Newmarket Messenger Issue 1

Newmarket messenger Your FREE copy Issue 1

Produced in partnership with Newmaket Town Council

Win

A tour of USAF Air Base at Mildenhall See p20

Racing ahead

NEWMARKET ACADEMY The school of choice

MAYOR JOHN BERRY An odds-on cert NM01_001 (COVER3)ljc.indd 1

Newmarket news, events & stories

FOOD Recipe & reviews

INTERVIEW Artist Jacquie Jones

COUNCIL NEWS What’s going on locally 05/02/2016 14:05

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05/02/2016 12:39

Contents Spring 2016

13 Food

4 The Palomino

16 John Berry

5 What’s on

17 National Heritage Centre

7 Interview

19 Cunning Councils

8-9 Town Council

20 Puzzle page

10 Schools

23 Handy numbers

Local landlady keeps a traditional pub alive

Things to do and see this spring

Local restaurant reviews and an easy recipe

The contenders in the AW Championships

What’s happening with this new attraction

Artist Jacquie Jones on art, horses and ballet

News and events around the town

An update from the Newmarket Academy

Building homes for local people

Wordsearch, sudoku and the quiz

Listing of useful local businesses

Your Town Councillors Town Councillors are elected to represent their community. If you have a concern please contact your relevant Ward Councillor.

MICHAEL ANDERSON Studlands Park shirleya8@hotmail.co.uk | 01638 601624 | 01638 612177 | 07767 476817

DAVE HUDSON St Marys d.hudson1@ntlworld.com 01638 661272 | 07880 738931

ANDREW APPLEBY Severals applebysid@aol.com 01638 664291 | 07724 640015

MICK JEFFERYS St Marys mjjefferys@yahoo.co.uk 01638 663157 | 07963 021151

JOHN BERRY Severals johnwathenberry@yahoo.co.uk 01638 660663 | 07729 240917

STEVEN MADDOX St Marys stevenjon.maddox@uwclub.net 01638 664558 | 07780 853986

JANET CLARKE St Marys janet-clarke@live.com | 01638 662041

JOHN MORREY All Saints john.morrey@tattersalls.com | 07876 035396

WARWICK HIRST Severals hirstjwh45@aol.com | 07739 013785

CHRIS O’NEILL All Saints crpelcombe@yahoo.com 07900 293786 | 01638 613102

RACHEL HOOD Severals racheldshood1@ntlworld.com 01638 565456 | 07713 211555

BILL SADLER St Marys bill@billsadler.co.uk | 01638 666117

AMY STARKEY All Saints amy.starkey@thejockeyclub. co.uk | 01638 675501 | 07901 716233 NEIL VOLLENHOVEN Severals angie_and_neil@yahoo.co.uk | 01638 605518 PHILIPPA WINTER All Saints p.m.winter@btinternet.com | 01638 662670 DAVID WRIGHT Studlands Park cmgsalsa@hotmail.co.uk | 07919 114519

TOWN/DISTRICT COUNCILLOR TOWN/SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCILLOR

TOWN MAYOR

Welcome Message from the editor For many years the Town Council has delivered regular newsletters to all the dwellings in the town area. Keeping ratepayers informed of our activities is part of being a responsible authority. But in the past the council, in addition to the cost of delivery, has had to pay for the printing and production of the newsletters.

By combining with the new Newmarket Messenger, which includes council news, the council is saving money and informing readers of activities in other sections of the community. That is why members of the council agreed to become part of the Messenger. I can guarantee they would not have done so if it was likely to cost more money.

So I am pleased to welcome you to the all new Newmarket Messenger. The production and printing costs will be met solely by advertising. I am very pleased to thank our initial advertisers, who took a leap of faith, trusting their message to a product they have never seen.

In addition to getting the council’s message across, we aim to entertain, with informative articles about local goings on. In short, to create a genuine community magazine.

Consequently we welcome ideas for articles, letters to the editor, compliments and criticism. It is your magazine for your town, please use it.

NEWMARKET MESSENGER Newmarket Messenger is produced by Bright Publishing Ltd in partnership with the Newmarket Town Council.

Digital Edition available at: www.newmarketmessenger.co.uk EDITOR: Bill Saddler – bill@billsadler.co.uk ADVERTISING MANAGER: Marie Luise Critchley-Waring – 01638 428645 DESIGNER: Lucy Woolcomb – 01223 499 468 lucywoolcomb@bright-publishing.com PRODUCTION: nmads@bright-publishing.com

EDITOR | mail@newmarketmessenger.co.uk

NEWMARKET MESSENGER MAGAZINE • Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire CB22 3HJ, 01223 499450, www.newmarketmessenger.co.uk • All rights reserved. Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of the publishers. • Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Newmarket Messenger, Bright Publishing Ltd or Newmarket Town Council which do not accept any liability for loss or damage. • Every effort has been made to ensure all information is correct. • Newmarket Messenger is a free publication that is distributed in Newmarket and the surrounding area.

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:07

The Palomino

Your local pub O

ne of the saddest signs of lifestyle changes is the decline of the traditional pub. In recent years we have seen the closing of The Black Bear, Turf Tavern, Marquis of Granby, Carpenters Arms, Black Horse, Mount and Prohibition. The majority of survivors now rely on food, possibly as their main income.

At least one local, The Palomino, has bucked the trend.

Sheila McNally, a landlady with more than 40 years’ experience in the trade, explains how she continues to make a living where so many have failed:

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“I try keep the traditions alive. We have three pool teams, ladies and gents darts teams and a petanque team in the summer. All play in local leagues and the home matches help tremendously.

Sadly, with so many locals closing there are fewer opponents these days. I have an off-licence attached, which is open during licensing hours and well stocked with wines, beers, spirits and sweets.

“Fortunately, I have a spacious function room. Some of my regulars run bingo sessions. The prize money is very good for the number of players and the weekly raffle is eagerly anticipated.”

The function room is available free of charge for wedding receptions, wakes and birthday parties. Although there are no catering facilities on the premises, Sheila can arrange a variety of menus.

She can also arrange a disco.

The Pally has a decent car park and a few yards away you’ll find a fish and chip shop, bookmaker, café and convenience store, making the pub an ideal stop for coach parties.

Traditional pubs seem set to become few and far between in the not too distant future so it’s heartening that one landlady is keeping our heritage going.

Newmarket Messenger

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What’s on

20th March

Feb – May

12-14 FEBRUARY

20-21 MARCH

23 APRIL

18 FEBRUARY

30 MARCH-3 APRIL

6 MAY

Crew Clothing Sale Tattersalls

Blood Transfusion Service Memorial Hall

21-22 FEBRUARY Suite Française Cinema at the Stable

23-24 FEBRUARY Fine Art Auction Tattersalls

7-12 MARCH

Moon over BuffaloKing’s Theatre

20 MARCH

Antiques Show Rowley Mile Stand

Far from the Madding Crowd Cinema at the Stable Schiefbahn Guitar and Mandolin Orchestra Visit to Forest Heath

1 APRIL

Guitar & Mandolin Orchestra and Forest Heath Bands joint concert Memorial Hall

Queen’s Birthday Gala Concert St Mary’s Church West Suffolk Youth Orchestera, Jazz Orchestra and Wind Band concert Tatersalls

25 April Good Friday Walk of Witness, Churches Together Meet at Bill Tutte Memorial 10.45

16 APRIL

UK Cycling Wiggle Sportive Rowley Mile Stand

17-24 APRIL

Visit of French teenagers from Maison Lafitte Twinning Association

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:09

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05/02/2016 13:58

Interview

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iners at the Museum Restaurant, Heath Court Hotel or the Rutland Arms will be familiar with the wonderful paintings by local artist, Jacquie Jones. Widely acclaimed for her depiction of horses in motion, Jacquie has exhibited in Paris, Germany, Dublin, and London. The late Queen Mother owned one of her paintings, Sheik Mohammed has several and she has painted a trio of silk headscarves for the Princess Royal. Her work sells well in the States, but her main outlets are a London gallery and the Internet.

Born in London, Jacquie briefly trained at the London School of Ballet. She came to Newmarket in 1979 and worked for several trainers before moving to Warren Place with Henry Cecil.

“He was very good to me. I had a few rides as an amateur but we soon came to the conclusion that I was likely to be a better painter than a jockey. So, in 1982, with Henry’s encouragement I became a full-time artist,” she says. “I wanted to be a sporting artist from an early age. I am completely selftaught and worked hard to develop a style of my own.

I think I have done that, my pictures are instantly recognised as my work and I have now supported myself for 30 years.

“I am lucky in that I seem to have a photographic memory of the anatomy of a horse. I don’t need a model or a photograph, I draw from memory. It is the same with ballet dancers.

And because of that I am now testing the market for ballet scenes through the gallery in London.”

Although she is well respected as a painter of racehorses, Jacquie has other talents. She has illustrated books and designed ladies dresses. A few years ago,

Jacquie Jones

are several very competent artists in the town but who knows them? Where can their work be seen? There is a demand for studio space and I would dearly like Forest Heath Council to convert the Coach House in Palace Street into a series of studios for artists in all media.”

Jacquie also hopes to pass on her talent to children. For many years she lectured at All Saints School and would dearly love to give her talks in more of the town’s schools.

“I have a very simple way of drawing, quite easy to learn and it is surprising how quickly children can improve their skills if shown.”

On Tuesday 7th June Jacquie and fellow artists will be giving demonstrations in the Memorial Hall. They will be on-hand to show their techniques in different media and their work will also be on display.

The Hall will be open from 10am and admission will be free. The event is sponsored by the Town Council.

Artist Jacquie Jones sells her work across the globe, and this year she’s showing her work here in Newmarket

she presented an Anglia TV programme called Newmarket Women. Filmed over a period of six months it featured trainers Gaye Kelleway and Julia Fielden, jockey Lisa Jones and racecourse manager Lisa Hancock.

Critical of the lack of cultural life in Newmarket, Jacquie says: “They say a prophet has no standing in his own country and I can vouch for that. There

I am lucky in that I have a photographic memory of the anatomy of a horse” Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:11

Town Council

News Find out all the latest news and what’s going on from around Newmarket

Tea Dances 2016 The hugely popular tea dances will continue this year on a monthly basis. Everyone is welcome to come along for a dance, a piece of cake and a cup of tea. The tea dances are on Fridays, 2-4pm, and the dates for this year’s dances are as follows: • • • •

5th February 4th March 1st April 6th May

• • • •

3rd June 1st July 5th August 2nd September

• 7th October • 4th November • 2nd December

Entry is £4.50. There is a small raffle, with tickets costing £1.00 per strip.

Carnival 2016 Building on the success of 2015’s event

In 2015, The Severals was transformed into Newmarketon-Sea with loads of fun activities for the whole family: a giant sandpit for kids to play in and deckchairs for parents to sit and watch from. One of the great attractions was the giant water slide, which on one of the hottest days of the year, helped to keep people cool and provided great fun for all.

The 2016 Carnival will take place on Saturday 2nd July on The Severals. The Carnival Committee is already busy planning the event and this one promises to be as exciting as previous carnivals. If you wish to take part in the Carnival, including the Parade, please contact the Town Council’s Resources Manager on 01638 667227.

The 2016 Carnival will take place on Saturday 2nd July on The Severals 8

Improvements to the local train station The railway station has had a makeover, with improvements including two passenger seating shelters, a bicycle shelter, benches, CCTV and a ticket machine.

These improvements were generously funded by Newmarket Racecourses, Forest Heath District Council, Abellio Great Anglia, the Jockey Club and Tattersalls.

The tender is currently out for the Ipswich to Cambridge Rail Franchise. As one of several improvements to this route, Newmarket Town Council is lobbying for the inclusion of a half-hourly service within the tender for this franchise.

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:12

Town Council

Winter Wonderland 2016 News in brief

Newmarket Neighbourhood Plan

Thanks to our residents’ support, the 2015 Winter Wonderland was a massive success and we would like to thank them for their support and for turning out in such huge numbers for the magical parade. Hopefully we can continue the success this year. We are already planning the 2016 Winter Wonderland and seeking

support and funding to enable the event to take place and grow.

The 2016 Winter Wonderland will run 16-18 December. If you wish to participate or contribute or share your ideas with us, please contact the Town Council’s Resources Manager, Kay Dawson, on 01638 667227.

Water feature in Memorial Gardens

Bus shelters Newmarket Town Council has continued its policy of installing bus shelters in the town. In the last year we have installed a further three shelters on Studlands Park and refurbished another three.

With such changes, we hope to encourage residents to make use of public transport in Newmarket. Bus shelters are installed at the request of residents so if there is a need for a bus shelter in your area, please contact the Town Council on 01638 667227.

The Neighbourhood Plan will contain a set of policies aimed at managing change and growth in the town and sit alongside the District Council’s Local Plan.

The Designated Area for the Neighbourhood Plan has been agreed as the whole of Newmarket. The next step is to develop policies to enhance the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Newmarket community. Once these are drawn up, further consultations will take place.

23rd April ST GEORGE’S DAY The annual St George’s day celebration will take place on Saturday 23rd April in the Memorial Hall, Newmarket. This year ABBA Magic – The Tribute will entertain you with their spectacular recreation of an ABBA performance, accurately capturing ABBA’s distinctive sound. Loved by all ages, ABBA Magic will ensure that the dance floor is never empty!

Tickets cost £15 and include a fish & chip supper.

For more information, please contact the Town Council’s Resources Manager, Kay Dawson, on 01638 667227 or email events. manager@newmarket.gov.uk

Out of Hours Doctors Service The Town Council continues to press the NHS and the Clinical Commissioning Groups to reinstate the Out of Hours Doctors Surgery at the Newmarket Community Hospital. At present Newmarket is served by a surgery in Mildenhall, which simply cannot provide the level of service required and causes access difficulties for our residents. Until the tender is issued, Newmarket Town Council will continue to lobby to have this vital service reintroduced in Newmarket.

The children’s play facilities are of great importance to the town. One key aspect is the water feature. However, the present water feature has come to the end of its life and the Town Council is seeking funding for a new modern water feature to replace it. Sadly, in these times of austerity financial grants are thin on the ground but the Town Council is doing everything possible to install a temporary water feature for 2016 with a view to a new water feature in 2017.

Car boot sales 2016 During the summer, eight car boot sales will be held on The Severals, and local community and voluntary organisations are encouraged to run one to raise funds. If you wish to be considered, please contact the Town Council’s Resources Assistant, Kylie Clarke, on 01638 667227. Council staff will guide you through the process.

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:12

Schools

DRIVING FOR SUCCESS After a difficult 2013, Newmarket Academy is now a school with ambition and energy

Words by Headmaster Nick Froy

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ranted Academy status in July 2014, Newmarket Academy is on a journey. Evidence across the school shows we are making the right changes and improvements.

We are confident we now have the ethos, ambition, and energy to turn Newmarket’s only secondary education provider into an outstanding school of which a town with this heritage, international reputation, and ambition can be proud.

The Academy has 700 students aged 11-19, which, in the national context, makes us a small secondary school. The school has had a challenging recent past having been placed in Special Measures in February 2013. The community understandably expressed its concern and a significant number of students

and their families decided we were no longer the school of their choice.

In November 2013, new leadership was put in place and the school became part of the Samuel Ward Academy Trust based in Haverhill. The school’s ‘transformation’ agenda has challenged

Serving and working in partnership with the community” and changed every aspect of the school to drive up standards and establish the right conditions for rapid improvement.

We believe that the structural transformations are complete and the ethos, vision, and innovative approach of the school is now established.

The Academy now has three very clear aims for its students: to become successful learners, responsible citizens, and confident individuals. The aims are achieved by promoting a value driven approach. We seek to be the school of choice for all young people in Newmarket and the surrounding area.

The Academy is deeply committed to serving its community and working in partnership with the community.

Over the past two years, the Academy has committed its resources to maintaining staffing ratios, especially in examination classes, and retaining a sixth form, underpinning the successes in outcomes achieved so far.

We welcome visitors to the

Academy on any school day and would be delighted to offer a tour of the school with one of our ambassadors.

SPRING TERM EVENTS FAIRSTEAD SCHOOL • 12 FEBRUARY Viking Day with real Vikings and dressing up • 21-23 MARCH Treasure Island, a production based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel • 9 MARCH Open Day

PADDOCKS PRIMARY SCHOOL • Three-day visit to Kingswood Centre, Norfolk for Year 5, in March • Year 6 are busy preparing for national tests in May • A number of events will celebrate Easter at the end of term

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NEWMARKET ACADEMY • Young Carers Workshop for year 9 to raise the profile of young carers • National Citizen Services talk about team building and raising confidence

ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC ACADEMY • 26 FEBRUARY day trip to Colchester Zoo • 14-18 MARCH book fair • 16 MARCH Knights and Maidens Day • Lower Key Stage 2 present an Easter play before the end of term

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:13

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05/02/2016 13:59

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05/02/2016 14:00

Food 1

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GUEST

CHEF

EMMA AMBROSE HEAD CHEF, RUTLAND ARMS HOTEL

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Emma trained at Newcastle Catering College and started her own business running a sandwich company. She moved to the Newmarket area 15 years ago, becoming Head Chef at the Rosary, Exning. Emma has been at the Rutland for 18 months where she is responsible for all aspects of the menu.

Emma’s easy recipe!

CHICKEN SUPREME

Takes 20 mins Serves 4

On the menu Reviews you can trust: local people share their favourite dining venues

1. KHOBKHUN, HIGH STREET

We were greeted by waitresses in traditional Thai dress and shown to our table where prawn crackers awaited. We ordered a mixed starter for two, which consisted of six tasters with six sauces.

For mains we had rib-eye steak with stir fry and scallops with green chilli sauce.

All perfectly cooked, very tasty and a visual delight.

Steve and Freda Edwards

2. NEWMARKET DAY CENTRE

The over 50s can enjoy a home cooked lunch at the Day Centre. It offers a twocourse meal with three choices for main course and three desserts including a diabetic option. The staff are friendly and amiable. This is a pleasant place to come with a friend, but single diners are warmly welcomed.

Harry and Iris Jacobs

3. WEATHERSPOON’S GOLDEN LION

We think there is nowhere better in town. Breakfast, lunch or evening menu, we’ve done them all and never had a bad meal. The service is quick and efficient and staff are smart, helpful and polite.

There is a very varied menu and the steaks and ribs are to die for. Finally, prices are surprisingly reasonable.

Kim and Colin Timmins

4. WHITE HORSE, EXNING

A typical village pub, now with Jack, a fourth-generation Welford, soon to be landlord. It is exactly as you’d expect: cosy bars, roaring open fires and a home-cooked menu as traditional as the pub itself with tempting daily specials.

As my local, I dine here regularly.

Always welcoming and the food is highly recommended.

Michael Wigg

INGREDIENTS

✽ 4 chicken supremes with bone and skin ✽ 3 thinly sliced potatoes

✽ 250g

butter thyme ✽ 1 lemon, rind and juice ✽ Salt and pepper ✽ Fresh

METHOD

Mix half the butter with the lemon rind, 2tbsp lemon juice and a handful of thyme. Push your fingers under the skin of the chicken, take a spoonful of butter with added thyme and push it between skin and flesh.

Arrange on a baking tray and put in a heated oven at 180°C and cook for 20 minutes. Whilst cooking, fry off the potatoes with butter, salt and pepper until golden brown. Serve with thyme gravy.

Newmarket Messenger

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Advertisement feature

life ON NEWMARKET TRAINING GROUNDS Jockey Club Estates is pleased to support The Newmarket Messenger and welcomes this opportunity to explain to everyone what is happening on the Newmarket Training Grounds, which are also referred to as The Heath or The Gallops.

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Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:15

Advertisement feature

ABOVE LEFT Golden Horn working on the Limekilns ABOVE RIGHT Warren Hill Turning Circles FAR LEFT Moulton Road Horsewalk

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For anyone wishing to know more about how the Training Grounds work there is lots of information available on our website www. jockeyclubestates.co.uk and if you are interested in the history of The Heath you may wish to buy a copy of the recently published book, The Heath and The Horse

by Oldrey, Cox and Nash which is available at The Jockey Club Office, 101 High Street, Newmarket, The National Horseracing Museum and bookstores in town.

2015 was a record-breaking year for Jockey Club Estates’ Newmarket Training Grounds, with horse numbers increasing 5% on 2014, to a monthly average number of 2,529 horses using the facilities.

Currently there are 84 racehorse trainers using the Training Grounds.

Based in yards in and around Newmarket, 72 of the trainers are licensed by the British Horseracing Authority, and can run horses in races.

The other 12 are “pre-trainers”, who teach young horses how to behave before they start a busy life in a training yard.

Newmarket’s trainers had a successful year in 2015, winning 1,705 races, including 19 Group 1 races which are the most important and most valuable races. Golden Horn, who was trained in Newmarket by John Gosden, won both the highly prized Investec Derby at Epsom and Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in France, was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year, and helped his trainer win his second Trainers Championship title. Golden Horn was bred at Hascombe and Valiant Stud at Cheveley near Newmarket by Anthony Oppenheimer. He has just started his career as a stallion at Sheikh Mohammed’s Dalham Hall Stud on Duchess Drive, Newmarket where it is hoped he will father many future champions.

Despite the world-wide reputation of the Newmarket Training Grounds as a Centre of Excellence for the training of thoroughbred racehorses, Jockey Club Estates is always looking to make further improvements. In 2015, our efforts focused on improving the network of horsewalks, starting a change from carrstone surface to

artificial gallop surfaces. Carrstone is prone to freezing in the winter, and needs watering in the summer to reduce dust. Also, carrstone can be washed away in heavy rain, but this is not a problem with the artificial gallop surfaces and our new design, which has a drainage system installed underneath it. The very busy horsewalk which runs alongside the Moulton Road was the first to be converted; and other areas will be converted in 2016.

To ease the movement of horses, extensive work was carried out at the foot of Warren Hill in 2015. The turning circles were widened and the concrete had rubber layered on it. These improvements will help prevent horses queuing across Moulton Road.

One of the major changes to the Training Grounds planned for 2016 will help ease traffic issues as well. We hope to install a new set of trotting rings on Side Hill, off Old Station Road. (trotting rings, like those on the Severals, are used to warm up horses before exercise.) This will be easily accessible for training yards on Old Station Road and the bottom of Warren Hill, and will significantly reduce the number of horses using the Moulton Road and Bury Road horse crossings as they will no longer need to cross these roads to use the Severals Trotting Rings.

Amongst the other improvements planned for 2016 is further scrub clearance on the Devil’s Dyke to make the footpath clearer for walkers. The Dyke is a scheduled ancient monument, which is managed by Jockey Club Estates under an environmental stewardship scheme which balances the requirements of the ancient monument, walkers and the rare butterflies and plants which live on it.

Newmarket Messenger

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John Berry

Winners in waiting?

As the All-Weather Championships hots up, John Berry surveys the contenders

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n 30th October 1989 the Conrad Allen-trained Niklas Angel won a mile claimer at Lingfield to become the first All-Weather (AW) winner in the UK. From that lowly beginning, the status of AW racing in the winter has continued to rise. Its profile received a significant boost two years ago with the advent of the All-Weather Championships, based on the results of the AW racing outside the main turf season. This innovation has created plenty of interest, not least because last winter its jockeys’ championship produced a thrilling long-running duel between two of the best Newmarket-based riders, Luke Morris and Adam Kirby.

The trainers’ championship last winter was far more clear-cut: Charlie Appleby dominated the standings,

The status of AW racing in winter has continued to rise”

ABOVE John Berry riding White Valiant TOP Trainer Julia Feilden leading Jockey Shelley Becket

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sending out a steady stream of good winners in the royal blue Godolphin silks from his Moulton Paddocks base on the eastern edge of Newmarket Heath.

This winter Appleby is adopting a different policy, sending out far fewer runners. He explains: “Good Friday is a great day and we’ll be fully there to support it again. Last winter we ran around 60 horses, but we’ve eased back on that, concentrating more on getting horses to the Good Friday Finals, often via the fast-track qualifiers.”

One horse already qualified for Good Friday is Anglophile, who finished second in the AW Marathon Championship in 2015 and who recently won in a fast-track qualifier at Lingfield.

Two other horses in the stable who have been earmarked for Good Friday but are yet to qualify are Venturous and Folkswood. The former, already a winner at Newmarket and Doncaster, is under consideration for the Sprint; while the latter, a winner at Glorious Goodwood, could be a contender for the Mile.

Another trainer with plenty of bigrace AW success to his name is Marco Botti. He remains hopeful that one of the stable’s stalwarts, six-time winner Solar Deity, can add to his haul during the second half of the winter. On a losing run stretching back to November 2013, Solar Deity is a victim of his own consistency because he never runs badly, so remains high in the handicap.

However, he always goes off at good odds, rarely finishes out of the money, and only needs a little bit of respite from the handicapper to find his way back to the winner’s enclosure.

Year in, year out, Hamilton Road trainer Stuart Williams maintains a strike rate which is the envy of his peers. Even by his usual high standards he is enjoying a golden season: when World’s Greatest won at Lingfield on 22nd January he became the stable’s

20th winner of the winter from only 80 runners. Lunar Deity was one of Williams’ stars last winter and consequently was only lightly raced during the summer to keep him fresh for the current campaign.

He has already won once this winter and remains in great heart, so further success is not unrealistic.

Also looking ahead with hope is Exeter House-based Charlie McBride, whose Quatrieme Ami qualified for Good Friday by winning at Wolverhampton before Christmas. The three-year old son of Equiano has had a let-up since then, and his trainer is planning his preparation around 25th March.

Exning-based Julia Feilden is one of the quiet achievers. She has enjoyed great success over the years with castoffs from Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation, and hopes that Dissertation can be her next winner from that source. The four-year old daughter of Champs Elysees arrived with uninspiring credentials, but she is working her way to form and her trainer is adept at finding the right opportunity for the right horse.

Next issue

John Berry speculates on expectations for the flat

Newmarket Messenger

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05/02/2016 14:16

National Heritage Centre

Reaching the final furlong A transformative project is currently turning the once derelict Palace House site into one of the region’s major tourist attractions

Benefitting the historic home of horseracing” discover sometimes surprising aspects of the subject as well as understanding the significance of Newmarket’s long royal history.

On the opposite side of Palace Street, in the old Trainer’s House, last occupied by the famous trainer Bruce Hobbs, a new National Horseracing Museum will use the latest audiovisual technology to interpret its internationally significant collections to illustrate the development of the sport of horseracing from its earliest origins to the worldwide phenomenon it is today. In addition, an

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© The National Horseracing Museum

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ituated across five acres, in the heart of the town, the new National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art will open later this year and bring together three distinct elements: an art gallery, a museum, and a live horse experience.

Palace House itself, a handsome example of late 17th century architecture and the last surviving element of Charles II’s racing palace, will become a national gallery of British Sporting Art. Paintings from the British Sporting Art Trust’s own permanent collection will be joined by works lent by private and public collections from across the UK, including a major loan from Tate Britain to create a celebratory national display of sporting art.

Providing a long-term rolling exhibition, including the art of all sport, early images of traditional rural pursuits will rub shoulders with later team sports such as cricket, rugby and football as the displays explore the development of these popular sports through paintings, sculpture, printmaking and the applied arts. There will be the opportunity to

IMAGES 1. The Rothschild Yard will accommodate live horses from the Retraining of Racehorses charity and horseracing’s retired equine heroes.

2. The old muck heap of the Palace House stables imaginatively remodelled as a horsewalker where the public will be able to see ex-racehorses exercised.

3. The Hay Barn and museum collection centre including conservation facilities.

4. Work begins on the new National Heritage Centre in 2014. important element of the new museum will be a focus on the science that underpins the sport from the genetics of selective breeding of thoroughbred horses to the scientific principles of movement, comparative anatomy, and veterinary practice. A lively programme of exhibitions will be presented in two new state-of-the-art galleries.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the new National Heritage Centre and that most likely to prove popular with a general family audience is a flagship home for the Retraining of Racehorses charity to show how thoroughbreds can be retrained for a satisfying and successful life beyond horseracing.

Every day, there will be demonstrations of retrained racehorses to illustrate the difference between training a horse for the racetrack and training it for a second

career either in competitive arenas such as eventing, dressage, and polo or purely for the pleasure of riding. Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet famous racehorses in their retirement.

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Forest Heath District Council, Suffolk County Council, the racing industry as well as many private trusts, foundations and individuals from the world of horseracing and beyond, the project is an important example of partnership across the public and private sectors. It will transform the town’s tourist offering and bring significant economic benefit (estimated at approximately £2 million per year) to the historic ‘home of horseracing’.

The new National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art is expected to open by autumn 2016.

Newmarket Messenger

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Affordable houses

Cunning Councils Suffolk County, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury Councils pioneer a groundbreaking housing company

F

ollowing the Second World War Newmarket District Council embarked on an ambitious programme of council house building. Freshfields, Houldsworth Valley, New Cheveley Road, Churchill Court, Icewell Hill and the George Lambton estate were all developed to meet the expectation for local accommodation. And, to a degree, it satisfied the demand. But then along came Margaret Thatcher, the 1980 Housing Act, and the right to buy. The new legislation gave all council tenants the right to buy their council homes at greatly reduced prices.

In a very short time 1.5 million tenants became homeowners. At the same time councils were forbidden to build houses and use of the proceeds from the sales was proscribed.

Lots of housing associations were formed, some of them, as in Forest Heath, bought up the remaining council-owned houses and took over responsibility for providing social housing, but with a long waiting

list demand far out strips supply.

But now three local councils, Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury and Suffolk County have devised a cunning plan to overcome the ban and start council building again. They set up an independent housing development company which can build. All three councils have land suitable for development, all three want more housing and all three have the power to borrow money at a low rate of interest.

So, the council sells land to the company, tells it what to build and loans it the money to operate. Cunning.

The company is wholly owned by the councils; Suffolk has 50%, the others 25% each. This is the first time in the country two tiers of local government have come together in this way.

The company will identify sites, initially most probably land owned by the councils, and then commission architects to design the housing; surveyors to cost it up; contractors, often small- to medium-sized local builders, to build the homes; and local estate agents, lettings agents and housing associations to market and manage them. This will directly

£10m for the land, £3m in interest payments, £2m in profits”

IMAGES Council house building boomed postwar, but the 1980 Housing Act put paid to that. Now three local councils are spearheading a new approach.

generate spend and employment in the local economy.

Traditionally, a council would sell a plot of land to a developer and while the council would benefit from the land sale, all development profits would go to the developer. The housing development company turns this approach on its head. While the landholding council will still benefit from the company paying a full open market price for the land, the profits from the homes for sale, after the costs of the various professionals, contractors and materials have been met, will accrue to the company. As the company is wholly owned by the councils, the profits will be paid to the councils as dividends.

The company will also retain some homes for renting out at market and affordable rents. The net profits from the rents will again be returned to the councils as dividends.

The councils can then decide how best to use the capital and revenue generated to support local priorities and provide much-needed local services, making up for reductions in government grants.

Detailed financial modelling has indicated that if just four councilowned sites were developed, each with an average of 45 homes, the three councils combined would benefit from around £10m in receipts for the land, £3m in interest payments on money loaned to the company and £2m in profits from the homes sold, with income from rents starting at around £300,000 a year. Profits from loan repayments, homes sold and income from rents will be shared by the three councils.

Feasibility studies for a number of sites across Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury are underway. It is anticipated that a planning application for the first site will be made in spring with building starting in late summer.

There is no doubt this is a very cunning plan. Councils are being urged to maximize income to meet the rising costs of the services they are expected to provide. How refreshing that such cooperation between local authorities can lead to solving the housing shortage and an income for the ratepayer.

Newmarket Messenger

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Puzzle page

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Entries by post, email or to the Memorial Hall by 15th March, when a winner will be selected from all entries by the Town Mayor.

Complete the sudoko such that each column, each row and each group of nine digits contain all the numbers one to nine.

8

8

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8

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1

6 7

1

How were Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonso Longbough known to history?

8 3

How many degrees has each number on a dartboard?

4

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9 5

1 2

2 7

In which capital city could you literally be out on the spree?

What is dihydrogen monoxide?

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7

Who sailed in The Black Pig?

Who dug Cock Robin’s grave?

6

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20

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3

Which river runs through central Norwich?

What is made from linseed oil and powdered chalk?

Degree of difficulty: 3/5 1

Who wears a wimple?

Answers

Sudoko

Who was the second man on the moon?

1. Buzz Aldrin 2. A nun 3. The Wensum 4.

Captain Pugwash 5. The river Spree is in Berlin 6. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 7. Putty 8 The Owl 9. H2O, water.

10. 18

Win!

We have a prize of ÂŁ20 or two tickets for a conducted tour of the USAF Air Base at Mildenhall on Tuesday 24th May and a set of 12 large lithographs of USAF combat planes.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ten minute question time

Newmarket Messenger

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Newmarket Messenger

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