This week, Ashbourne Reborn extended a big thank you to pupils and staff at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (QEGS) who invited us into their art department to make handprints that will feature in a stone dial in Shrovetide Walk! Handprints will also be contributed by pupils of St Oswald's primary school, so that young people of all ages will feature in the artwork.
As part of the Highways and Public Realm project, which is led by the County Council, Shrovetide Walk will be developed into a welcoming space with seating where commemorative artworks will celebrate the unique contribution to the Ashbourne community of the annual Royal Shrovetide Football. The project is based on the scheme initiated and developed by AshCom, a not for profit volunteer-led organisation who have contributed vital match funding through local fundraising and sponsorship.
The Highways and Public Realm project will transform a series of public spaces including Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk. To restore a sense of vibrancy to the heart of the town, Grade II listed features in the Market Place will be repaired and upgraded, with new street furniture and lighting added, and trees planted to bring much-needed greenery into the town centre. When the scheme is finished, the Market Place, Victoria Square, Shrovetide Walk and Millennium Square will be ready to host the town's popular programme of outdoor events, like StreetFest – which will go ahead as usual in June this year - as well as setting the scene for exciting new events.
Works to the road network through the town centre will help transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne, with wider footways and new and improved crossings around the town centre. They are part of an overall £15.9m scheme that aims to bring back vibrancy, vitality and economic prosperity to Ashbourne town centre, with £13.4m UK government funding and the rest raised locally by project partners. A second project, The Link Community Hub, led by Ashbourne Methodist Church, will provide a range of new services to residents, businesses and visitors across Ashbourne.
The Ashbourne Reborn proposals originated from businesses and community groups within the town. Ashbourne Reborn is a partnership scheme involving Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom, with delivery of the Highways and Public Realm project being led by Derbyshire County Council and the Link Community Hub by Ashbourne Methodist Church.
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