ADave word from Mason At long last the English summer has blossomed and we have been blessed with enough warm sunshine to get out and about to enjoy life to the full with all that our lovely town of Whittlesey has to offer. The “Circuit of the Fens” cycle ride proved to be an overwhelming success and a debriefing has taken place to ensure that a similar event comes back to Whittlesey next year when Cambridgeshire will be part of the world famous Tour De France. The two cycle races this year, amateur and professional, were all about testing out the course and the racing conditions generally, by and large everyone was happy with the outcome with minor adjustments to be made to prevailing traffic conditions. Next year we hope that local businesses will be more involved and to that end the Whittlesey Town Council is already liaising with the local traders to enable a greater commercial presence to be made with increased advance publicity to put Whittlesey on the map. My thanks to the race organisers and all those involved in a very successful event and in particular to our own Cllr. Gary Swan, a keen cyclist with the St Ives club who worked tirelessley to make the event a success. With our Straw Bear Festival in January, a Cycling Festival in June, the ever popular Whittlesey Festival in September and our Christmas Extravaganza in December we are truly a festival town with hopefully something for everyone. Another successful event, although the results will not be known until September 10, has been the” Whittlesey in Bloom” which is part of the “Anglia in Bloom” competition. The judges were very impressed not only with the quality of the exhibits but the community spirit of Whittlesey which they described as extraordinary. Well done to the schools, allotment holders, Street Pride and the individuals who worked many hours planting flower beds, weeding and hanging baskets in the town centre to make our town so attractive to visitors. Some of the credit for “Whittlesey in Bloom” must go to Cllr. Kay Mayor who has driven this project along since its inception last year but Kay has also been busy on other fronts most notable of which has been the public consultations to improve our facilities at the Whittlesea Railway Station. After monitoring two consultation days at Grosvenor House Kay could have been found from 6am onwards at the railway station canvassing commuters on their views and requirements. All comments have been collated and will be studied in detail to produce a definitive plan to improve our local rail facilities in due course. In the meantime my thanks to all those who participated in coming forward with valuable information. Speaking of transport, I know many of you out there are critical of the local bus service to and from Peterborough in particular and at Whittlesey Town Council we are fully aware of the impact this has on
residents travelling to and from work as well as for social needs. To this end Stagecoach were invited to a recent Whittlesey Town Council meeting along with a representative from Cambridgeshire County Council responsible for funding. Concerns discussed included timetables, day riders, packed peak hour buses, routes and a possible moving of the Whittlesey Town centre embarking point to Grosvenor Road to eventually free up the Buttercross for al fresco catering . Whilst all these points were raised with vigour by your town council representatives the responses were not entirely positive, citing lack of evidence of public interest - and this is where you all come in. Anyone who has a constructive comment to make on local transport I would like to hear from, either personally, by mail at Grosvenor House or placing your comments on the social websites such as “Shape Your Place” or “Streetlife” This is your opportunity to make the voice of Whittlesey heard, don’t let it pass by!. Summer fetes are in full swing with Ann and I officially attending both Park Lane and Alderman Jacob fetes and I trust that many of you accepted the open invitation to view Sir Harry Smith Community College and the fantastic refurbishment work that has been carried out there. Let us be proud of our schools and give a vote of thanks to the staff, parents and volunteers who work so hard to ensure the future prosperity of our town through the next generation of adult citizens. A final word of praise to our local police service which has improved beyond all recognition since the arrival earlier in the year of Sgt. Paul Harris. Many of you will be aware of an increased presence on our streets of foot patrols and will have noticed police vehicles parked at strategic parts of the town instead of being constantly seen outside the police station as in the past. This is a return in part to old fashioned policing, speaking with members of the public, shopkeepers and tradesmen to restore confidence that their interests are being protected. As a result arrests for criminal activity and traffic infringements are on the increase as well as the resulting enquiries. This is excellent news for the town and our congratulations go out not only to Paul but to his hardworking team of officers.
Cllr Dave Mason
Till next time ……..
Dave Mason
August 2013 | Discovering DiscoveringWhittleseyAugust2013.indd 13
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