sponsoring abench, or have links to the people
remembered on the memorial plaques,please contact Suffolk Coastal Norse Customer Services on 01394 444000and ask for Tony Cini, or email:[email protected]
More history and information on theproject can be found via the website
Moira Chapman, Project Support Officer
August is usually Landguard’s busiestmonth and this year has been noexception, with our summer season ofevents proving successful. Two PuppetDays were held at the FelixstoweMuseum attracting over 200 people. Anew Toy and Model Day was alsotrialled at the Museum, attended by over 100 people.
Once again on sunny weekends thecar parking proved inadequate to dealwith the number of visitors.
Work is now well underway on ourHalloween events. This year’s LittleFort of Horrors has attracted a record
number of volunteers wanting to bescarers! Entry for this year’sLandguardPhotographyCompetitionclosed on the 1stSeptember. Onceagain a greatrange ofphotographs havebeen submitted. The next stage will bethe period of online voting to choosethe top 12 photographs which will thengo forward to the judging panel.
After the launch of the Coastal RevivalFund at Landguard in July the
Landguard Partnership are in theprocess of writing an application for
funds to carry out projectdevelopment work. We have alsobeen talking with the Eighth inthe East project (exploring thelegacy of the US Air Force inEast Anglia during WWII), andalso University Campus Suffolkto see how we might collaborate
in the future.
More information can be found via thewebsite.
Paul Grant, Project Officer
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News
Does your organisation needfunding?Felixstowe Town Council has a total of£9,785 available to award to eligibleorganisations at the second and finalround of its grant scheme this year.The deadline to apply is 30 November.Full details of how to apply can befound on our website or by calling01394 282086.
Ever thought about Growing YourOwn?Significant improvements have beenmade to Council allotments in recentmonths with new roadways atCowpasture and Ferry Road and newtaps installed across all sites. A small
number of allotments have recentlybecome available - but with a singleplot costing as little as £18.88 per yearthey do go fast - contact us now if youare interested taking one.
Felixstowe in FlowerWell done to everyone who took part inthe 30th Anniversary of Felixstowe inFlower helping the town look socolourful this year! A full list of awardswinners is now available on the TownCouncil website.
Remembrance 2015The Civic Remembrance Service willtake place at 9.45am on Sunday 8thNovember, at Trinity Methodist
Church, Hamilton Road. This will befollowed by the Act of Remembrance atthe War Memorial at the seafrontwhere wreaths will be laid and a twominute silence kept at 11am.
On Armistice Day, Wednesday 11thNovember, the two minute silence willbe observed at the War memorial at11am. Everyone is welcome to attendboth of these important events.
Ash Tadjrishi,Town Clerk
Over the past year Suffolk CoastalDistrict Council has been working withkey local sports clubs to evaluate theleisure offering in Felixstowe, askingclubs for feedback on what works well,what needs improvement and if theyhave any barriers to growing their wellestablished teams.
Led by the clubs, the Council formed akey working group that is made up ofclub representatives, FelixstoweAcademy and Council officers. Thisgroup looks to secure funding toimprove the tired on-site facilities andgenerate space for all clubs to increase
participation at the three main sportingsites; Eastwood Ho, Dellwood Avenueand Coronation Sports Ground.
This project is still in its early stageshowever it is a great success story forthe town and highlights howcollaborative working with differentsections of the community can achievecommon goals and in this caseestablish a long lasting sustainablesporting offer across Felixstowe.
Further updates will be released inupcoming issues of the FelixstoweForward Newsletter.
For more specific queries pleasecontact us by email:[email protected].
Keri Ryder, Active Communities
Felixstowe Sports Hub
A detailed report on the publicengagement event ‘Felixstowe – takingthe town forward’ on 17 July has beencirculated to all who attended and isavailable upon request.
The event was very successful. 126people attended from a wide anddiverse range of public, private, andthe community and voluntary sectors.Three workshops explored prioritiesrelevant to business and enterprise,tourism and the community.
These priorities are now being shapedinto a Town Improvement Plan whichwill be circulated shortly. Please let us
know if you would like to receive acopy.Tim Clarke, Chairman Landguard Fort,closed the event with theannouncement that Landguard Forthad been invited to host the nationallaunch of the Coastal Revival Fund atwhich the Coastal CommunitiesMinister Mark Francois gave hissupport to over 100 new local teamsthat will help revive England’s seasidetowns and decide where investmentgoes.
As your local Coastal CommunityTeam, we were delighted thatFelixstowe was chosen. This also
means that we are able to adopt ‘TheGreat BritishCoast’ logo.
It could nothave hadbetternational,regional andlocalpromotion, and in itself this must bodewell for the future of the town.
Helen Greengrass, Felixstowe Forward Change Director
Felixstowe – Taking the town forward: Town Improvement Plan
Felixstowe Hockey Club
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NewsMartello ParkContractors finalised the installation workduring August
and the RoSPA inspection was completed enabling the new inclusive use play equipment at thenorthern part of thePark to become available for publicuse.
A photo shoot tookplace at the site on26th August and was attended by representatives of Suffolk Coastal District and FelixstoweTown Council. Park Information signs
have recently been installed and feature the improvements, and new facilities across the Park,
including a sharedpedestrian and cyclepathway runningalong its length.While there has beenlittle reported or
monitored issues, both cyclists and pedestriansneed to be mindful of eachother.
Additional inclusive usepicnic tables will be
installed on site imminently, to furtherenhance visitor enjoyment. The showers that are part of the public toilets facility located at the southern
part of the Park are now accessible.
Felixstowe Seafront GardensFollowing their official opening on 26thAugust Suffolk Coastal Norse have thefuture ongoing responsibility for managing maintenance in the SeafrontGardens which will cover soft and hardlandscaped areas, structures, lightingand other features. There will be regular on-site maintenance and an inspection regime. Please contact our Customer ServicesHelpdesk on 01394 444000 or [email protected] in the event of encountering a repair or maintenanceissue when visiting the Gardens.
Mel West, General Manager
Following an initiative by the ExecutiveCommittee, the number of Chambermembers increased substantially duringthe summer months; in particular representation from the retail sectorand businesses involved in Port activityhas improved.
Chamber members participated in thebusiness and enterprise workshop atthe Felixstowe Forward public engagement event held on 17th July.The Chamber has been invited to sit onthe Sponsor Group of Felixstowe Forward and will have the opportunityto raise issues of importance to localbusinesses.
The programme for the Chamber's networking events for the last quarter ofthe year will include the following
breakfast meetings: October 21st atThe Fludyer Arms with Helen Greengrass, Change Director, Felixstowe Forward. A tour of the Port of Felixstowe hasbeen arranged to take place after alight breakfast at The Orwell Hotel on18th November. It is anticipated thatthis event will be popular and placeswill need to be booked in advance before 9th November via the Chamberwebsite. Don't delay – book today !
On 6th October the Chamber will berunning a workshop on the websitesoftware package WordPress for Business at Cliff House. WordPress isthe world’s most popular tool for creating and managing websites —any kind of website, from a simple blogto a full-featured business website.
There’s nothing to install on your computer and you don’t need any special tools. You can update your website from wherever you have an Internet connection – even your smart-phone. This is a great opportunity tolearn how to use software which can really assist your business. The cost fornon members is £25.00 per person withFelixstowe Chamber of Commercemembers enjoying a discounted priceof £12.00. Places can be booked on-line via the Chamber website. Information on all the Chamber's activities can be found on our website
Jan Perry, Business Officer
Work isunderway onupdating the‘Where to Shop’
and’ Places to Eat’ sections on the VisitFelixstowe website (initial work on anew website is also underway).Business information has beenupdated, with several newestablishments now included.
The events section on the VisitFelixstowe website is constantlyupdated, with approx. 300 currentlylisted - right through to July 2016.
Recent summersuccesses haveincluded FelixstoweCarnival, Hot Rods,Felixstowe BookFestival and Art onThe Prom. An eventlisting is regularlyissued to press/PR, clubs andorganisations. If you would likeyourevent to be added to this list pleaseemail it to the following address:[email protected]
The Visit Felixstowe Facebook page
has over 2,600 likes, withTwitter now exceeding 1,700followers.We would be grateful if theVisit Felixstowe logo could beadded to your website,including a link to the site. Thiswill help promote awareness
and support of the town’s branding.
Stephen Rampley,Marketing and EventsCo-ordinator
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Felixstowe Hot Rods
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The Spa Pavilion hasannounced shows forthe coming season, witha Gala Night opening on14th November wherethere will be high-
energy soul from The Stars of TheCommitments.
Other shows booked include; Richard Digance on 15th November,Christmas Memories, with Neil Sandson 3rd December, and the Rat Pack
Live tribute on 13th December.
The Dennis Lowe Theatre Company isback with the traditional Christmaspanto. This year is Cinderella andshows run from 19th December 2015to 3rd January 2016.
Ray Anderson, the theatre’s chief executive, said the opening of the boxoffice had been delayed slightly by thediscovery of an old light tunnel in thefoyer.
“One leak, which ended up nowherenear where it started, turned out to becoming from some glass bricks in apod on the roof. Once we discoveredthis, we pulled down the ceiling in thefoyer and found a lovely natural lighttunnel, which we are now in theprocess of restoring.”
For more information and to book tickets please visit theSpa Pavilion website.
News
Felixstowe - Harwich Ferry
Triangle Canopy
We are pleased to announce thatpassenger numbers haveincreased in 2015 by 10%,compared with 2014.
July 2015 saw a total of 3433passengers compared to3136 passengers in 2014.
Please have a look formore information andvideos of the Ferry on ournew website.
Please note that due to the success ofthis service, the 2015 season will nowbe extended until the end of October.
Please spread the word.
Christian Zemann, Ferry Operator
Coming up at Felixstowe Triangle....
26th September ~ Haiden Grigor Band(live rock band raising money for TheSamaritans).
30th October ~ St Elizabeth HospiceChristmas Day Dip Promotion (incl.‘Frozen’ characters and freebies).
To promote your charity or event*please contact Felixstowe Forward on 01394 444576 or [email protected]
* Rates applicable for commercial bookings
Recent events have included:2nd, 9th and 16th September 2015 ~Community Charity Cafe (raisingmoney for local charities in conjunctionwith the local Tesco Metro).
Prikka strips have also been installedin the Canopy, preventing pigeonsroosting and leaving mess on theseating/paved area.
Moira Chapman, Project Support Officer
We arelookingforward toopening ournew 60-
bedroom Felixstowe Premier Inn in2016.
Once completed, the new hotel willdeliver £4.5 million in fresh investmentand 25 new year-round jobs for thelocal area, around half of which will beoffered to young people who are not ineducation, employment or training(NEETS).
As well as generating investment andjobs, Premier Inns typically driveincreased footfall from newvisitors who use local shops,cafes and restaurants –boosting the local economy.
The partnership with PremierInn and Felixstowe is alreadyproving to be that of a strongone as witnessed through ourjoint meeting with the town'sDistrict Council.James Parsons, Premier Inn
Front and back elevations
“A great location to promote our event,staff were extremely helpful”
Bombay Nite 25th anniversary celebrations
“Good feedback, lovely idea...
raising awareness of local charities”
Charity coffee mornings ~
Tesco Metro, Felixstowe
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Some of the town’s successful eventsthis year have included...
Felixstowe CarnivalA fantastic programme of events washeld this year; Carnival procession,traders, entertainment, music and airshow. It is a shame that Sunday’sweather prevented the planned events,howeverthanks must goto all thosewho supportedthe Felixstowe Carnival.
The focus isnow on preparing fornext year’sevent (July 23rd & 24th).
Note for your diary: The Carnival committee the AGM is at Felixstowe Town Hall on 28th September at 7:00pm.
Felixstowe Book FestivalThe festival launched with aMad Hatters Tea party at Felixstowe Triangle on 13thJune to celebrate 150 years ofLewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The full festival programme
was held over the weekend of Satur-day 27 and Sunday 28 June 2015.There were author talks, children'sevents, poetry, a book swap and trail,vintage tea parties, a short story competition andwriting workshops.
Art On The PromArt on The Prom washeld on 6th September, with musicand entertainment, whereover 100 professionaland hobby artists displayed and sold theiroriginal artwork.
This year’s event was afantastic success, with the beautifulweather attracting over 20,000 people.
Free art activity tentsincluded monoprinting, chinaand pebbleboat mosaics,3D floral picture post-cards, claytiles and 3Dcardboard models.
Special thanks must go to Meg Reid,Nick Barber, Mary and Stephen Wyattand all the dedicated volunteers for organising these events; their contribution is essential to the vitality ofthe town.
To volunteer for next year’s eventsplease click on the relevant linksbelow:
Felixstowe CarnivalFelixstowe Book FestivalArt on The Prom
“It’s never too early to get involved for 2016”
Moira Chapman, Project Support Officer
Other Issues
Please feel free to share this newsletter withanyone who may be interested.
If you would like to be added to our mailing listplease contact us.
Don’t forget to send us your news - let’s get Felixstowe connected and make things happen.
Contact us at:Felixstowe ForwardFelixstowe Town HallUndercliff Road WestFelixstowe, IP11 2AGTel: (01394) 444577 / 07717 150993E-mail:[email protected] us on Twitter
Contact us
Suffolk Info-linkAre you a local community or charityorganisation? Why not register with Suffolk Infolink toensure local residents and organisations are able to access yourservices. Your details will then be available to view on the website.
The Pier Redevelopment
Felixstowe Forward continues to workwith the owners of the pier on the revised redevelopment which is due toget underway before the end of theyear.
Boating Lake
Work is due to commence on the regeneration of the boating lake areabefore the end of the year.
Major Events in 2015
Round-up
97% of people
surveyed said that
‘Art on the Prom’ was
excellent for showing off
Felixstowe in a positive way.