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

Local Business Accelerators

NEWSQUEST South West, publishers of The Packet, has joined other regional and local newspapers across the country to deliver a huge boost to UK business by pledging an unprecedented £15m of free advertising to the most dynamic fledgling enterprises.

The bold initiative, backed by Dragons’ Den judge, Deborah Meaden, is called Local Business Accelerators (LBA) and is being spearheaded by the voice of local media, the Newspaper Society.

Nearly 500 local press publications, including Newsquest South West’s Packet Newspapers in Cornwall and the Somerset County Gazette in Taunton are joining forces to promote the strength and value of local newspapers for local businesses and communities.

Together, the local press industry will search for the nation’s most promising young businesses and help them accelerate their success with top professional advice from local business mentors plus a substantial allocation of free advertising space in their local publication.

What’s more, one lucky business picked from the hundreds of regional winners will get individual mentoring sessions from the LBA national ambassador Deborah Meaden, who will become a consultant and mentor to the business for one year.

Deborah Meaden said: "I’ve seen the unique contribution that local press makes to the success of local businesses time and again with my own ventures. In this age of enterprise it has never been more important to drive awareness about the value of local marketing for a fledgling business, which is why I’m so proud to support Local Business Accelerators and help build thriving and industrious communities."

This week Newsquest South West launches its Local Business Accelerators search.

It’s open to all businesses that are active in the local community, between one and three years old and full of potential. They may have a great idea or product, or even found a new market.
They’re the kind of businesses that will create new jobs and individually they will create pride in the community.

If you run such a business, or know anyone who does, and want the chance to receive invaluable business support and advertising space in the Packet or County Gazette, visit www.accelerateme.co.uk for more information on the scheme and how to enter. Entries close November 14, 2011.

Leaders within the local business community alongside Packet publisher Jonathan Perkins in Cornwall and Newsquest South West managing director Simon Dixon-Phillip will form the judging panel.

They will review and shortlist entries before awarding three lucky local businesses from the region with the prize of free advertising and business advice.

They’ll also be looking out for that one overall star business from the South West region to put forward to be in with a chance to gain Deborah Meaden as a mentor during 2012.

HIGH St Campaign takes to Westminster

BID Manager invited to attend All Party Town Centres group meeting at Houses of Parliament following letter from the BID to the Prime Minister and launch of Save the High Street Campaign

The Falmouth BID’s Save the High Street Campaign reached the corridors of power in earnest this week following an invite to Richard Wilcox, the Falmouth BID Manager from Sarah Newton, MP for Falmouth & Truro to attend an All Party Parliamentary Town Centres Group meeting at the Houses of Parliament on October 18^th, to discuss key issues in which Government appointed High Street Advisor Mary Portas will be present. Truro BID Manager Neil Scott will also be joining Richard Wilcox and Sarah Newton at the meeting.

The Save the High Street Campaign launched by the Falmouth BID, aims to raise awareness of the main areas that currently affect or inhibit economic growth in Falmouth and is a direct response to the appointment by the Government of Mary Portas, to undertake a review on what is needed to save the British High Street as well as raising awareness of initiatives running in Falmouth that have been instigated by the BID and other organisations.

The Falmouth BID is lobbying the Portas team, the Government and regional authorities, to recognise and initiate change on a number of key restrictions that are affecting growth and these are contained in a letter sent to her and the Prime Minister and centre around five key points:

1)   The need for free or low cost, innovative and flexible car parking schemes that are attractive for people to visit, dwell longer and spend money in town centres rather than acting as a barrier 

2)    Co-ordinated, imaginative and well-integrated local public transport which meets the needs of customers and POTENTIAL customers

3)    Well-funded and professional town management which can form proper retail strategies and plans for the development of the high street and the improvement of the shopping experience

4)    Business rates that need to have a greater effect locally with businesses having a real say on how the business rates are spent. Successful businesses should not be penalised with massive rate increases and the success of schemes like BIDs should be recognised and expanded by being funded from existing rates not as an additional levy

5)   Cut VAT in half to 10% on retail/restaurants/hotels/tourism businesses

To view the range of media coverage click here

To listen to Source FM interview click here

FAL350 day

FAL350 day was a wonderful occasion, a real coming together for the Falmouth communites around the world. Not only was there the re-enactment that went really well throughout the town but last night at the 350 dinner, live links connected all the Falmouths around the world, with goodwill messages being sent...

See images of the re-enactment via this link..

The FAL350 dinner in the evening was particularly as a live link beteween all the Falmouths around the world (14) resulted in goodwill messages being passed around thh globe. In attendance at the Falmouth Hotel was the mayor of falmouth, Kentucky and the High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda who in the highlight fo the evening spoke to the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda via live link up, much to the appreciation of those in the room.

Earlier in the week, the premiere of the Falmouth play 'Remember' was played out at The Poly. If you'd like to see the full range of events on see here