Friday 15 March 2013

Last week I talked about how much I was looking forward to our corporate staff awards and I wasn’t disappointed!

I hope all of you who attended the ceremony on Tuesday evening will be in no doubt of just how proud I am. Firstly, to hear about the work of so many worthy nominees reminded us of the many fantastic and inspiring people that work for the council and our partners. I’d like to congratulate everyone who was shortlisted and those who won an award. You should all be really proud as your work makes a huge difference to communities across our county. If you haven’t seen who won awards you can find out on the Wire .Secondly, holding this important event in our own building meant so much to me. It highlighted just how flexible the atrium space at County Hall is and how it can be transformed from a family friendly day-time cafe to a wonderful evening events venue.  I’d like to congratulate and thank all those who played a part in making the evening run so smoothly, including all our sponsors as without their support, the event could not have taken place.

I was overwhelmed and very surprised to receive an award in recognition of the work that took place last year to make it such a huge success for our county. Looking back the council did take a risk allocating resources to support the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee visit and to host the Olympic Torch in sixteen of our towns, villages and the city of Salisbury, particularly in the challenging economic climate. But we stayed focused on bringing communities together, showcasing this county and boosting the local economy and as a result of the hard work of many staff, our partners and communities we delivered an outstanding year that will provide many, many children with a lifetime of wonderful memories.

 

The next day (Wednesday) I attended the Wiltshire Health Improvement Partnership Awards at the Civic Centre in Trowbridge. I was invited to speak and present an award at this inspiring event which recognises groups and individuals who make a difference to people’s health and well being in our local communities. It was inspiring to hear the guest speakers; former Olympic skier and national legend Eddie “the eagle” Edwards and world champion and Olympic rower Debbie Flood talk about their personal achievements, how they built their personal resilience and how passionate they are that we need to encourage our communities to be more active and healthy. I was really pleased to announce the Army Primary Health Care Services as the winners of the “Improved sexual health and/or reduced teenage pregnancies award”.

On Wednesday evening some of us attended the Local Government Chronicle awards in London where we’d been shortlisted for four national awards in the categories for ‘innovation’, ‘business transformation’, ‘health and social care’ and ‘energy and efficiency’. We didn’t win this year, but being shortlisted in so many categories proves just how many outstanding teams we have and the excellent work that we do and it’s always good to have national recognition for our work.

 

Some of you may be aware that the sale of Urchfont Manor was completed this week. This is a good outcome for the local community as the new owners intend to apply for permissions to convert the main house back to a private home and the sale contract allows the community to continue to use Oakfirth Wood and the cricket ground adjacent to the house. Urchfont Manor has been a great facility for us over many years and now the new owners will be able to enjoy the beautiful building and become part of Urchfont’s community.

This week a public exhibition in Lyneham displayed the plans for the new Defence College of Technical Training on the former RAF site. The exhibition provides local residents with the opportunity to find out more about the proposals and ask any questions and I understand that more than 450 people have attended. If you missed it but would like some information you can email the project team at lyneham.planning@amec.com or you can visit the website at www.mod.uk/lynehamplanning.    

This week also marks a significant milestone in the Castledown Incubation Centre project. The centre will be formally handed over to us today (Friday 15 March). It’s the first centre to be completed as part of the Enterprise Network and will be great for Wiltshire in developing business skills and supporting the set up and growth of small businesses. When the project is complete it will provide a range of innovative services and on-site technology that will provide a perfect environment for our entrepreneurs, young and old, to work in. This centre is a real asset to Wiltshire’s business community and will help to boost the local economy.

We have Cabinet next Tuesday and there is a varied agenda. One of the reports is focused on creating a legacy for Wiltshire – I’ll talk more about that next week, but rest assured the momentum and enthusiasm generated during 2012 is continuing and is very much alive in many communities. There are a lot of events planned for this year to encourage people to keep active and healthy, to boost the local economy, to support future sporting stars and to bring communities together. We will also be discussing the Wiltshire Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) and the actions that we have taken following last year’s JSA, as well as the draft Police and Crime Plan for Wiltshire.

 

I realise this week’s blog is quite long but there is just so much happening and I hope it’s helpful to be kept updated?

Have a good weekend.

Jane