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Retailers Association

Following the successful retailers meeting held on 4th February 2010, several retailers have expressed their interest and support in setting up a Retailers Association.

The Town Council will be providing administration support and have agreed a budget of £2,000 to assist in promoting the Town of; this is to be used for advertising i.e. website/brochures/Trade Fairs.

The inaugural meeting of the Retailers Association is scheduled for 4th March 2010. All retailers in Newmarket are invited to attend and it is hoped that the committee will be decided and its members appointed at this meeting.


Memorial Gardens Sensory Garden and Sunflower Challenge

As part of the regeneration of the Memorial Gardens Play Area, we are installing a Sensory Garden. The Sensory Garden is being planted by our Town Keeper, with assistance from the Foley House Youth Club, who will also assist with the management of the garden in the future. The plants and flowers have kindly been donated by Newmarket in Bloom.

Sensory gardens are areas deliberately set out to provide a wide range of sensory experiences (smell, sight, sound, touch and taste). They are commonly used for education because of the different areas which utilise different senses, allowing people, particularly children and people with learning disabilities, to recognise different senses along the way. Usually, a sensory garden will also allow users to touch and feel objects and plants along the way, use of plants with strong fragrances and the use of objects and flowers that make sounds in the wind make the experience ideal for people with visual and hearing impairments.

One of the most popular flowers used in Sensory Garden’s is the Sunflower, ideal because of its bright colours, large blooms and textured seeds, the sunflower also produces edible sunflower seeds. To utilise the sunflowers assets and to help get local children involved in our project, we set up a Sunflower Challenge.

One pupil from each of the Primary and Middle School’s in Newmarket was invited to participate in the challenge. Pupil’s from Ditton Lodge First School, St Felix CEVC Middle School, Laureate CP School, Fairstead House, All Saints Primary School and St Louis RC Primary school attended a Sunflower seed planting session at the Memorial Hall on Friday 12th February 2010. The pupil’s will transplant their seedlings into the Sensory Garden at the Memorial Gardens Play Area Opening Event on Saturday 27th March 2010, where they will each receive a certificate of participation. The Sunflowers will be measured over a 12 week period and the Pupil who has the tallest Sunflower will receive a prize.


A-Boards Update

Plans are currently under way to install alternative signage within the High Street to replace A-Boards. The target areas are the off roads, namely; Sun Lane (including Palace Street), Rous Road, Old Station Road, Crown Walk, Market Street and Wellington Street.

The Town Council has met with retailers representing these target areas and the Town Centre Manager and has short listed several designs and suppliers for the alternative signage.

Newmarket Town Council are due to meet with Forest Heath District Council and Suffolk County Council and following this meeting a date will be scheduled to hold a presentation of the designs and retailers will be given the opportunity to put questions to the suppliers.


Memorial Gardens Play Area

We are pleased to announce that works on a major refurbishment for our popular Memorial Gardens Play Area started on 15th February 2010. The project was awarded a grant of £50,000 from the Government backed Play Builder scheme and funding was also obtained from the Suffolk County Council Corporate Regeneration Fund. Cllr Lisa Chambers, who represents Newmarket and Red Lodge on Suffolk County Council, has also contributed £1,000 towards the project from her locality budget.

The project will include Toddler and Junior areas with inclusive equipment also suitable for disabled access. The new equipment being installed includes an Activity Net with Rope Bridge, a Cantilever Swing, Free Standing Music Panels, a Rockblock Climbing Structure, Totem Poles and a Dual Slide. There is also DDA specific equipment such as a DDA Inclusive Roundabout and an Accessible Swing Seat. The installation is being carried out by PlayWorld Systems who are specialists in this field and will be completed before the end of March 2010. Whilst these works are being completed the play area will be out of use to members of the public, due to Health & Safety considerations. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Alongside this project we are also organising a group of Newmarket based community volunteers, to assist with the refurbishment of the existing play equipment located within the Water Play Area. We have volunteers from Newmarket CRU, Safer Neighbourhood Team, Town Pastors, The Voluntary Network, Foley House Youth Club, Newmarket Youth Council and students from Newmarket College are also due to help out on their extension day on 4th March 2010.

Newmarket Town Council is looking forward to completing this project for the benefit of our community and we hope to see many Newmarket residents at the official Opening Event to be held on Saturday 27th March 2010 11am-2pm. FREE Admission and FREE refreshments will be available along with many FREE activities.
 

Last Updated: 01 March 10  

© Newmarket Town Council 2010