Bright ideas for the future and memories of Sandown Bay’s golden history and heritage were brought together at a very unique public consultation or ‘Firepit Forum’ by the sea at Yaverland last week.
The Bay area’s new Coastal Community Team are asking people to help shape the area’s future ready for a prospectus which will be produced in January, and the Firepit Forums are one of the many ways in which people get involved in the ‘Shaping the Bay’ programme.
Ian Boyd at Arc, the Yaverland-based environmental organisation who are looking after the CCT explained:
“The Bay Coastal Community Team is well and truly launched! After a busy week of great school assemblies, we ran the first big public consultation, the ‘What If…’, at Browns Cafe, on the beautiful Yaverland seafront. 200 or more happy people gathered around the campfires, toasting marshmallows, playing conkers, eating, drinking and listening to wonderful music, making origami delights, searching for bats and moths, and sharing with us their thoughts, aspirations, hopes and memories of The Bay.
“We’ve started right away with the work of collating and melding all of this fantastic material into real and positive action. There was a huge amount of ideas and organization required behind the scenes and on the ground – our very grateful thanks go to: Spike Oatley Music, Eccleston George, Browns Cafe, Hannah George Makings, IW Bat Hospital, Ian Whitmore, Julian Winslow, T-Weevil, Mooksgoo, and the Arc team. Thanks most of all to the people of The Bay (and beyond) from schools to businesses and local councils who are so willing to contribute and who so want to see this wonderful place succeed”.
Bay Coastal Community Team councillors Richard Priest, Ian Ward, Jonathan Gilbey and Bob Blezzard who came along on the evening, together thanked the organisers for a ‘really good and inclusive event – very good feedback already, and we are all looking forward to working together on Bay initiatives.’
If you’d like to share your ideas on Shaping the Bay, head along to the next Firepit Forums at the Lake & Shanklin Campfire Sessions (dates and venues will be announced on the Shaping the Bay FB page and www.arc-consulting.co.uk events page). Or pick up a What If… postcard at Sandown and Shanklin libraries and at shops, cafes and theatres around the Bay, post ideas on the Shaping the Bay Facebook page, or text the Bay phone line 07594 214344.
Photographs: Julian Winslow
