NABMA AWARD

I’m really proud to report that Bridport Town Council scooped the Market Team of the Year at last night’s National Association of British Market Authorities NABMA Awards ceremony. The award reflects the strong leadership and organisation by Daryl Chambers, Terri Foxwell, and Ken Hussey, and also the role that everyone across BTC plays in making our markets – including the Street Market, Vegan Market, Growers & Makers Market, West Bay Evening Market, and West Bay Car Boot Sale – officially the best in the country.

 

This award comes hot on the heels of Bridport Town Council being recognised as being in the top five parish councils in the country and with over 9000 of them, that is some achievement.

RACISM IN BRIDPORT

I was shocked and surprised by the graffiti in the form of racist slur that was sprayed on skate park equipment. I am also extremely disappointed, Bridport is better than this. We are proud to be a Rights Respecting Town and this is completely out of character.

The discovery was made at the Tannery Road skatepark on Monday and was reported by a member of the public to Bridport Town Council who acted promptly and removed it – but it has sparked anger and condemnation from the community.

Will Austin, Town Clerk described it as ‘An appalling act of hate‘, adding: ‘This is appalling and completely unacceptable‘, and I couldn’t agree more.

Whilst I am pleased to report that recorded incidents of racial hate crime are extremely low, that does not mean it does not exist here in Bridport.

Please, if you see anything or experience anything yourself – report it. If you’re not comfortable reporting something to the police then please feel free to report it to the town council Tel: 01308 456722 or Email: enquiries@bridport-tc.gov.uk. We will support you all the way.

There is no place for racism in our town.

COLFOX SCHOOL – CAREERS FAIR 2022

For the first time since the pandemic Sir John Colfox Academy has been able to host a careers fair. The purpose of the careers fair is to:

• Open the eyes of the young people visiting to the vast range of potential career opportunities there are
• Learn something about what woking in a particular career sector is really like
• Learn about the qualifications and personal attributes a particular career requiresCareers Fairs are an excellent way for students to hear what local further and higher education establishments, and local businesses have on offer.

In the main hall at Colfox School there was an excellent cross section of potential career paths and the students were able to talk to the different education establishments and employers, to gain a first hand understanding of what their courses and jobs entail; the different roles available and the skills that are needed to be successful in today’s economy. The informal setting, enabled students to ask any questions they may have and come away with a clearer vision of where they saw their future.

I took the opportunity to speak at length to many of the delegates present and was really impressed by the range of opportunities available. Of the three Bridport based businesses present, each pointed out to me that although they are known for one thing there are numerous different roles available in each. Everything from communications and publicity, sales and marketing to financial and management roles, all supporting the design, engineering and production side of the businesses.

Many of the businesses offered Modern Apprenticeships including at Higher and Degree level. By taking the Modern Apprenticeship route you learn on the job – gaining skills, experience and qualifications that kick-start a career with the added bonus of being paid to do so.

For many people Bridport is simply thought of as a holiday and retirement destination, but Bridport is much more than that. Beavering away on our numerous industrial estates and on our high street are the businesses that are at the heart of what makes this a thriving town unlike many ‘seaside’ towns along the South coast.

However, Bridport’s relative isolation means that a young person wishing to follow a further or higher education path has to travel some distance in order to do so. This is also an issue for those wishing to take up a Modern Apprenticeship in a neighbouring town e.g. at Leonardo Helicopters based in Yeovil or Dorset Hospital in Dorchester. Sadly our local public transport system is such that it can be an inhibiting factor when making career choices.

It is therefore even more important that local businesses play an active role in offering good quality employment and on the job training opportunities for our young people.

AMAZING DRAWING FESTIVAL

The Festival of Drawing held at the Bridport Youth and Community Centre was a great success and great fun.

I went along with my grandchildren and they had a wonderful time trying out the range of drawing based activities on offer. The immediate attraction was the ‘drawing swing’, which involved suspending participants face down in a hammock over a large sheet of paper enabling them to make marks as they were swung back and forth. As you can see from the image below I could not resist having a swing on it myself.

Watching the younger members present it was refreshing to see how freely they engaged and expressed themselves. Children possess this quality but then seem to lose it as they mature. Pablo Picasso summed it up well; “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he/she grows up”

 

AND FINALLY – MY WEEKLY MAGIC TENNER FOCUS

Which shops are you going to visit and more importantly support this week? Here are three ideas to get you started.

Trading Post– South Street
Businesses working with or supplying: Footeprints, Naturalife, RKL. The Pursuit of Hoppiness, The Woodman, Cilla and Camilla, Country Seats, The Decorator Centre, Animal House, Bridport Arts and Crafts and more.

Wild and Homeless Books – South Street
Businesses working with or supplying: The Pursuit of Hoppiness , The Ropemakers, The Woodman, Café Bean, Refresh, The Book Shop, Red Brick Café, RKL Tools, Alleyways, Mercato Italiano, Leakers, Double Drive, Naturalife, Clocktower Music, Sundorbon, Bella’s and more.

Dress – South Street
Businesses working with or supplying: Soulshine, Waste Not Want Not, Rise, RKL Tools, Busby, Phoenix Electrical, Fabric Larder, Cilla & Camilla, Salvage Style, Fruits of the Earth, Malabar Trading, Arts & Crafts, Instant Redress, Lavender Blue, Alleyways Antiques, Vintage Cornucopia, The Woodman, South Street Antiques, TIC, Northover & Gilbert, Jay Mantran, Red Brick Cafe, Independent Traders at St Michaels, Leakers, Punch & Judy, The Fridge and More!