Calling all ‘independent’ market towns in Yorkshire and Humber
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RMT towns and ex-MTI towns have benefited from a range of opportunities for training and support over the last few years.
The Yorkshire and Humber Market Towns Network, in conjunction with Action for Market Towns, plans to start to run a training programme dedicated to those ‘independent’ towns who have not been offered this support to date.
Over the next few months, I am keen to be in contact with as many as possible of you in these towns to understand your issues and needs and to see what training support would help you to take your towns forward.
Who is the key contact in your town? Please e-mail me - camilla.govan@towns.org.uk
As part of exploring potential advisory sessions I will be sending out a short market town / partnership questionnaire to key contacts to make sure I have up-to-date contacts and information on towns in the region.
Your assistance for the visits and questionnaire will be appreciated and help to ensure that we can offer well targeted useful support to your towns. I am looking forward to finding out more about you.
Camilla Govan
Regional Network Co-ordinator
Two faces of community enterprise – the view from Thorne and Moorends
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Our next study tour in Thorne and Moorends, South Yorkshire on 17 July, will combine the Yorkshire and Humber Market Towns Awards final with an insight into two interesting projects in Thorne and Moorends.
* A thriving volunteer-led community centre in Moorends, serving the whole spectrum of the community from young to old.
* And a look at community enterprise finance options, including an open session on community share issues from Hugh Rollo of the Development Trusts Association. It is envisaged that this session will be based in the Thorne Micro-Brewery which is in the process of initiating its own community share issues.
This study tour follows an inspiring and informative visit to Hebden Bridge on 10 April. Many thanks to those involved, especially, David Fletcher, Andrew Biby, Polly Weber and James Allison who gave their own time to share their extensive experience as well as Calderdale Council officers for their part.
For a programme and booking form for the study tour click on this weblink:
Shared Space: where there are no rules, people are more careful...
This precept is the basis of a new way of looking at street design. Taking away pavements, traffic lights and barriers can make it safer for all users, not more dangerous. Surprisingly, there is evidence that the removal of traffic lights can enable traffic to flow more quickly through junctions.
This open approach has many advantages for town centres.By building on the experience of passing through the space, whether to drive through or to move between shops and other services on foot, the perceptions of a nice place to visit can also be enhanced.
This issue of Regional Insight has a special briefing – including a video of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists getting on together with no signs and no rules! The briefing also has a note from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment on 'Civilised Streets' and case studies of two towns in the Netherlands. Click here for the briefing.
If there are other towns interested in training in this topic, please email camilla.govan@towns.org.uk.
Book early for AMT Convention and save money
The Action for Market Towns Covention 2008 is in Skipton, North Yorkshire on 1&2 October 2008. This year, there is a special Early Bird discount for independent partnerships who are AMT members which can save them up to £110. For those towns who are not yet in membership, the £250 discount will more than pay for your first year's membership of AMT.
To get the Early Bird discount, you need to book by 31 July.
To download a flyer with details of the Convention and the programme of study tours and workshops, and to access an online booking form, go to weblink:
Housing Challenge consultation
The Yorkshire and Humber Plan (the Regional Spatial Strategy) sets out the broad development strategy for the region and covers topics such as housing, economic development, transport, the environment and regeneration.
In line with the requirements of the Government's Housing Green Paper the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly is now undertaking a partial review of the plan. The review, entitled 'The Housing Challenge, Yorkshire and Humber Plan - Update 2009' will test the scale of growth and explore locations for growth and infrastructure needed to accommodate growth.
A consultation has been launched on the draft Project Plan for the Update. There is also a Call for Evidence asking for strategic ideas on how growth can best be accommodated in different parts of the Region. The deadline for responding to both of these documents is 11 July 2008.
Copies and information about the consultation documents and the 2009 Update can be found at:
Rural Issues newsletter
The second issue of 'Rural Issues', the newsletter of the East Riding of Yorkshire Rural Partnership, has been published. It covers progress on the local LEADER bid, a profile of Pocklington's Gateway Partnership and other issues relating to towns and rural affairs in the East Riding. It can be downloaded at weblink:
Yorkshire and Humber Market Town Awards
Many thanks to the Yorkshire and Humber Market Town Award entrants for their submissions.
The judging panel will be meeting over the next few weeks to shortlist projects. We look forward to reading all the applications and hope to provide brief resume’s of applicant’s projects on our re-designed web site when it is launched later in the summer.
There will be an opportunity to hear the category winners present their projects, during the Thorne and Moorends Study Visit and the overall winner will be announced at the end of the day.
Bursaries for regeneration training
BURA – the British Urban Regeneration Association – is offering bursaries to voluntary and community organisations to enable free training on its modular programme of regeneration courses.
The forthcoming programme in the north of England is:
Training & Labour Markets, Liverpool,1 July 2008; Property & Physical Renewal, Newcastle, 18 September 2008; Working with Communities, Leeds, 7 October 2008; Environmental Impact & Sustainability, Liverpool, 4 November 2008; Strategies for Sustainable Communities, Newcastle, 9 December 2008; Regeneration Projects & their Management, Leeds,13 January 2009, Partnerships & Engagement, Liverpool, 3 February 2009; Research, Intelligence & Performance, Newcastle, 3 March; Succession & Progression Strategies, Leeds, 7 April 2009.
For more details of the courses go to weblink BURA courses.
If you are interested in a bursary, please e-mail:
First festival for Holmfirth
Local celebrities, Ian McMillan and Tony Husband (pictured) and Joanne Harris, will be headlining the very first Holmfirth Arts Festival which takes place between 7-27 June 2008.
The festival, which runs for three weeks, also includes concerts, arts workshops, film shows and an evening uncovering the real life stories behind the Antiques Roadshow.
For full details of the festival programme go to weblink:
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If you like 'regional insight', then take a look at the national e-newsletter 'insight' published monthly by Action for Market Towns and mailed exclusively to AMT members.
Click here for a sample issue
Back numbers of Regional Insight
Click below to access back issues of Yorkshire and Humber Regional Insight
CDFA Conference 08: Money for Change: Evolution or Revolution
Money for Change, in Leeds on 25-27 June, offers a chance for newcomers to the sector to find out about community development finance and what it can achieve. More info at:
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