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SADCIC
PUBLIC MEETINGS ON THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE CENTRE
(MAY, 2010)
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The Saxmundham
& District Community Interest Company (SADCIC) held two
public meetings on the evening of Friday, May 14th and morning
of Saturday, May 15th. These were held at the Saxmundham Middle
School.
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Around
120 key stakeholder organisations and local residents attended
- including our newly elected Conservative MP, Therese Coffey
and the runner-up Daisy Cooper (Lib Dem) -
and
gave their overwhelming support to the proposed SADCIC Community
Enterprise Centre.
The
Saxmundham Middle School is due to close In the summer of
2012 as part of the county’s school organisation review and
SADCIC, formed three years ago by Saxmundham volunteers, wants
to take it over and turn it into a local amenity for all the
community.
SADCIC’s
flagship project is a Community Enterprise Centre which meets
a wide array of needs expressed by the local population. This
centre could potentially include significant
office and business areas, supported by advanced IT facilities,
a public library and information centre, a conference and
high-tech training facility, a recording studio and community
radio station, a youth centre, a fitness suite, a café, a
commercial kitchen and dining area, a bar and several meeting
areas and a crèche. The building would be an inclusive multi-function,
multi-agency building for use by everyone for both enterprise
and community use – a place for work, rest and play.
The
Community Enterprise Centre would be a mix of commercial enterprise
interests to generate revenues to pay for the maintenance
of the building and subsidise community interests – to ensure
long-term sustainability of the concept. |
Suffolk
County Council and The Evening Star sponsor the Stars of Suffolk
Awards to find and recognise "people of inspiration, bravery
and compassion...shining lights in the lives of others because of
their extraordinary achievements."
There were over 200 nominations for the 2010 Stars of Suffolk Awards
and the founder director of SADCIC, Don Tricker was one of three
finalists in the "Community Group or Champion of the Year"
category. This placing
was in recognition for volunteered services to the community, which
apart from volunteer work as a founder/director of SADCIC also covered
being a founder/director of PASTEL
and founder of the Brook
Farm Residents Association -
the largest residents' association in Suffolk.
For
the full listing of finalists, click here
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SADCIC
PRESENT TO
THE
SUFFOLK COASTAL LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
(JUNE
2009)
To
view the PowerPoint presentation, please click
here
SADCIC DIRECTOR IN 2009 SUFFOLK HONOURS LIST
(JUNE 2009)
The
Queen's Birthday Honours List awards those who have " gone
the extra mile to make a difference to the lives of people around
them".Community Voluntary and Local Services make up 43% of
the awards.
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.
For
the full honours listing, click
here
SAXMUNDHAM
TOWN COUNCIL ENDORSES THE SAXMUNDHAM COMMUNITY PLAN
(MAY
2009)
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.
VOLUNTEERS
GET ORGANISED
(MAY
2009)
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
NB.
If you would like to volunteer to join the team,
please
use the "contact us" page to get in contact.
SADCIC
SUPPORTS SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY's JOBS FAIR:
(APRIL,
2009)
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Two
of SADCIC's volunteer directors, Phil Peeling (l) and Terry
Barrow (r), manning the SADCIC exhibition - promoting Saxmundham
and seeking student volunteers from all disciplines to join
a broad-based community regeneration programme covering economic,
social and environmental issues.
Phil
and Terry were also supported, at the event, by Don Tricker,
another SADCIC volunteer director.
Several
students have expressed interest and discussions will follow...
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PUBLIC
MEETING
(MARCH,
2009)
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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
PUBLIC
CONSULTATIONS AND MASS SURVEY OF LOCAL RESIDENTS
(SUMMER 2008)
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.
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