At The Priory Centre - St Neots Town Council

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2 Priorities Chairman of the Town Centre Initiative John Davies St Neots Mayor Cllr Paul Ursell Editors Roger Arguile and Philip Devonald Imagery and articles submitted in this publication are subject to Copyright from various sources and no reproduction of any part of this publication is permissible without the prior consent of St. Neots Town Centre Initiative, St. Neots Town Council and TSGcs as a whole. Part thereof does not give permission for its use. Tel: 01480 213555 Fax: 01480 218887 email: sales@tsgcs.co.uk web: www.tsgcs.co.uk Design, Repro, Print and Web Design, 105 Great North Road, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, Cambs PE19 8EL St. Neots Town Council www.stneots-tc.gov.uk St. Neots Town Centre Initiative The Chairman’s Column a message from John Davies, Chairman of St Neots Town Centre Initiative OWEN EASTEAL At the end of August, Owen Easteal, our Town Centre Manager (TCM) for the last three years, left us to return to his first love, the Travel Industry. Owen replaced David Gregory, our first full-time manager; so we have been lucky with two good Managers. His is an unusual role. The TCM helps all the volunteers in The Initiative which now has over 70 people now serving on eight working groups, but his main efforts go into working with the High Street area, supporting retailers with various training programmes, developing Farmers Markets in the town (of which he was very proud, making them twice monthly events. He also worked on occasional Town Centre activities such as the Arts Festival, assisting the Carnival organisers and leading the Christmas Lights Festival Team. Owen put a lot of effort into these activities as much else: editing Priorities and expanding the use of the Priory Belle and letting more people enjoy one of the Town’s biggest assets, the River. Owen also saw his role as serving the Town and fostering the partnership between the Town Council and The Initiative. We will miss Owen as the TCM but have persuaded him to stay on our Management Group as a local resident so that we do not lose his energy and experience. We hope any new Town Centre Manager can live up to the standards set by the two previous incumbents. MANUFACTURING CLUB The Town has lost Collins and Aikman Ltd and over the next year a large part of Gates Hydraulic Ltd will depart to foreign parts. This shows the tremendous pressure that manufacturing is under in the UK, against low cost competition in Eastern Europe and the Far East. Yet despite the gloom we have, in St Neots, a dozen companies working together to help each other. We see the need to work together as even more important in these tough conditions. The quarterly Club meetings are senior managers coming together to hear speakers on key issues and exchange news and views. Unusually for such clubs there is more going on ie we have four working group operating. The last of these has just been formed and is looking at Business Continuity Planning, which is looking at how companies would handle a big incident like fire or flooding and keep operating or recover quickly. The members are looking at exchanging information on best practice but also how they could help each other locally in an emergency. Helping this group is our old Town Centre Manager, David Gregory, who now plays a key role in the Cambridgeshire County Council’s Emergency Planning Department. At our last Club meeting we heard a speaker from ‘i10’ (representing the ten Universities in East Anglia), part of whose role is to bridge the gap between researchers in the Universities and businesses who might need their ideas and new products to be more competitive and survive and grow. The theory is that we can not match the Far East and their low costs but we can be quicker and smarter to find new ideas and market them. It is a survival strategy that is worth following. Regards John Davies (Chairman of St Neots Town Centre Initiative)
The Mayors’ Column a message from Paul Ursell, Mayor of St Neots Since becoming Mayor, I have attended many different events ranging from formal civic functions to local fund raising activities such as a duck race on the river in aid of Papworth Hospital. Whilst all events are important for various reasons, the events that mean most to me are the ones involving young people. We read and hear so many negative comments about young people that we sometimes forget that the vast majority respect their community and do not cause problems. Recently I attended the Camjam International Scouts Jamboree held over a week on Huntingdon Race Course. From early morning to late evening, over 1,000 scouts both boys and girls enjoyed a packed and varied programme of activities without any problems that are commonly associated with antisocial behaviour. All the many and varied organisations who provide activities for young people should be supported and the adult volunteers who provide leadership should be applauded. This year the Town Council is working on delivering a number of significant projects which will bring benefits to the residents of St Neots. We are progressing with the planning and final detailed design phase of the Eaton’s Community Centre which we hope to start construction early in the New Year, the completion of the Priory Centre Improvements and continuing our efforts in trying to find a suitable site and company who is willing to provide and operate a cinema in St Neots. In addition councillors who are trustees of the Outdoor Swimming Pool Trust will be looking to produce a viable and sustainable plan which would provide for the construction, ongoing maintenance and operating costs/loses of a new outdoor pool that will not be an added burden on the local council tax payer. Finally, may I remind you that I shall be holding a Charity Ball in the Priory Centre on Saturday 7th October 2006 to raise money for my charity fund which will benefit local good causes including Dreamdrops (Hinchingbrooke Hospital Children’s Unit), EACH (East Anglia Children’s Hospice), St Neots Sentinels and St Neots Rugby Club Mini Rugby for youngsters. To purchase tickets at £29.75 each please contact Priory Centre. Paul Ursell Mayor of St Neots 3 Autumn Entertainment At The Priory Centre A galaxy of stars to visit the centre September 28th-30th ‘Alfie’ with the St. Neots Players 7:45 pm October 7th 8th 20th November 1st.– 4th 10th 17th 24th Mayor’s Charity Ball 7:00 pm Swing and Sinatra evening 7:45 pm Comedy Club 7:00 pm ‘The Full Monty’ with the Vamps 7:45 pm Chas and Dave 8:00 pm Voulez Vous 8:00 pm Georgie Fame 8:00 pm A New Look Priory Centre After years of discussion the Priory Centre is at last having a significant facelift. The contractors, Baron Designs of Cambridge, have started work and it is hoped that the improvements will be complete by the middle of September. The major improvements are the redecoration of the main staircase to improve the approach to the Guest Hall which is a popular venue for wedding receptions. Downstairs the toilets are also being improved. Most significant are the improvements to the entrance and foyer of the building. The foyer will be extended to include the outside cloisters and new, glass front doors will be installed. Pennants hanging from the front wall above the new doors will announce the entrance to the building. The cloisters will be given new, folding glass doors which will enhance the whole impression of light and space. With new and colourful furniture and flooring, the centre will be an even more attractive riverside venue for the new entertainment programme, weddings, conferences, training courses and exhibitions. December 2nd 21st 23rd The Best Blues Band Brothers Ever 7:30 pm Comedy Club 7:00 pm Steeleye Span 8:00 pm Tickets available at the Box Office, The Priory Centre, Telephone 01480 388 922
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