Localism on the agenda

As you may be aware, the Localism Bill was given Royal Assent last week and is now an Act of Parliament.  The impact on this is particularly relevant to devolution and community rights to challenge, plus community inputs re planning decisions. 

Please find it at the link below: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishupdate

Falmouth part of Olympic Torch route

Details of the route the Olympic Torch Relay will take through Cornwall on Saturday, 19 May 2012 , the First Day of its historic journey through the UK, have been released by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

News that Land’s End had been chosen as the starting point for the 2012 Olympic celebrations was announced earlier this year. Since then LOCOG has been working on drawing up the list of more than 1,000 villages, towns and cities, through which the Olympic Flame will be carried by Torchbearers during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay which is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.
The route announced by LOCOG will see the Olympic Torch carried through 20 towns and villages in Cornwall on 19 May. Starting in Land’s End, it will then travel though Sennen, Newlyn, Penzance, Marazion, Rosudgeon, Ashton, Breage, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay, St Stephen, St Austell, Stenalees, Bugle, Lanivet, Bodmin, Liskeard and Saltash before crossing into Devon on the Tamar Bridge at the end of the day. Along the route iconic landmarks, such as St Michael’s Mount and The Eden Project, have been chosen by LOCOG as a focus for photo opportunities for the world’s media.
On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Torch comes to a place near them.
Details of the route announced means that the Olympic Flame will be taken to within an hour’s journey time of 95% of the population. The street by street detail of the route will be confirmed next year. People can view the interactive map at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelaymap to find their nearest community through which the Olympic Flame will be carried.

Falmouth Spring Festival's Guerrilla gardening scoops award!

Derelict site revamp at Bell’s Court recognised at Cornwall in Bloom Awards

An innovative community focussed project, kick-started as part of the first Falmouth Spring Festival, has scooped a coveted award at the annual Cornwall in Bloom awards gala. The Guerrilla Gardening Day at Bell’s Court in the centre of town, was organised in an effort to spruce up an historic but neglected corner of Falmouth. Over five tonnes of rubbish and foliage including six 30ft Buddleia trees and a number of heavy white goods were cleared off the site by volunteers one sunny Saturday back in March this year. Donated shrubs and flowers were then planted turning the 40ftx25ft site into an amenable space that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. An agreement was then reached between the Falmouth BID and Falmouth Town Council to ensure the ongoing maintenance of the area.

The Falmouth Spring Festival is another project funded and organised by the Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID), who worked with local traders, organisations such as Falmouth Town Council, NMMC, University College Falmouth and Event Cornwall to put together a host of exciting events, activities and community themed initiatives that sought to celebrate Falmouth’s parks, gardens and open spaces. The BID responded to town BID levy businesses’ suggestions and ideas for an early season event that would not only promote Falmouth beautiful places but help to raise the town’s profile further in an effort to attract extra visits and spend. The first Spring Festival in March 2011 did just that, with figures gathered post event suggesting over 4,000 attended the numerous guided walks, talks, Gardeners’ Question Time, Rockpooling on Castle Beach, Spring Fashion Show and Discovery Quay Spring Fair events, with several traders reporting an increase in footfall during the week.

Now firmly on the annual Falmouth events calendar, the second Falmouth Spring Festival will take place between 17^th-25^th March 2012 and a number of new events are planned including a big pavement art event in conjunction with Falmouth Art Gallery and a Zumba Zestifal both taking place on The Moor, the latter aiming to be the largest open air Zumba event seen in Cornwall.  More community based schemes will be organised in collaboration with Falmouth schools and UCF students and a number of sites will be tackled by the Guerrilla Gardening crew.

The Lenkiewicz Archive exhibition

Driftwood Gallery, Falmouth will be hosting The Lenkiewicz Archive exhibition.  Robert Lenkiewicz is without question the most famous artist the West country has seen for many years and the Driftwood gallery are proud to exhibited one of the most extensive collections of original art as well as fine art Limited Editions since the copyright passed to The Lenkiewicz Foundation in 2010.  It also includes a fascinating range of collectable published works from his substantial archive of previously unseen notebooks and illustrated journals bequeathed to the Foundation.

Driftwood Gallery, Falmouth 4-11 Nov