The Saxmundham and District Community Development Partnership Ltd

Lt Colonel Ron Warren, Saxmundham Town councillor and SADCIC director, receives the MBE in recognition for the work he undertakes in the community of Saxmundham.

Following a presentation to, and discussion with, the Saxmundham Town Council, at a special meeting, the council has formally endorsed the plan and the integral Action Plan.And as a measure of their support, a delegation of four councillors (including the council's Chairman), has pledged to work closely with SADCIC to develop the Action Plan and SADCIC's flagship project of a Community Enterprises Centre.

Following the March public meeting, twenty volunteers had come forward to offer their help. Following two meetings in may, the volunteers have been grouped into four working paties:

1.) Steering Group
2.) User Group – negotiate / liase with community and commercial users
3.) Building Design Group – negotiate site options, plan/design building (planning permission, environmental features)
4.) Business group – Business Plan, Grant applications, Contracts

Despite some requests for more sustained publicity, over 100 interested parties managed to pop into the Saxmundham Market Hall, on Saturday morning of March 21 st , to inspect, and discuss, the drawings for the proposed new Community Enterprise Centre for Saxmundham. Local town and county councillors were present, along with local MP John Gummer.

The social enterprise, The Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company (SADCIC), presented its research report, the Saxmundham Community Plan and illustrative architectural drawings of the Community Enterprise Centre. Visitors were interested in the likely sites of the Community Enterprise Centre and seeking reassurance that local taxes weren’t part of the funding requirements. The mood of the day was very buoyant with many “bouquets” for the volunteer directors of SADCIC and the hard work they’ve put in to date. Many commented on the thorough and professional approach taken and the exciting possibilities that were being proposed.

Overall there was widespread support and strong encouragement for the proposal given that many thought that Saxmundham had suffered a loss of amenities and facilities in recent years and a corresponding growth of housing stretching the existing infrastructure. .

The illustrated Community Enterprise Centre could contain a new library with an internet café, a large hall for indoor sports such as basketball, badminton and 5-a-side football which could also double as an entertainment/conference centre seating 400 people, a dedicated youth club base and innovative facilities such as a recording studio and a community radio station, to reflect local wishes.

Calls for another public meeting later in the year to review progress will be taken up by SADCIC and, meanwhile, SADCIC directors invigorated by the enthusiastic public feedback will continue to develop the concept.

SADCIC will now be sitting down with other bodies such as Saxmundham Town Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council to discuss their role in moving the whole Community Plan forward.


As soon as the doors opened local residents filed in to find out more about possible potential improvements to local amenities and facilities.	They were able to see the mass survey results, the newly compiled Saxmundham Community Plan and illustrative drawings of the proposed Community Enterprise Centre	All visitors were encouraged to study the displays and reports, ask questions of the SADCIC (volunteer) directors and write down their comments, queries and suggestions.

Phil Peling, one of the SADCIC volunteer directors explains to Rendham residents how these developments are designed to address the needs of surrounding parishes too.	Thora Taylor, Police Community Support Officer, discusses support for the formation of a new youth group with Town Cllr. Cheleigh Trotter-Langlois, leading the new venture.	Richard Broom (left), the Area Youth Work Manager with Suffolk County Council also discusses the need for more local partnership working on youth issues with John Fisher, Leader of Saxmundham Town Council.

Phil gets a grilling from District Cllr. Marian Andrews and is happy to oblige by explaing the scope of SADCIC's plans and discussing the role for local authorities to join in the partnership to accelerate positive change.	Suffolk County Councillor, Rae Leighton (right) explores the various potential involvements for the County Council to further its support of this exciting local initiative.He requests further information for his fellow councillors.	Local MP,John Gummer, is enthused by the sheer vision and scale of the work of the 6 volunteer SADCIC directors and pledges his whole-hearted support.

During July and August 2008 the volunteer directors of the Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company (SADCIC) organised a mass postal survey of households in Saxmundham and the surrounding area - to help build a picture of local needs and wants, prior to initiating discussions with Suffolk County Council and preparing major funding bids to the Lottery and other funding bodies.

The survey, involving the mailing of over 5,500 questionnaires, covered the parishes of Benhall & Sternfield, Farnham and Stratford St Andrew, Friston, Gt.Glemham, Kelsale cum Carlton, Peasenhall, Rendham, Saxmundham, Sibton, Snape, Sweffling and Yoxford - most of IP17. The mailing took place between June 10th and June 20th.

The SADCIC consultations with residents and local community and voluntary groups, social enterprises, local businesses and other local agencies and bodies has pointed to the possibility of a multi-agency, multi-use "Community Enterprise Centre" being designed and built in 2011-2012.

It was important that as many local people as possible express their feeling by responding to the survey, which included a pre-paid envelope to post back completed questionnaires. These findings formed a key part of the evidence required for the Business Plan (to be completed in the latter half of 2009) and the subsequent funding bids, which will start in 2010. The bidding/funding process is complex in its self and will probably take the best part of a year to process.