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News from Cheltenham Connect
Cheltenham Connect is a new community initiative that aims to strengthen and empower the residential and trading areas of South Cheltenham i.e. Naunton Park, The Bath Road (south), Tivoli, The Suffolks and The Park. It is currently run by a small group of dedicated residents (all of whom have other daytime jobs!). If successful we hope that it could be replicated in other areas of Cheltenham.
See our website

exmouth

We meet informally every Wednesday evening at The Exmouth Arms
7pm to 9pm.
Come and join us!
Who are we?
Wendy - Chair
Clare - Secretary
Angeline - Treasurer
Karen - Buy Local
Becky - Go Green
Belinda- Skillspace
Wendy - Community

plus all the other members of the CC Steering Groups and Networks


Visit the Goup Pages

CC BUY LOCAL
CC GO GREEN
CC SKILLSPACE
CC COMMUNITY


Email us

CC Buy Local (Karen)
CC Go Green (Becky)
CC Skillspace (Belinda)
CC Community (Wendy)



Meeting Dates

Community Group
7pm Mon 14th August
The Exmouth Arms
Bath Road
email Wendy

Traders Meeting
7pm, Weds 7th Oct
Cheltenham Bowling Club
Suffolk Square
email Karen

Skills & Livelihoods
Networking Meeting
7pm Tues 13th Oct
The Beehive
email Belinda

General Meeting
7pm Weds 14th October
Cheltenham Bowling Club
Suffolk Square
email Wendy


Become a Sponsor of Cheltenham Connect
We are actively looking for people to help us grow. If you can help in any way let us know

AUGUST 2009

Since we were awarded the Community Pride Grant in July we have been talking with a number of local creative agencies and hope to soon decide who to work with. This is a big decision for us as we have lots of plans for the future and really want to work with a team who can help us make Cheltenham Connect something special.

We will then start working on making the website more user-friendly and will print a range of promotional materials to ensure that everyone in the area knows about us.

People have been amazingly generous with the 'Auction of Promises' and we have some great items available (see the piece below). We are holding the auction at the St James' Primary School Hall on the 9th October and you can get tickets from Belinda on (belinda@cheltenhamconnect.co.uk). They cost only £3.50 each and all proceeds will go towards the exciting Local Trading History Project that we are planning (see below).

The Christmas Craft Fair is now really coming together with more than 25 craftspeople expressing interest. Mobenn marquees are providing a marquee to us at cost which will cover the whole of The Exmouth Arms gardens and we are hoping to have a number of local choirs, musicians and entertainers involved. The market will be held on the Fri 4th, Sat 5th and Sun 6th December.

We have been talking with the ByLocal Group of arists and craftspeople who are currently renting a large space in The Regents Arcade. They are looking for somewhere new after Christmas and, with our focus on local talent, it would be great if they could be based in South Cheltenham. We are on the look-out for suitable premises!

The Loss of Robert Youngs

robertyoungs

Everyone in the area has been devastated by the sudden loss of Robert Youngs on The Bath Road. We have been inundated with emails and expressions of support for anything that we can do to help ensure that the site retains its focus on natural and local produce. Please join our Buy Local Action Group if you would like to help.

One of our members, Martin Davis, sent us this picture of the shop that he took in November.
Cheltenham Connect Activities

Thanks to the grant that we received the newsletter now has a 'sign-up' facility that should help people join the list together with an archive facility where everyone will soon be able to access both new and old editions.

CC Buy Local
The Christmas Craft Market is now really taking shape. We are still on the look-out for local producers and craftspeople together with  choirs, musicians and entertainers who would like to be involved. We then hope that this can then become an annual event. Please email Karen if you would like to be involved.

The Local Trading History Project is also under development and we are planning a full presentation of the idea to all the traders in October. The idea is to provide them with panels giving the history of their shops including many of the old photos. A local photographer has offered to take some current photos (done in the old style) to complete the story of each one. We are also planning to design a fold-out map that visitors can use to follow a guided trail of the area. Marilyn West, who wrote the book 'Cheltenham's Upper Bath Road' has kindly agreed to let us use her material and we are hoping to bring together a group of local historical experts as advisors.

CC Go Green

The Go Green group is currently planning its Street Pilot and the information gathered will then be analysed by the Energy  Trust Advice Centre. They will send personalised advice on how each property might save energy and the grants available. Local volunteers (or Energy Champions)will follow this up, helping people to complete any necessary forms.  Volunteers would then offer a follow-up visit afterwards to offer support and encouragement to act on the advice by installing measures such as loft or cavity wall insulation.

The group has now submitted two grant applications and is waiting to hear whether they have been successful

CC Skills & Livelihoods
The Skills and Livelihoods networking group is going from strength to strength with 46 members now signed up. There are regular networking meetings in the top room of The Beehive on the second Tuesday of each month and anyone representing a local business, who lives or works within the Cheltenham Connect area is very welcome to attend. Please email Belinda for more information.

This group has now also started a regular 'cafe-working' morning where members take their laptops and work together (rather than alone) amidst Lattes and Blueberry Muffins! The next one is at Cafe Moka in The Suffolks on Tuesday 22nd September.

It is also overseeing The Auction of Promises event.

CC Community
The Community Group now has two people who have offered to co-ordinate lunches for elderly residents and Matt, at The Brown Jug, has offered to host the events.

We now also have a co-ordinator for the Health & Wellbeing group who hope to soon start running monthly talks.

We are developing the idea of 'Street Champions' and are exploring whether the existing network of Neighbourhood Watch representatives would be happy to also take on this new local responsibility. Wendy is following this up with the local policing team.

Peter at the Norwood Arms has now offered a permanent space for the community laptop which will mean that we can finalise the BT grant application.
General Meeting

We are holding a General Meeting on the 14th of October for all members of Cheltenham Connect. This will be a chance for everyone to see what we have achieved so far and to have an input on our future plans. Cheltenham Bowling Club in The Suffolks have kindly offered us the use of their clubroom for the meeting.

Please email Wendy if you are intending to come so that we know numbers.
The Auction of Promises

The Auction of Promises is coming up on Friday October 9th 7.00 for 7.30pm. We have changed the venue to St James' Primary School so we can fit in more people, as we have had such a positive response to the evening. Tickets are £3.50 from belinda@cheltenhamconnect.co.uk

We now have a great list of things available and are working on finding some tasty local food and wine for the evening. A big thank you to everyone who has offered so far...

Lots currently include:

Lunch for 2 with a glass of champagne at Le Champignon Sauvage

Lunch for 4 and a bottle of champagne at Upper Slaughter Manor

Free tour of the House of Commons with tea on the Terrace

Two Club tickets and car parking at Cheltenham Races

Two Weekend Adult Tickets for Wychwood Music Festival, Cheltenham Racecourse (worth £220)

A ride in a very beautiful vintage Bugatti

A trip on the Gloucester - Sharpness Canal on a narrow boat for up to 4 people

Free Photo shoot and 10 x 8 Prints

£40 Morans Voucher

4 Tickets to a Cheltenham Town League 2 Match of your choice

2 Tickets to see Judi Dench with Richard Eyre, Guest Director at The Centaur, Saturday 10th October 4pm




Our Sponsors
We now have a wonderful list of sponsors and we are immensely grateful for their help. They include:


The Exmouth Arms for the use of their meeting room and providing our launch venue

The Beehive for offering their upper room for our monthly CC Skillspace business network meetings

Graham Boston (from Gloucestershire Connections) for designing the logo

Belinda at GlosOffers.co.uk for our noticeboard on The Bath Road

Clare at Cheltenham Directories for providing a page of editorial about Cheltenham Connect each month.

The Sign Studio for the banner that we used at The Suffolks Fair

Karen at Colourmatters for helping us with the printing costs of our first T shirts

Matt at The Brown Jug for helping with our launch preparations and storing the tombola prizes

Mike and Louise Preston at Independent Eye Carefor providing two beautiful Bugattis for our launch

adVANce+MAN (01242 517 886) for supplying a man with a van to pick up the exhibition stands for the launch

ILEC for the loan of their van for the launch

.St Philips and St James' Church - for the loan of tables for the launch event and the Big Picnic Lunch.

Bethesda Church - for the loan of tables for the launch event

St James' Primary School PTA for lending us their pergolas for the launch and the Big Picnic Lunch.

The University of Gloucestershire for loaning us their exhibition panels and providing the Park Campus for The Big Picnic Lunch

Simone Williams (freelance artworker) simone@hockeyhouse.co.uk - for designing The Big Picnic Lunch poster

Angeline Fuller from Entire Credit - for giving us a large cash box!

 


But we are actively looking for others. Please let us know if you can help in any way.
Please feel free to send a copy of this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested in Cheltenham Connect.

If you are an editor please help us to let people know about Cheltenham Connect by asking for articles/editorial.

It really is all about people power.
 
The Cheltenham Connect Team
By supporting Cheltenham Connect you are helping to protect and preserve your local community

www.cheltenhamconnect.co.uk