dates for your diary

Saturday 4th March – Craft Fayre at Brading Youth & Community Centre, High Street from 10am – 2pm. Free parking at rear. Refreshments available from the old school café.

Sunday 5th March – Preloved Indoor Market at Binstead Community Centre, from 1pm – 2.30pm. Preloved sale for everything you need from pregnancy to 5 yrs. Clothes, equipment, toys, books and more. Free entry for buyers.

Monday 6th March - Isle of Wight Family History Society open meeting. The history of tuberculosis on the Isle of Wight – talk by Dr Paul Bingham at Arreton Community Hall, Main Road, Arreton. Doors open 2pm talk starts 2:15pm. Members of the Isle of Wight FHS £1; non-members £2. Everyone welcome.

Saturday 11th March – Newchurch Drama Group Spring Quiz at All Saints Church Hall, Newport from 7pm – 10pm. £6 per person. Maximum of 4 in a team. This is a fun, friendly quiz with prizes for the winning team. Raffle on the night but bring your own refreshments. Call 07811 690462 to book your table.

Sunday 12th March - Charity Antiques and Collectors Fair (in support of the MNDA) at Northwood House, Cowes from 10am – 4pm. Visitors can expect to find a great variety of local antique and collectable traders in the function rooms of Northwood House. Refreshments are available via the Northwood House Charitable Trust awardwinning events team, who will be supplying tea, cakes and sandwiches all through the day for exhibitors and visitors. Admission is £3 per adult or £5.00 per couple on the gate, with accompanied children free.

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th March - The Island Car Centre Sandown Sprint will return to Culver Parade. The Sandown Sprint will involve 100 cars competing on a specially constructed circuit, at Sandown’s Culver Parade, with the start in Fort Street and finishing in Yaverland. Once again, overall spectator numbers will be limited, so motor racing fans are advised to book early. The cost of admission has been held at £10 per adult, with concessions. Further details on the Sandown Sprint and tickets for the event can be found via the website isleofwightspeedtrials.co.uk

Sunday 26th March – Isle of Wight Spring Boat Jumble at Northwood Park, Cowes from 10am – 3pm. Entry is free for buyers on foot, but a parking fee of £2 per car will be requested for buyers using the event field to park. Tea, coffee, cakes and hot refreshments will be available on the show field, with toilets available in the Northwood Park next to the tennis courts. All proceeds go to Northwood House Charitable Trust for ongoing restoration works and community projects in Northwood Park.

All event information was correct at time of print but could be subject to change at any time.

Good news on the Marina as we see the initial investments in the pontoons to improve facilities taking shape. The work to bring electric and water to the berths and pontoons is under way and we also now have wi-fi available to the Marina and berth holders.

Work continues to transfer the land alongside the Marina from the IWC to Ryde Town Council which is part of the original agreement when the Marina was transferred to Ryde Town Council.

The plans for the land are to provide a purpose-built Marina office facility together with new shower and toilet facilities and part of the longer-term project to improve the area and facilities.

I read with interest a recent report carried out by the Isle of Wight Council that outlines ideas for the regeneration of Ryde seafront. Stretching from the pier along to Appley park it contains some interesting ideas for the town and I’m sure will be out for public consultation in the coming months. More on that in future editions of this magazine.

I am told that the Interchange project is just about on time to be finished around April or May.

The work on the pier is well underway, work delivered by Wight Link and the bus station and public space is approaching the final stages with plans for planting and trees being considered currently.

The final piece of the jigsaw will be the station itself which has been subject to a number of issues and adjustments though that will be finished in stages until the overall completion. The floor finish should match the rest of the project and it is hoped to get toilets open to the public at the very earliest opportunity whilst the commercial units are being fitted out.

It is worth saying that the train operator has had direct input into the design of the building, and we have had to comply with their own corporate requirements in bringing forward a design that is acceptable to them.

Further up in the High Street I am involved in trying to finally get the pedestrianisation of the High Street into effect. There have been a number of difficult problems to overcome, and we are working hard through the HAZ programme to deliver the best outcome on surfacing – likely to be a tile type surface rather than tarmac. Potentially the same as being used at the Interchange. I’m pleased also that a number of shop owners have taken advantage of the grants to improve their shopfronts and I am aware of at least ten premises that are either starting work or intending to start work shortly.

With the vehicles finally prevented from using the High Street we are hopeful that a different type of community can evolve which might see more outside space being used for tables and chairs and café type premises taking advantage.

Finally, the Town Council are looking again at their corporate and Place plan so that it can be refreshed to match an ever-changing town and meet the hopes and aspirations of all of our residents. There will be public consultations of course as we try to capture what the residents of Ryde truly want their Council to be doing on their behalf.