r activity? W ISBECH TOWN MATTERS ISSUE 18 Spring 2014
The Community Newsletter for Wisbech
FREE
Cambridgeshire County Council Highways team will complete their major refurbishment of Wisbech roads and river flood defences in the next couple of months.
There will be some more disruption however WISBECH IS STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS! The works will repair and renew road surfaces, river pilings and footpaths. Look out for information in the Press, online and on advance warnings noticeboards on the road. ROADWORKS HOT SPOT Town Bridge closed – 3 March – 3 June – Diversion via Freedom Bridge Pedestrian access still available
It’s all change on Wisbech Market Place. Following feedback on the current Road Traffic Order arrangements, changes will be made to simplify and improve access to the town centre, subject to further public consultation. One way traffic Hill Street – Union Street – Market Place – High Street There will no longer be access to the High Street or the Market Place from Bridge Street One way traffic from Church Terrace – Market Place – High Street This is the OPPOSITE direction to the current traffic flow
ATTENTION! ABOUT TURN in the market place! One way traffic from Church Terrace – Little Church Street – Canal Street Extra loading bays and disabled parking bays will be put in place (NB: Parking in marked bays only) Parking times in disabled parking bays will be increased to 3 hours There will also be increased signage for information
Wisbech Town Council will retain the parking bays on the market place itself – these are the only bays in the market place for which a ticket is required. All cars must show a ticket from the machine, even if a Blue Badge holder - Parking is limited to 1 hour and is FREE Long-term parking drivers are asked to use the FREE parking in St Peter’s (Church Terrace), Somer’s Road, or Chapel Road. Disabled Parking for Blue Badge Permit Holders in the Horsefair Car Park - Disabled bays are located on the ground floor near the pedestrian exit to the shops. Permits must be displayed, a ticket is not required and there are no time restrictions.
Wisbech Town Council has again budgeted for two main festivals this year: Wisbech Festival - Sunday 1 June Music, Dance, Food, Entertainment Wisbech Market Place Highlights of the 2013 Festival
Wisbech Music Festival – Sunday 10 August Rock, Blues, Pop - Wisbech Park
Watch out for further details and come along to join in the fun
Wisbech Mart Fair
Chapel Road Car Park and Wisbech Market Place Opens Friday 28 February
DID YOU KNOW THERE IS FREE WIFI IN THE HORSEFAIR SHOPPING CENTRE, WISBECH LIBRARY AND MANY OTHER PLACES AROUND WISBECH? IT’S EASY TO GET CONNECTED
SOME Forthcoming events in wisbech 2014 MART FAIR 28 FEBRUARY –TO 8 MARCH - chapel road car park and market place St George's Day – APRIL - Awaiting details Wisbech Arts Festival – 13 – 26 may - venues thoughout wisbech wisbechartsfestival.org.uk/
Wisbech Festival - Sunday 1 June - Wisbech Market Place Armed forces day – Sunday 22 June – wisbech market place ROSE FAIR FESTIVAL – WEDNESDAY 2 TO SATURDAY 5 JULY WW1 Commemoration - Sunday 3 August - Awaiting details Rock Festival - Sunday 10 August - Wisbech Park Heritage open days – 11 to 14 September – venues throughout wisbech STATUTE FAIR – 17 to 20 September chapel road car park In bloom presentations - Awaiting details Remembrance Sunday – 9 November Christmas in Wisbech - Awaiting details
Looking for an event, group or activity? Wisbech Town Council What’s On Fenland District Council Tourism Cambridgeshire.net
www.wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk www.visitcambridgeshirefens.org www.cambridgeshire.net Look out for the annual Around & About Guide produced by Wisbech & District Tourism Development Group
Wisbech Market Place hosts a bustling market with stalls selling a selection of goods and produce. Various traders on site Monday to Saturday The market place is closed to traffic on Thursdays and Saturdays. One hour FREE parking on the south side at other times (a ticket must be obtained)
WISBECH MARKET PLACE
Wisbech Market Place is the hub of Wisbech town centre. Apart from the market, it is used for a variety of festival and entertainment events through the year – look at the Wisbech Town Council website, the Wisbech Information Centre or local Press for details. Wisbech Town Council 1 North Brink PE13 1JR www.wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk/index.html
Trader in the Spotlight
GKM WATCHES (Thursday) Late for a very important date? – not any more – watches, batteries, repairs – time to go to Wisbech Market
Wisbech Loyalty Card - register your email to enjoy fantastic savings throughout the town http://www.my-loyalty-card.com/wisbech @MLCWisbech Wisbech loyalty card saves you money, supports local business, & is sponsored by the Horsefair shopping centre, Wisbech Town Council & Fenland District Council Fully supported by the Wisbech & District Chamber of Commerce
UPDATE FROM STEVE BARCLAY MP Students are set to benefit from £4.6m of Government funding awarded to the College of West Anglia to build a new teaching centre and upgrade facilities in Wisbech. Congratulations to everyone involved in Wisbech being chosen to take part in the Britain in Bloom UK Finals. As a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Horticulture I recently joined local pupils in planting trees as part of the Woodland Trust’s free tree packs initiative. With a new job cafe launching in Wisbech and unemployment falling we are making steps towards ensuring that as many people are in work as possible. I recently met the boss of Nestle to discuss the development of their Wisbech site. I continue to hold a series of meetings on reconnecting the Wisbech rail line, most recently with the Secretary of State for Transport. I have organised a rail summit in the House of Commons next month. An enforcement notice has now been served on Constantine House which is welcome news. I hope it is the first of many so that we tackle derelict buildings creating an eyesore. Mesothelioma victims who previously have been denied compensation because insurers or their employers could not be traced can now claim under a new Government scheme. After years of delay it is a great step forward. I continue to campaign for better value for public money, including recently unearthing details of huge payoffs for NHS bosses which made the front page of The Times. To find out more about my Parliamentary and local campaigns, please visit www.stevebarclay.net, follow me on twitter at @stevebarclaymp or like me on facebook at www.facebook.com/stevebarclaymp.
Your Wisbech main Post Office will be moving to 7 York Row. The current branch on bridge street will close at 5.30pm on Wednesday 26 March, with the new branch opening for all post office services at 9am on Thursday 27 March. Opening hours at the new location will be 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday.
WISBECH TOWN MATTERS ... ... is produced and distributed free through local retailers and community facilities every three months, plus a copy is posted on Wisbech Town Council’s website free of charge If you have any events or items you would like us to consider publishing please let us have text and pictures (in electronic format if possible) to wisbechtc@aol.com as soon as possible Where possible we do ask for a small contribution towards the cost, which we are happy to discuss. If you are a statutory body or a profit-making organisation we would ask you to consider advertising rates to assist with printing costs. Wisbech Town Council. 1 North Brink. Wisbech PE13 1JR Give us a call 01945 461333 www.wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk FORTHCOMING WISBECH TOWN COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS Your council meets regularly at the Council Chamber, 1 North Brink. Agendas and Minutes are published on the website www. wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk or on the notice board outside 1 North Brink, Wisbech PE13 1JR or tel: 01945 461333 Council and Committee Meetings are usually held on Mondays in the Council Chamber Wisbech Town Council Monday 10 March 2014 Monday 14 April 2014 Friday 16 May Monday 19 May 2014 AGM Tuesday 27 May 2014 Annual Assembly
Planning Committee Monday 24 March 2014 Monday 28 April 2014 Monday 12 May 2014 Tuesday 27 May 2014
Staffing & Policy Committee Monday 24 March 2014 Market Place Committee Monday 14 April 2014
Resources Committee Meetings dates may change due to unforeseen circumstances, Monday 28 April 2014 please look at the Agendas webpage for up-to-date information. If further meetings are held details will be put on the website and noticeboards. Please note that members of the public may have up to 15 minutes at the beginning of meetings to put comments and/or questions to the Council/Committee Meetings usually commence at 6.30pm or 7.30pm – please see agendas for details
Care workers required - Be rewarded every day Care UK is looking for dedicated Care Workers to offer support to people in their own homes in Wisbech, March, Chatteris, Whittlesey & surrounding areas No experience necessary, however own transport essential. In return we offer: Competitive hourly rates & mileage allowance Full training to diploma level II ......... Flexible hours to suit your needs 28 days paid holiday per year Free uniforms & PPE CRB paid Please call Amanda Gilgil on 07501 224 345 or email: Amanda.gilgil@careuk.com www.careuk.com/careers All appointments are subject to full enhanced disclosure Care UK is an equal opportunity employer
Every year, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service raise thousands of pounds for The Fire Fighters Charity – and we couldn’t do it without the support of residents so we would like to say a big thank you! This month, a number of fire stations across the county will be holding car washes so visit www.cambsfire.gov.uk or our social media channels to find out what stations near you are taking part. Registration is now open for the annual Ladies Driving Challenge on Sunday, May 11, at Alconbury Airfield. More than 300 women will get behind the wheel of super-sized vehicles and if you want to take part sign up quick! For more information and to register, email ldc@bedsfire.com or call (01234) 845130. Finally a huge thank you to all who supported our clothing bank challenge in January to see which station could collect the most unwanted textiles to raise cash for the charity – we’re eagerly awaiting the results. Make sure fire safety still stays at the forefront of your mind in March – and don’t forget to test your smoke alarm - To find out if you are eligible for a free home fire safety check, call 0800 917 99 94
@cambsfr
/cambsfrs
Healthwatch Cambridgeshire is the new champion for people using local health & social care services; we launched in July 2013. We work to ensure that people’s voices are heard in making important decisions about local NHS, social care and public health services. We talk to people in the local community about their experience of the care they receive to help us understand how well local care services are working. We make sure we feed this information back where it matters to the people buying, providing and regulating local care services. Tell us about your health & social care experiences. We want to hear about the good and not so good, as this feedback can help improve care for everyone. Join our Consultation Network, which will connect you with organisations that should know about your experiences and opinions of care in Cambridgeshire. Get problems resolved‌ We can make sure you know where to go if you need to sort out a problem with a local care provider. We can give you information about how different complaints systems work and who can help you get your complaint resolved. Find out about local care. We are developing a Signposting & Information Service, to help you find out about your choice of health & social care services. Find out more about Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and get involved by calling us on 01480 420628, emailing enquiries@healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk or visit our website www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @HW_Cambs
at Healthwatch Cambridgeshire
Wisbech Town Council contact details You may contact council officers or members at the Council Chamber Wisbech Town Council, Council Chamber, 1 North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 1JR Tel: 01945 461333 email wisbechtc@aol.com Website: www.wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk Office hours 9.00am – 3.00pm Monday to Friday inclusive Cllr Mrs CR (Carol) Cox Cllr Mrs Cox is also a Fenland District Councillor for Clarkson Ward
33 Bowthorpe Road Wisbech PE13 2DX 01945 465588
Clarkson
Cllr Mrs VM (Viv) MacRae
12 Bowthorpe Road Wisbech PE13 2DX 01945 489602
Clarkson
Cllr Miss S (Samantha) Hoy Cllr Miss Hoy is also a Fenland District Councillor for Hill Ward Cllr Miss Hoy is Mayor of Wisbech Town Council for civic year 2013-2014
Cllr SJ (Stephen) Brunton
Cllr Ms M (Michelle) Tanfield
Cllr D (David) Hodgson Cllr Hodgson is also a Fenland District Councillor for Staithe Ward
Cllr R (Robert) McLaren
Cllr DR (David) Patrick Cllr Patrick is also a Fenland District Councillor for Kirkgate Ward
7 Sybil Road Wisbech PE13 3NG 01945 466387
7 Railway Road Wisbech PE13 2QA 01945 476269 86 Elm Road Wisbech PE13 2TB 07908707129 Whitehaven 141 Elm Low Road Wisbech PE14 0DF 01945 465126 66 Kirkgate Street Walsoken Wisbech PE13 3QZ 01945 474270 12 Limes Avenue Elm Wisbech PE14 0BS 01945 861334
Hill
Hill
Hill
Hill
Kirkgate
Kirkgate
Cllr JR (Jonathan) Farmer Cllr Farmer is also a Fenland District Councillor for Medworth Ward
18 South Brink Wisbech PE13 1JQ 01945 580239
Medworth
Cllr M (Michael) Hill Cllr Hill is Deputy Mayor of Wisbech Town Council for civic year 2013-2014
Melrose Villa 23 Alexandra Road Wisbech PE13 1HS 01945 584971
Medworth
6 Alexandra Road Wisbech PE13 1HQ 07831616127
Peckover
39 West Parade Wisbech PE13 1QB 01945 587437
Peckover
Cllr S (Steve) Tierney
Cllr DC (David) Oliver Cllr Oliver is also a Fenland District Councillor for Peckover Ward Cllr Oliver is Leader of Wisbech Town Council for civic year 2013-2014 Cllr GP (Garry) Tibbs
Cllr R (Reginald) Mee
Cllr MG (Michael) Bucknor Cllr Bucknor is also a Fenland District Councillor for Waterlees Ward Cllr Mrs VM (Virginia) Bucknor Cllr Mrs Bucknor is also a Fenland District Councillor for Waterlees Ward
Cllr R (Ray) Griffin
Cllr DA (David) Wheeler
258 Norwich Road Wisbech PE13 3UT
46 Clarkson Avenue Wisbech PE13 2EH 01945 465132 11 St Martin’s Road Wisbech PE13 3EX 01945 584207 11 St Martin’s Road Wisbech PE13 3EX 01945 584207 53 Waterlees Road Wisbech PE13 3PG 01945 463164
86 Mount Pleasant Road Wisbech PE13 3LH 01945 464386
Staithe
Staithe
Waterlees
Waterlees
Waterlees
Waterlees
Wisbech
‘Capital of the Fens’
twinned with