Councillor Winters Monthly Update – November 2023
As the weather turns colder and the nights are drawing in, we will very soon find ourselves in the midst of the festive period. The big Newmarket Lights Switch On event, hosted by the Love Newmarket BID, will take place on Friday 17th November. Local heroes will push the button at 7pm to light up our High Street. Many businesses will stay open for you to start your Christmas shopping or buy refreshments, and the road will be full of stalls, games, and funfair rides.
Our own Winter events will take place on 9th December, where we will once again host Father Christmas in his snow globe at the Bill Tutte Memorial; there will be an indoor craft fair at the Memorial Hall on 16th December and food stalls, rides and activities in the Gardens – and very excitingly, a chance to meet a pair of real reindeer; and on Thursday 21st, a children’s craft event alongside the West Suffolk Council’s free school meal and activity provision (HAF) in the main hall. The December Tea Dance will be held on Friday 22nd. Look out for full details later on our noticeboards, website, and social media pages.
We are delighted to again be supporting the Warm Spaces initiative at All Saints Church. Their programme is called Welcome Space, and is open every Tuesday from 10am until 2pm – everyone is welcome to go along for light refreshments and a chat. Games, puzzles and newspapers are all provided along with a children’s play corner. Do please take advantage of this wonderful provision for the residents of Newmarket.
Parking can be a very contentious topic in Newmarket. Too many plans come before us for proposed residences with too little parking provision, and we are all aware just how patchy our public transport can be. On top of that, we are faced with issues of parking on grass verges – some of which is on top of our bulb planting, which is quite distressing. Having invested the time and money to make some of the entrances into our town look lovelier, it is upsetting to see the vehicles churning up these areas and the potential of our bulbs destroyed. We, as a Town Council, are investigating the feasibility of posts and barriers, but this would come at a substantial cost – and may simply move the issue elsewhere. May I ask that you are considerate to your neighbours when choosing a place to park your car or van, and be mindful of the damage you might be inflicting on the verges?
Speaking of bulbs – All Saints CE Primary School kindly sent a class along to the Memorial Gardens and they helped to fill 600 holes with daffodil bulbs. Some were donated to the Studlands Social Club for them to plant around the green spaces on their estate. The Rotary Club, assisted by Houldsworth Valley Primary School, visited Birdcage Walk to plant purple crocuses to mark their worldwide endeavours for the eradication of polio. This will further enhance the entrance into town around the Queen’s Statue. Mechanical planting of a mixture of bulbs also took place in the vicinity, and along the Bury Road side of the Severals. Our town should have some wonderful displays in the spring.
We say a fond farewell and best wishes for the future to Newmarket’s favourite jockey “son” Frankie Dettori, who has retired from British Horseracing. He has enjoyed a hugely successful career spanning 35 years, winning over 3300 races and he achieved his 500th here in his home town of Newmarket just a few weeks ago. He has been a familiar face around town, and even put in an appearance at our Coronation celebrations on the Severals back in the summer. We wish him continued success from his new base in California.
Best wishes
Philippa Winter