An open letter from Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council
Posted on: Monday, September 18, 2023Hello residents,
What an incredible couple of weeks we’ve had; seeing the Tour of Britain coming through our district and the Newark and Sherwood Community Awards which made me feel very proud.
Our residents and communities are wonderful people and seeing the award winners last Friday evening really brought that home to me. And again, seeing how our towns and villages turned out to support Stage 4 of the Tour of Britain was as equally heart-warming.
A massive thank you has to go out to you all, our residents, whose support made these events so very special.
I’d like to congratulate everyone who was nominated for a Community Award and I would like to thank you all for the work you do in our communities. We proudly sponsored the Community Champion Award which rewards the endeavours of an individual who acts selflessly by giving their time for the benefit of our community and who inspires those around them to be better people. I know most of the nominees don’t do the work they do to win awards, so the event at Kelham Hall was designed to give all nominees and winners some richly deserved recognition for what they give back to their communities.
It was inspiring to see the crowds at the start and finish of Stage 4 of the Tour of Britain, all of whom were really entering into the spirit of the event! Lots of Robin Hood hats were worn for the occasion, giving a strong Notts flavour to the day. But more than that, the support shown by our towns and villages along the route created a very special atmosphere.
I love that events like this bring out the best in our communities, bringing people together to enjoy and share in something really special. It’s particularly good to see local businesses embracing the opportunity, Southwell as always stepped up as the race swept through the town. The artwork along the route was spectacular, from the specially decorated bikes in Bilsthorpe through to Coddington farmer, Des Allen’s amazing sheep display, as the Tour of Britain tweeted, ‘There’s land art then there’s Nottinghamshire farmer land art 🐑’’
This year’s tour was particularly special, as not only did we have the honour of hosting the finish in Newark, but also for the first time we hosted the start with the help of the RSPB in Edwinstowe. Thank you to British Cycling and SweetSpot Group Limited for once again putting their trust in Newark and Sherwood and to all the cyclists who took part and have helped, once again, to make Nottinghamshire an important part of the Tour of Britain.
Finally, I’d like to thank all my colleagues who helped to make both of these events a success, none of this would’ve been possible without the hard work of our Notts County Council colleagues and our own Community team.
Thank you to everyone who helped in any way to make these events special, it all helps to put our amazing district of Newark and Sherwood firmly on the map and to demonstrate how great our communities and our residents are.
Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council.
Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council.