Prioritiesst. Neots Town Centre Initiative Bands in Action on the Park Retail Riverside Park, St
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St. Neots PrioritiesSt. Neots Town Centre Initiative Bands In Action on The Park Retail Riverside Park, St. Neots Town Council Crime www.stneots-tc.gov.uk St Neots June and July 2011 Friday 20th May Newsletter of the St. Neots Town Centre Initiative 2.30pm to 4.30pm 8.30pm and St. Neots Town Council working together Free music for all to enjoy, so why not bring the family Friday 3rd June and make a day of it! 8.30pm June 2011 PrioritiesSt. Neots Chairman of the Town Centre Initiative Aiming High John Davies Last year it was silver, but this year the Editors Veronica Webb and Helen King St Neots in Bloom team are pulling out all stops and are looking to take gold. To contact Priorities email: [email protected] As the Anglia in Bloom judging day ensure floral displays are looking approaches the message coming loud their best. The latter is particularly © 2011 and clear from the hard-working team important as St Neots in Bloom’s own is - it’s not too late to help the town volunteers will be out in early July to Priorities Imagery and articles achieve the glittering top prize. judge the floral displays of business submitted in this publication are Judges George Dawson and Colin premises, as well as visiting entrants subject to Copyright from various Drew will arrive at 2pm on Thursday, to the Best Front Garden Competition. sources and no reproduction of any July 7 for a tour of the town, which Closing date is June 23. part of this publication is permissible will include the sights and sounds The St Neots in Bloom team are without the prior consent of St. Neots of a busy Market Square, as well as working hard to ensure that on the Town Centre Initiative, St. Neots Town the more tranquil environment of the big day St Neots will be wearing its Council and SWF Creative as a whole. Riverside Park and Sudbury Meadows. prettiest dress, so.... Let’s Do It! Part thereof does not give permission Shop keepers and market stall holders For more information about for its use. are being urged to keep litter under St Neots in Bloom, control during the day whilst home- contact Alison Pearson on Designed by: owners and business premises can 01480 374792 SWF Creative Eaton Socon, St. Neots, Come and learn about the bats Cambs PE19 8BS living on Loves Farm by joining email: [email protected] us on a guided walk The evening will consist of a short talk Printed by: MPG Printwise (aimed at the whole family) followed by a walk around the estate using bat detectors Front Picture to search for our nocturnal friends! Contributed by St Neots Museum Contact Caroline for more Friday 20th May – 8.30pm information and to book a place Friday 3rd June – 8.30pm (numbers limited) - 07969 061638 Deadline for contributions to future Priorities 4th July and 3rd October Trails around the Eatons Ever wandered around the There is a wealth of history to uncover secondary school in the area - built Eatons and wondered what and explore. before Longsands came on the scene. you are looking at? There are four trails around Eaton How about the Hail Weston Springs Socon and Eaton Ford, which is factory, the pipe factory and Sunny To the casual observer or visitor, the researched and regularly updated by Smiles Toy factory? Eatons may appear to be a rather the Eatons Community Association Find out about the once self-sufficient quiet ad-on to the main town of St (ESCA). Take time to look at the centre of Eaton Socon village with its Neots, but as the saying goes, don’t heritage boards and blue plaques and bakers, butchers, blacksmiths, coach judge a book - or village - by its cover. learn about your history. builders, millers, shops, farms and You probably know the White Horse, coaching inns. Must not forget the the Olde Sun, the Barley Mow, Eaton Norman motte and bailey castle, the Oak and all the other pubs in the church that is not as old as it appears, Eatons, but do you know where the medieval village of Sudbury, the the Black Horse, the White Lion, milestone on the Great North Road - Recruiting Sergeant, the Cock, the and why there is a village lock-up in Eagle and The Bell were. Do you know Eaton Socon. the Union Workhouse and Brittains The trails are available from first store was in Eaton Ford? • St Neots Museum What about schooling? Find out where • ESCA - 3 Collingwood Road, the site of the Eaton Socon Academy Eaton Socon, St Neots, PE19 8JQ The Union Workhouse in 1902 was, the village school and the first 2 Priorities June 2011 TheThe CHAIRM ANChairman’s’S COLUMN Column A message from John Davies, Chairman of St. Neots Town Centre Initiative As I write this column we are a channelled through our Promotion and Tourism Group. week away from the start of the This Group also includes ESCA, EVA and the Loves Farm Residents Association, who all have their own newsletters. St Neots Music and Arts Festival. Collectively we now have a very good communications The organising group had put together network and we all support each other activities. an interesting and varied programme. The Initiative has been involved in the Connect 2 Project They are a talented group of local people, which was the local steering group for the building of the including representatives from local new and very welcome pedestrian/cycle bridge. It is now performers, who have worked very hard on what was the to be called the Willow Bridge, a name provided by a local 10th annual event. The event was very well supported pupil in the St Neots Community College. The work on by the News and Crier who have become a true local the new Bridge, that will link Eynesbury and Eaton Socon, paper, and kindly give me a monthly column as well. Our started in mid-March and hopefully will be completed by hard working Mayor, Cllr Gordon Thorpe, has also been a end August or early September. member of the Group, reflecting the support of the Town Council for the event. The Initiative provide people support On the retail front we would like to welcome the new and some financial and administrative support. The Parish Manager at Waitrose, Darran Welsford. Darran has already Church, in Church St, makes a superb venue and the taken a strong interest in the local community and has Rev Paul Andrews and his own team are the core of the attended one of our Redevelopment and Environment Festival planning. Its success or not, as ever, is down to meetings on the Town’s growth plans. Last month we the support we receive from you, the public. featured one of our longest serving retailers, Brittains Furnishing. In this edition we give news about Boots We promoted the Festival in Priorities but also received refurbishment and about the thriving business community other valuable support. The About My Area(PE19) Web in the Cross Keys. Recent news is that Westgate will Site has become a valuable partner for many of our become part of the Beales Group. The local Manager, part activities; their Joanna Oxenham, as well as running a of our Retail Club, will keep us informed. very professional commercial operation, also goes out of her way to help local groups and activities. New to the That’s all for now. A lot is happening in the Town and I will scene is the Lovely Moon, whose editor Ted Bruning, tell you more next time. is new to the Town but already making his mark with this interesting new local magazine. He has also been working closely with the Initiative. All this network is John Davies Summer Exhibition at St Neots Museum During the summer from July It will tell the story of how from the 20th to September 3rd, St Neots Edwardian age - when St Neots itself was a popular riverside holiday spot, Museum will hold an exhibition particularly for Londoners - they about ....Summer Holidays. enjoyed railway outings to seaside The exhibition called ‘What We resorts like Yarmouth and Skegness Did On Our Holidays’, will include in the years in-between the two World photographs, information and objects Wars. connected with the summer holidays The exhibition will feature family or a vivid memory of a past holiday enjoyed by our parents, grandparents camping and caravanning holidays experience, just contact Anna Mercer, and great-grandparents. in the 50s and 60s (even in the rain), the Museum Curator, on 01480 donkey rides on the beach and fish 388921. and chips, until the era of foreign Throughout the summer holidays package holidays began and seriously there will be family activities linked to dented the ‘Great British Holiday’. a holiday theme every Friday - from The museum has been collecting making a windmill toy to mixing a information and exhibits from local holiday soundtrack. people to help create the exhibition. There is no need to book. It is still not too late to include your Pick up a leaflet from the museum items and memories. If you have for full details, or check out the something to contribute - whether museum’s website on its an old holiday postcard, seaside www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk souvenir, photo from the family album June 2011 Priorities 3 Business As Usual at the Historic 18th Century Cross Keys Mews In the days when the fastest mode of travel was on horseback, or by horse-drawn coach, there were many coaching inns and hostelries in St Neots.