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Minutes of the Tourism Committee held in the Town Hall, Bideford on Monday 9th January 2017 at 6.00 pm

PRESENT:

East Ward:   
Councillor J McKenzie
Councillor S Robinson   
Councillor Mrs R Craigie

North Ward:   
Councillor D Bushby

South Ward (Outer):   
Councillor D Howell (Chairman)

IN ATTENDANCE:   
Mrs L Dixon-Chatfield (Town Clerk’s Asst)
Councillor P Christie

072   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Mrs Ruth Benney – Atlantic Village TIC

073   DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ON ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

No declarations of interest were made at this point.

074   PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION

No members of the public were present.  Councillor Christie wished to join in and had information regarding Item 9 on the agenda.

075   MINUTES

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 30 November 2016 were approved and signed as a correct record.

(Vote For: 5, Against: 0)

076   ONE OFF ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS - TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED.

      •    Musical Evening

The Chairman confirmed that the event had been organised for Saturday 1st April 2017 at the Kingsley School Theatre, starting at 7pm.  Tickets would be £5 each and would go on sale soon.  “Encore”, who would be performing would take on most of the advertising. 

All proceeds will go to his Mayor’s charity “Families for Children”.

077   LITTLE AMERICA SITE AND INFORMATION BOARD - TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS OF THE ACTIONS FROM THE LAST MEETING.

The Chairman explained that he had only just received the 2nd proof and had emailed it to members for them to go through for any last minute corrections. 

As soon as the final proof is approved, SWH will be contacted for them to start work on the boards at the site.

The Chairman advised members that the plaques on the picnic tables would be changed to show that they have been provided by BTC.

078   TO RECEIVE AN UP DATE ON THE FINAL REFURBISHMENT WORK TO THE ART BRICKS.

The Chairman and Councillor Bushby had not as yet made an inspection on the Art bricks but would meet up at the Lundy Office on Thursday 12th January at 11.30am to see what needed to be done to complete the refurbishment.                 
079   TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON ENQUIRIES WITH BIDEFORD COLLEGE ON THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE MAKING OF A VIDEO OF BIDEFORD EVENTS, TO BE USED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITES ETC. AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED.

Councillor McKenzie had been in touch with the Principal at Bideford College, Lyndsey Kane, and was waiting to hear back from her regarding the project.  He hoped to have more information at the next meeting.

080   TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS FOR MARKING THE OCCASION OF THE CENTENARY OF THE BIDEFORD APPLEDORE RAILWAY CLOSURE IN 2017 AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED

Councillor McKenzie advised members that he had been in touch with Bideford Archive and other interested members about the event and was keen not to tie in with the commemorative day being held at Northam but rather extend it to create more awareness.  The second Saturday in June (10th) looked promising.

There was some discussion regarding an exhibition and where to hold it, as the Burton is rather booked up.  Options suggested were the ground floor of the Arts Centre, Bideford Blues or a marquee in either Jubilee Square or Victoria Park.

The Clerk showed members a rough preliminary drawing of the flower-bed design and it was remarked upon that perhaps, because of the 3m x 3m space that depicting the engine without the carriages would show up better.  Also it would tie in with the fact that the carriages did not get drawn across the bridge.  She explained that the bridge had been put in to identify that it was a Bideford train and that some artistic licence had been used.
Members questioned the colouring of the flowerbed in finding the right colours, the Clerk explained that flowers are not used as the blooms die off and the definition of the picture is lost, so plants are used.  She advised members that the Town Clerk, the Maintenance Team and herself would be meeting with Ann at the Grow@Jigsaw project on Thursday of this week.

The Chairman suggested that a small interpretation plaque be put in the flowerbed to give a brief history of the Bideford, Westward Ho! & Appledore Railway.

The Chairman invited Councillor Christie to join in on the discussions.

Councillor Christie firstly asked if the terracotta locomotive on the side of the Art Centre building could be re-mounted onto a piece of slate to enhance it.  Currently being that the building is red brick and the terracotta is very close to it in colour, the plaque does not have enough visual impact.

Councillor Christie informed members that he had spoken to a gentleman in Northam who had a model of the locomotive and would be willing to lend it for an exhibition on the proviso that the venue would be secure.  He further explained that there are rare certificates and photographs that can be exhibited.

The Chairman opened the subject of the original track and how accessible was it.  Councillor Christie had a great deal of information on the subject and members discussed at length the possibility of opening up a walking/cycling trail.  Councillor Christie informed members that this had been looked at previously and obstacles had prevented it from coming to fruition at DCC level. 

Members agreed that it could be worth discussing with both the DCC Councillors to find out their thoughts and to see if previous perception has changed.

The Chairman suggested that the Commemorative Day could be a springboard for showing the possibility of opening a “Rail Trail”. 

Councillor McKenzie brought members back to the original idea of the Commemorative Day and concluded that he would update members at the next meeting.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Christie for his input.

081   TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON ENQUIRIES TO BE MADE ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF THE HARBOUR MASTER’S / COASTGUARDS OFFICE ON JUBILEE SQUARE TO BE UTILISED FOR THE POSSIBLE INSTALLATION OF A DIGITAL INFORMATION BOARD OF WHAT’S ON IN BIDEFORD AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED.

The Chairman advised members that the Coastguard Office in Jubilee Square was leased from TDC.  He would find out how long the lease is for and if there was a viable way of taking on the building.

The Chairman would update members at the next meeting.

082   TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS BEING MADE FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE ST MARGARET’S FAIR IN JULY 2017 AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED.

The Chairman advised members that he had put the application in to TDC for Saturday 15th July 2017.

He had confirmed availability of the Punch and Judy, Archers, Face-painting and Falconry.

Members discussed different activities that could be used during the course of the event at length.

The Chairman suggested that now the date was set and the event would go ahead members come to the next meeting with formed ideas/plans to add to the event.

083   TO CONSIDER THE STYLE AND CONTENT FOR THE SUMMER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT AND RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL ANY ACTIONS REQUIRED.

The Chairman explained that having the outdoor entertainment through four weeks of the school summer holidays had not been as successful as he had hoped. 

After some discussion Councillor Bushby suggested the monies used for this activity would be put to better use to put towards the St Margaret’s Annual Fair and maybe another annual event.

All members agreed that it would be a better use of funds to have annual events and do them well.

084   DATE OF NEXT MEETING.

It was agreed that the next meeting would be scheduled for  Monday 20th February 2017 at 6.00 pm in the Council Chamber.


The business of the meeting having been completed, the Chairman thanked the members for their attendance and the meeting concluded at  7.15 pm.

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