FREE Car Parking May 19th

Cornwall Council agrees to provide free parking on 19 May to support Olympic Flame celebrations

Cornwall Council has announced that it is to provide free parking in all its car parks on Saturday, 19 May to support local communities in their celebrations to mark the historic journey of the Olympic Flame through Cornwall .

Council Leader Alec Robertson said that as this was a unique once in a lifetime opportunity, he wanted the Council to play its part in supporting the numerous events taking place in communities across Cornwall.

“This is a hugely important day for Cornwall as we will be in the spotlight for both the arrival of the Olympic Flame and the first day of the Olympic Torch Relay” he said.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games is the biggest event in the world and we want as many people as possible to get involved by taking part in local events and lining the streets to cheer the Olympic Flame on its journey through Cornwall.  The Olympic Torch Relay is a Cornwall wide event and we want every single community, both on and off the route, to be involved.

“The aim of providing free parking is to help encourage those who do not live in the communities along the route to come and join in the fun.  Although our budget, like those of other local authorities is under pressure, the prudent way we have managed our finances means that we can meet the costs of this without impacting on other services.  The funding will come from the Leader’s contingency budget. ”.

“I know that a number of communities along the route have already decided to offer free parking in the car parks they run and I would like to encourage other car park operators to follow our example and waive charges on this exciting day for Cornwall”.

Falmouth Spring Festival – the story so far...

Paint the Town Yellow Day – a real success last Friday! The students and children were terrific and we’ve had really positive feedback from businesses and residents as to how colourful many of the shops look. We had donated to us over 3,500 daffodils from neighbouring farms and you can see the results by looking at the Falmouth Facebook page here (scroll down a little)

Spring Fair – two days of live music, art and craft stalls and children’s activities on Events Square
Get Arty!  - creative workshops on The Moor organised by UCF students and Falmouth Art Gallery

Run Falmouth – what a  great day on Sunday and all credit to Cornwall Hospice Care. Nearly 500 runners and over 1,000 people on The Moor on what would have ordinarily been a quiet day there. Credit also to those businesses who took advantage of the opportunity with special offers and deals. Again do visit the Facebook page to view images from the day  

We’ve also had guided walks, a daffodil walk, rockpooling sessions on Castle Beach, Plant sales day and more!

Please also bookmark the following for the rest of the week:

Zumba Zestifal – we’re raising money for Children’s Diabetes so do please support this colourful event on The Moor on Sat 24^th. Book a place via The Core on 01326 310760
Spring Flower Show – two days as usual of this colourful event at Princess Pavilion next weekend
Falmouth evening walks, more rockpooling sessions, a nature ramble around Swanpool Nature Reserve, more creative activities on The Moor with Falmouth Art Gallery and a host more besides.

The schedule can be viewed via www.falmouth.co.uk or pick up a Festival Guide from a number of outlets in town

BID Updates



Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager with the Spring Festival Guide



Falmouth Spring Festival



I’m delighted to say the Falmouth Spring Festival will kick off on Friday when nearly 50 schoolchildren and UCF students will brighten up the town with daffodils and window dressing as part of Paint the Town Yellow Day! Over 80 businesses on board so that should be lovely.



The weekend will see the Spring Fair on Events Square with live music, art, craft and food stalls and Run Falmouth taking place on the Moor on Sunday 18^th . We’re getting toward 400 runners for that which is fantastic. Gardeners’ Question Time on Monday 19^th , a host of great guided walks, talks, rockpooling sessions throughout the week and over the weekend of the 24^th and 25^th. On Sat 24^th the Zumba Zestifal kicks off at 1pm on The Moor followed by art workshops organised by Falmouth Art Gallery so get down to support those. Falmouth Spring Flower Show will be on up at Princess Pavilion. Do browse the full schedule online at www.falmouth.co.uk or pick up a FREE guide from a number of businesses and outlets  in town.

Training courses and workshops

Do check out the latest training courses available to businesses by visiting our Training page on the Falmouth website. CLICK HERE

 Save Money on Energy and Water Bills

A series of FREE workshops on Saving Money on Energy & Water Bills will be happening in Devon and Cornwall from 26 March 2012. DETAILS ARE HERE IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND. The Falmouth workshop is on Thursday 29^th March.

Rolf Harris coming to Falmouth

Figures on a beach, Cornwall - Rolf Harris

Driftwood Gallery Falmouth are pleased to announce that, following the success of last year, and due to popular demand, they will be holding a Rolf Harris exhibition from 30^th March to 15^th April.

The display will include ten brand new works; locals and visitors to the region alike will be delighted to learn that this includes a Cornish Harbour scene for the first time.

Rolf Harris needs no introduction, being a household name, he has been an artist for many years and his work is internationally renowned. He arrived in London at the age of 22 and following a number of exhibitions held in his home country of Australia, met Impressionist painter Bill Hayward Veal and became his protégé.

He has gone on to achieve worldwide recognition as both an artist and TV personality.

Driftwood Gallery in Falmouth is a prestigious and beautifully laid out art gallery, set against the dramatic backdrop of Falmouth harbour and nestled in a prime location in the town centre.

New Spring Festival Guide unveiled



Richard Wilcox Falmouth BID Manager with new Spring Festival Guide



A new guide produced for the second Falmouth Spring Festival has been unveiled this week. The event, which celebrates Falmouth’s superb gardens, coastline and open spaces through a series of music, art, fashion and community based events is another project instigated and funded by the Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID).

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager said:



“We’ve got loads of good things planned for this year’s Festival – Run Falmouth half marathon & Fun Run, a Spring Fair, Gardeners’ Question Time, a Zumba Zestifal, Guerrilla Gardening, art workshops, foraging walks, family rockpooling sessions, I could go on. We have ambitious plans to really grow and develop the Spring Festival over the next couple of years so that many thousands of extra visitors come to Falmouth, thereby providing a vital economic boost to our BID levy paying businesses during the early season. Because of the exciting, packed schedule we’ve put together this year, we wanted to produce a colourful, really good quality guide that people could use as an aide memoire to all the great things going on.”



10,000 copies of the free 16 page A5 sized guide will be available for residents and visitors from a variety of outlets throughout the town and area including – Falmouth and Truro Visitor Information Centres, National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth Art Gallery, Trelissick and Glendurgan Gardens, Princess Pavilion and Gyllyngdune Gardens, Falmouth Poly, University College Falmouth and a large number of accommodation providers.

The guide advertises supporters and partners of the Falmouth Spring Festival, gives information on forthcoming events in Falmouth as well as listing useful Falmouth websites such as the official site for the town www.falmouth.co.uk and social media sites.

 

As Richard Wilcox added:



“So whether you’re visiting Falmouth from another part of Cornwall or further afield, we hope all who visit our great town have a fantastic time, enjoy the Festival and return to this special part of the world in the near future.”

A full events schedule for Falmouth Spring Festival can also be viewed online at www.falmouth.co.uk



RETWEET FOR TOWNS DAY

I would like to invite you to participate in Retweet for Towns Day, March 8 2012.

The purpose of the event is to start a live debate about high streets, villages, towns and city centres in order to share best practice and also to encourage residents to become involved in their communities.  Using Twitter in this way enables everyone to have a say about where they live with the minimum of personal inconvenience

The campaign has already gathered support from Association of Town Centre Management and TV weather forecaster Sian Lloyd.  Deeply saddened by the situation facing most of our town centres Sian has already been tweeting for the cause and is urging other to join in too.  Sian offered “Residents can make a real difference by supporting those who are working to preserve our high streets and this campaign offers everyone a simple way to comment and debate about their town centres”

ATCM Chief Executive, Martin Blackwell was very enthusiastic to be involved and said “This is a brilliant idea and allows the ordinary person the opportunity to show their support for their town centre. They are not dead yet!"www.barnessquiresassociates.co.uk and below.  

 The ‘tweeting’ starts right now with the debate culminating with a mass day of tweeting on March 8.  I encourage you all start sharing good news stories that other areas can introduce into their towns. I am also looking for debate about the true picture in the high streets and to tell the true story around town centre vibrancy.  I believe that the real power of using social media in this way comes from talking to residents and visitors not only to get their views but also to encourage them to become active in their community and hopefully form Partnerships and Town Teams

Local promotion of the event through traditional media will not only enable residents and businesses to discuss their town openly but will also enable the Town Partnerships and BIDs to collect resident data for future communication


Sharing good ideas and issues with the rest of the UK via the #rt4towns hash tag will create a spotlight on the projects and successes in your area and promote your village, town and city

To help support and promote Retweet For Towns Day, Harrisons External Display Systems are encouraging you to be imaginative and describe your perfect town or high street in 140 characters including hash tag #rt4towns. To reward the best Tweet, Harrisons are offering a £250 voucher or flag and pole to help promote your high street projects.  See more about the competition at

For more information see www.barnessquiresassociates.co.uk and to join in follow @loyalhelp.

1 HELICOPTER, A 2 YEAR EXHIBITION AND THE 100’S THAT MAKE IT HAPPEN

National Maritime Museum Cornwall’s new Search & Rescue exhibition is just weeks away from opening. However, it’s taken years of planning and the generous support of the RNLI, MCA, Royal Navy, RAF and many other organisations and individuals to make it happen.

Behind every exhibition, large or small, is an even bigger team and this cannot be underestimated for the Museum’s new Search & Rescue exhibition and its recent helicopter installation.

The Ministry of Defence has loaned a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. Retired from service with the introduction of the Merlin Mk1, it has been stored at a depot awaiting disposal. However, thanks to the MOD, the Royal Navy, RAF, AgustaWestland and Vector Aerospace the Sea King now has a new lease of life.

It not only has a new home and a new role but also a new coat of paint thanks to the generous assistance of AgustaWestland. The skilled technicians at Vector Aerospace have painted the aircraft in the combined livery of both the Royal Navy and RAF Search and Rescue colours – something which has never been done or seen before.

Ray Edwards, Managing Director at AgustaWestland says: “The Sea King remains the mainstay of the UK Search and Rescue helicopter service and AgustaWestland is proud to be responsible for keeping them flying 365 days a year. We are also pleased to support this major exhibition which will highlight the lifesaving work carried out on a daily basis by search and rescue helicopters and the aircrew that fly them.”

Michael Tyrrell, Managing Director, Vector Aerospace UK, says, “Vector Aerospace has helped maintain the Sea King fleet for over 40 years and when the opportunity to assist with this project arose we were delighted to help. The iconic liveries on this aircraft highlight the UK armed forces support to search and rescue services over the years. The refinish team here at Vector rose to the challenge that was set and are extremely proud of the end result. We wish the museum and exhibition the best of luck for the future.”

Prior to her forthcoming new role as a hands-on interactive within the Museum, this Sea King had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Navy. Her first flight was on 15 April 1970 and she served in the Falklands War, operating with other Sea Kings on the afternoon of 8 June 1982 when three bombs hit the RFA Sir Galahad. The ship was heavily laden with Welsh Guardsman and with significant casualties the Sea Kings worked together to winch the injured.

Following her time in the Falklands, she served at RNAS Culdrose, with many personnel who are still based there today. So, you could say this Sea King is returning back home.

Commanding Officer 771 Naval Air Squadron Lt Cdr Chris ‘Damage’ Canning says: “Here at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose we are absolutely delighted to have been able to assist the Maritime Museum in assembling this magnificent exhibition in recognition of the work, both past and present, of the UK’s Maritime Rescue Services.  The team at the museum really have done a fantastic job capturing the different organisations that stand ready at a moment’s notice to respond to an unfolding emergency on or around our coastline.”

Ben Lumby, Exhibitions Manager at the Maritime Museum says: “There are a handful of staff and volunteers at the Museum who have developed the installation but behind us are teams of researchers, donors, designers, suppliers, funders…the list is endless. Without them we wouldn’t be able to deliver this exhibition and we wouldn’t be able to commemorate and celebrate the work of the maritime rescue services.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for their time and investment and look forward to opening the doors to the exhibition on Friday 16 March to see how our visitors react to this new, powerful and important exhibition.”

The new Search & Rescue exhibition at National Maritime Museum Cornwall opens on Friday 16 March.