South Lakes Development Trust

After 7 years of operation our directors have decided that the time has come to wind up the activities of the Trust. Uncertainty about the onward  impact of the current financial climate and difficulty in securing sufficient forward contracts to maintain a positive cash flow being the primary drivers. As a consequence the Trust has ceased its trading and associated activities as of 31st March.

Although well placed to respond pro-activeley to the challenges provided by “Big Society” this can only be achieved in a climate of positive engagement with the public sector and it is considered that the local political climate does not yet fully recognise how best to engage with such process.

The Trust has been involved in identifying, facilitating and driving a wide range of high profile and, even more significantly, community facing projects and it is likely that its departure will create a void in local delivery capacity.

Winding up of the Trusts activities is being undertaken through a new company established by Bill Smith, the former CEO of SLDT, and this company will also be maintaining a number of the key business support projects previously delivered through the Trust. Unfortunately it has not been possible for Bill to take on the staffing commitment of the Trust and all staff have sadly had to be made redundant.

For full details of the range of business support, Shop Doctor and associated services now being delivered through ‘Let’s Talk Shop Limited’ please visit www.lets-talk-shop.co.uk

All work commissioned for delivery by Bill Smith, The Shop Doctor, beyond 31st March will be continue to be undertaken by him via Let’s Talk Shop Limited.

Until further notice all communications relating to SLDT and  Let’s Talk Shop Ltd should be maintained as those previously used for SLDT

This week is seeing retailers in  Nantwich, Sandbach and Middlewich benefit from one-to-one advisory sessions with Shop Doctor,  Bill Smith. The support programme is funded by Cheshire East Council and will see around 22 shops visited this week alone.

On Wednesday evening a Shop Doctor Retail  Masterclass  enabled over 35 business representatives to particpate in identifying opportunities to maximise retail performance and engage with other business support organisations including Business Link and Blue Orchid.

The evening also saw a presentation from Mandy Fazelynia and David McGifford about Cheshire Easts exciting  “Love Local Life” loyalty card inititaive and from Liz Southall about RedShiftRadio.co.uk

See how information about the opportunity for the community of Brackley to involve themselves in the creation of a Development Trust has involved some traditional  messaging with the modern technology of “You Tube”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A3HHVmmmcA 

South Lakes Development Trust is advising Brackley Means Business towards creation of a Development Trust through its role as an Associate Consultant working with ‘The Pool’ – an initiative provided through the Development Trusts Association.

A recent update of the Windermere Community Plan, which encompasses issues identified by the community across Windermere, Bowness and Troutbeck Bridge, has identified that considerable progress has been made since the launch of the plan in September 2009.

A copy of the updated plan (showing the progress made) can be accessed here.

The Town Council is keen to maintain the positive momentum created and will shortly be seeking to launch a revised plan identifying action still to be undretaken and incorparting any new issues that require inclusion – feedback on such issues would be  welcomed

The Lake District National Park Authority(LDNPA)  are producing a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Ambleside Campus, currently owned by the University of Cumbria. It will form part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) for the Lake District National Park.

The SPD will enable a strategic approach to be taken to the future use of the campus. It aims to maximise environmental, economic and social benefits in the interests of the Lake District National Park and local community. It also provides certainty for prospective developers as to the Lake District National Park Authority’s expectations and requirements, building upon the principle established within the adopted Core Strategy to safeguard the site for educational uses.

Public consultation began on Monday, 7 February 2011, for a six week period until 18 March 2011. The consultation is being widely advertised, and full details – including the draft for consultation and an online response form – can be found on the LDNPA website.

LDNPA are also holding two public drop-in sessions, which will be held at Ambleside Tourist Information Centre, Market Cross, Ambleside on Tuesday 15 February (4pm – 7pm) and Wednesday 9 March (4pm – 7pm).

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the document, or the consultation arrangements, contact Chris Warren, Team Leader – Spatial Planning & Communities via chris.warren@lakedistrict.gov.uk

More than 1,500 people attended a rally at Grizedale Forest visitor centre on Sunday (31st Jan), including walkers, cyclists, dog walkers, horseriders, people involved in forestry, climate change and wildlife issues to protest at the Government’s plans to sell off our national forest land. The next rally will be at Whinlatter Forest on Sat 19 Feb at 1.00pm - check the FLD website www.fld.org.uk nearer the time for further details.

FLD also launched their ‘Stop the Sell Off’ campaign last week, working together with the Savelakelandsforests website campaign and are urging the public to respond to the public consultation, which opened on Thursday (27 Jan).

Find out more about the FLD campaign here

Families in Cumbria and the north of England have a great day in store at this year’s new-look Windermere Air Festival 2011.

 The two day event will be bigger than better than ever before, still offering all the familiar family favourites – including eight breath-taking air displays each day, a military village and flying simulator – but also, for the first time, new kids have-a-go activities plus face painting, circus skills, music and great local food stalls.

 The Windermere Air Festival begins on Saturday 23^rd July at the New Air Base (formerly known as the Show Ground) on the Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Access the latest press release here

As part of our work with The Plunkett Foundations “Making Local Food Work Programme” we are looking for local food producers manufacturing within 30 miles of the four village shops that we are presently assisting under the scheme.

The intention is to grow the local food offering within the shops concerned and work with the retailer and the suppliers to maximise this exciting opportunity to make more local food available, locally!

The shops presently involved in the scheme are based in:

Hesket Newmarket, Braithwaite, Kents Bank and Levens

Interested producers should contact bill@sldt.co.uk for further details of how they can get involved.

Full details of the initiative are available from the Making Local Food Work Website

Independent retailers in Nantwich, Middlewich and Sandbach will be benefiting from a visit from our Shop Doctor during March.

‘One to One’ in store surgeries will be held with 18 retailers during the three day programme which will also include an evening ‘Lets Talk Shop’ Masterclass presentation.

Cheshire East Council has previously worked with The  Shop Doctor to advise retailers in Macclesfield, Congleton and Poynton and the work compliments support delivered to rural shops and Post Offices across Cheshire  through the Shop Doctors ongoing role within the Cheshire Rural Retail Advisory Partnership.

Windermere Town Council (WTC) have reluctantly decided not to fund the future operation of public toilets in the Parish.  At present there is a real prospect that, despite WTC’s best efforts, most of the public toilets in the Bowness and Windermere area will be closed for good by April 1 (April Fools Day).

A Council meeting heard from David Thomas, a trustee of Bowness & Windermere Community Care Trust (BWCCT) that the business proposal developed in a partnership between BWCCT and WTC had become undeliverable after South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) very recently unveiled lease terms on three of the toilet facilities that made investment in these toilets unviable.  The Partnership’s business proposal would have enabled, at minimal additional cost to local people, the retention of all existing facilities and the re-opening of the Glebe Road toilets, closed by SLDC several years ago.

Access the full press release from Windermere Town Council here