The Heathfield Partnership Trust Ltd
About the Partnership
Rupert Simmons - Chairman
of Heathfield Partnership Trust Co. Ltd Board
The Heathfield Partnership Trust Company started as a group of volunteers (Steering Group 1995) formed by the Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council who came together to seek ways and means to improve the prosperity and amenity of Heathfield. By 1997 the "Founding Fathers" of the Partnership were in place and the democratically accountable bodies of the Parish, District and County Councils together with other local associates notably the Chamber of Trade and Commerce became the basis of the organisation. Their aim was to raise funds through bids for grants (local, national or European) to enable Heathfield to benefit for specific objectives. As a growing professional body, the Partnership formulated a business plan, which incorporated local consultation, which resulted in winning several bids for grants, this then enabled the Partnership to execute or commission the work for the projects in question.
The Heathfield Partnership now has two layers to its structure, The Trust Company Board (9 Directors) which takes full responsibility for all activities and has the strategic role and the Executive which is illustrated below which, as it says on the label, executes the projects through its committee format. The Partnership has always been seen by the local authorities as the "flagship" of partnership working. It has become a highly successful organisation that is gradually enhancing Heathfield, making it a pleasant place to visit and live. The Heathfield Partnership continues to work for the people of Heathfield by seeking to provide a range of diverse business opportunities, employment, training, shopping, low cost housing, leisure and tourism facilities. By creating a sustainable environment these services can then grow naturally for the future. The Company has now been awarded charitable status to enable fund raising opportunities to support the varied schemes that are planned for the town. A part-time Town Co-ordinator has been engaged to bring together all the various groups, to seek out and explore fund raising opportunities, to prepare grant applications, to inform, market and generally facilitate the work of the Partnership.
The Parish and District Councils as well as the Partnership and the Chamber of Trade and Commerce all help fund the salary for this post.
Its Aims and Objectives
The Partnership Executive is a voluntary group and comprises people from the Parish Council, District and County Councils, the Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the Heathfield and Waldron Rotary, the Churches together in Heathfield , Sussex Police, the Community College, Youth Service, Heathfield and Waldron Community association, Heathfield Youth Council, Charities in Heathfield , Sussex Rural Community Council and other concerned organisations. As a working group they have identified options for developing the town and the local villages. There were 5 major objectives at the commencement of the Partnership and these have been expanded many times over, to increase the role of revitalization in the community. They are hugely varied in scale and direction and are given strong leadership in each case by a Director of the Trust Company.
The Partnership Projects
Farmer's Market where local producers sell directly to the Public on the 3rd Saturday of the month in the Co-op car park. This is run by a very successful sub-committee and wonderfully supported by the Young Farmers and some of the suppliers themselves. The Market provides an opportunity for local people to sell arts, crafts and local produce. This is of crucial importance to local farmers with an opportunity to take advantage of a direct retail outlet. They have also expanded their operation to include a stand at the Heathfield Show and also to work in combination with the Heathfield Fun Day festival. Now one of the most successful markets in the South East, it draws a huge and loyal customer base from much of East Sussex .
High Street Programme
The first and most important of the Partnership's objectives was to improve the appearance and ambiance of the Town. In 1995 we had 10 long term vacant shops and the imagery was decidedly dreary. At the turn of the century we were successful in winning a market Town revitalization bid from national funds (one of 23 Towns) and this amounted to £264,000. We have since been working steadily through the town to improve its safety and appearance. The first stage was completed in 2002 when the western side of Station Road and the Southern side of the High Street were enhanced. This was followed by the completion of the stretch from the Co-op to Streatfield Road in 2003 which was very important to Traders and Landowners as it now incorporates the necessity of being compliant with the Disabled Access act. A tough challenge for the Traders on their own but with the organization of the Partnership, Heathfield has become the most disabled friendly Market Town in the South East. Improving the Town improves the appeal for the shops which in turn offers more choice and quality for the shopper which increases the footfall and in turn improves the prosperity of the retailer.
The fourth stage has been the levelling of the multi-gradients of the shop frontages to the north of the High Street between Streatfield Road and Cherwell Road . These were at one time, the house front gardens. This is now complete providing safe access for the older and less stable pedestrians, and improving the access for the disabled using wheelchairs. It also incorporates a Heavy Duty Vehicle delivery bay which should help reduce congestion in the high street. At the same time it also included the triumphant Town Clock, a project lead by the Rotary but supported by all concerned in the Town's welfare.
Phase 5 was completed with the eastern side of Station Road all the way to the Prince of Wales junction. This was done in conjunction with the Heathfield Local Transport plan and includes innumerable safety features.
We are currently working on the first part of Phase 6 of the High Street; improvements will be completed in conjunction with McCarthy and Stone. This Phase runs from Cherwell Road to include the entrance to the McCarthy and Stone development at the beginning of the Parade. There is no doubt that during the course of construction this development will, at times, cause difficulties in the town, but it is hoped to keep these to a minimal level remembering that the long-term effect of this development on Heathfield can only be good.
Fundraising for the final stages, the second part of Phases 6, the remainder of the parade and 7, the area by the library and Banks, has already started and a number of sources of potential financing are being approached. Design work is also in hand and we hope to see these final phases completed in the next two years.
Seating areas have been provided in the High Street, together with additional trees and flowering baskets/planters on poles, which help to improve the appearance and ambiance of the area and the ultimate boulevard softening effect. We have also been responsible for the fund raising, development erecting and maintenance of trees and hanging baskets in the town.
There are many who have worked hard with us on these High Street projects - SEEDA, the County Council highway engineers, Wealden District Council, Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council, The Chamber of Commerce and the Heathfield and Waldron Rotary.
The Partnership has also had a large part to play in the bringing about of the Heathfield Local Transport Plan in January 2004. This is run by officers of the County Council and should be executed over the next few years. 9 models have been drafted under consultation from Cross in Hand in the west to Old Heathfield in the east. The plan addresses traffic congestion, Public Transport facilities and Pedestrian and Cyclist's safety.
Transport Sub Committee
This is a sub committee of the High Street Improvements Committee, which have, in conjunction with the Rural Transport Association, launched an Accessibility Audit aimed at identifying the transport needs for Heathfield and its surrounding villages. As part of this Audit, a questionnaire was circulated throughout Heathfield and responses were returned by the end of September and have been collated and analysed. Draft proposals for a local bus service will hopefully result from that consultation and then a business plan can be put together. The Rotary, the Red Cross and Help the Aged are all seeking to be involved in this programme. This comes at a time when bus services are being cut back and public transport is at an all time low in rural communities. This is further compounded as County Council subsidies are buying less and less. The Survey should help prove how many of the more isolated or dependant (young and old) we have in our community before then setting out to examine how best to serve them.
A leaflet detailing transport available at present in our area, ‘Getting out and about in Heathfield', which has been funded by the Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council, has been produced and will be distributed to every household in the Parish in due course. It is also available to view and download on this website.
Sport and Leisure
A committee whose work has encouraged the continuation north of the National Cycle Route 21 and raised funds for a feasibility study which is currently being executed by the County Council. It also raised funds for a feasibility study looking into the possible location and potential viability of a new Heathfield indoor Swimming Pool and this feasibility study has now been used by the Committee to draft a three year business plan on a swimming pool to be based at Heathfield Community College . This business plan will go back to RQA for their consultancy. The Committee have made site visits of existing pools in Rye and Ringmer to examine the experience in both locations.
The commissioning of the swimming pool feasibility study and business plan has been possible due to the generous contributions of Awards for All, Wealden District Council, Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council, The Heathfield Area Pool Initiative (HAPI), the Old Heathfield and Cade Street Society , Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust and other kind support. Work on this is to be combined with a Cycle Route system.
ICT Committee
The introduction of the www.heathfield.net website was the starting point for this important team. We have now secured the portal for the site with help from our Partner, 21st Century and this now forms the most important communication tool for the whole community. There are plans in motion for Business sites, Tourist sites, Police sites and Youth Sites all of which will add a vitality to the area. This website provides valuable information for all residents on the activities and events in the Parish of Heathfield and Waldron and enables a full dialogue on all Partnership projects. 500 car stickers have been produced to help publicise the site. These appear in shop windows and public service locations.
The revamped website was launched in time for the launch of the first Public information Point or PiP on February 19th 2005 . The PIP project bid worth £185,000 has been a new innovation working in partnership with SEEDA, Access East Sussex, the WARR Partnership and two private Companies:-CITIXONE and NETESCAPE. The Committee have brought about an exciting scheme providing free and extensive computer information access across the Community. There are now 6 PiP sites with one more to go. These link in with www.heathfield.net and all the Local Authority websites and open up links to amongst others, Learn Direct and the Police. Instructions and publicity boards are now being produced to help guide users of the PiPs to realise the easy access to services available.
PiP Lite Training
There have been training sessions held at various venues in and around Heathfield on laptops and training has been given on Word, Excel, E-mail and Internet for absolute beginners. The training programme was a great success and gave access to so many people in the community who, for whatever reason, had found computers and their usage difficult. This training finished at the end of September 2006. It may be possible in the future to return to this objective and offer either similar or more advanced training schemes.
The PiP kiosks and training were being part-financed by the European Community WARR Partnership Leader+ 2000-2006 Programme, supported by:
· The European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund of the EU
· South East England Development Agency
Inward Investment Committee
This committee was responsible for the production and publication of the Heathfield at the Heart of Business Brochure. It has gone on to put substantial investment into the new business website which is a free and up-to-date account of all businesses in the Heathfield and Waldron Parish and will continue to find ways of promoting those businesses. Increasing the number of jobs and quality career opportunities and training for staff is part of its ongoing mantra.
The Partnership sought funding from Wealden District Council and East Sussex Highways towards a package of 11 Town signs to promote the car park sites and give numbers of spaces and emphasize that they are free and 3 gateway signs. Four tourist information "Boards" which will also highlight local businesses and services will be installed shortly. The material these will display will have a direct correlation to that on the website.
Further work is being investigated with detailed costings on producing a complimentary shopper's guide.
Police Local Action Team - LATS
This project is formed to support our own Police Force in serving our community. Chaired by our Local Police Officer, P.C. Ben Blackman, it brings together representatives from all parts of the Community in endeavouring to look at priority issues. This has then lead to investigating how best to deal with those issues and indeed how to seek better resources. Primary issues identified have been;- 1/ Anti-Social behaviour in the main streets and particularly in areas of elderly Residents. 2/ Illegal purchase of Alcohol. 3/ Vandalism attacks on retail premises. 4/ Arson attacks on commercial premises. 5/ Enforcement regarding illegal parking in the Town. Better resources may well be helped by the following:- 1/ CCTV throughout the Town with at least one mobile Camera. 2/ Additional PCSOs. 3/ Better facilities for our Youth.
The committee is also seeking inward investment for the Town and has executed a feasibility study with funding from SEEDA, the County and District Councils to establish where investment might best be realized. This is a long term project but one with extraordinary potential for the prosperity of the market Town.
Now officially affiliated to the Partnership, the Team lead by Police Officer Ben Blackman appear to be making progress on several issues. Having lobbied for new Officers, a newly appointed PCSO has joined the Heathfield team and this will increase the Team's resources. A single mobile CCTV camera is being piloted in Heathfield as a direct result.
Associated Business
The Partnership has also played a part in several other initiatives. The Heathfield Clean-up day in April, The Christmas Fun Day Festival and with its full participation in the newly formed Local Police Action Team. Here we have 3 Directors and 3 further Members of the executive involved in trying to work in Partnership with the police to improve Community safety and wellbeing.
August 2007
For all enquiries relating to the Partnership, please contact the Heathfield Partnership Coordinator by any of the following: -
c/o 92 High Street , Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8JD
Telephone 01892 610314 or email: heathfieldpartnership@fsmail.net
For updating the website only, write to:
