CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

With the sun out over Easter and Spring in the air, there is a sense of positive times ahead. This Newsletter reflects the busy time we have been having in the Chamber this month; have a read to find out about the new Directory of Services, our next social get together, the success of our first speaker event this year, news of our new committee members and of the Watton Town Meeting. There is a lot happening!

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The 40th Anniversary edition of the Wayland Chamber Directory of Information and Services will be arriving through your letterbox soon. This years celebratory issue includes extended business contact details, a revision of the community pages as well as the usual advertisement for local businesses and services and business listings. You will also receive an insert survey about how you would like to see the new community, business and leisure centre developed at the Wayland House site at the western end of the High Street (see below for further details).

The first of this years speaker events kicked off to a great start. Ashley Cane an internet entrepreneur gave a compelling presentation of his journey to create an online sales company Digiflex and lead it to global sales, to become one of Amazon’s top online sellers. With his online business continuing to achieve great success, Ashley talked about how he is diversifying his business portfolio into property. This stimulating presentation was followed by 45 mins of Q&A and a queue of attendees waiting to talk to him over cake and coffee. Look out for details of our next speaker event in a few months time.

NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS ELECTED

The AGM was well attended and we are pleased to welcome to our Committee three new members: Tom Navarro (TN Exterior Property Cleaning Ltd), David Hazel (Kando Pictures Ltd) and Michael Barnes (Clumsy Pickle). We will be profiling our new members in future editions of our newsletter.

Stepping down at the AGM this year after 3 years of service was Todd Pitcher (Semibold) and after many many years of service in many capacities within the Chamber, Paul Adcock (Adcocks) took a step back from frontline committee duties to concentrate on his respected business. Both remain committed members of our Chamber and continue to play a role as such. We intend to appropriately honour Paul’s commitment and efforts on behalf of the Chamber and the retailers of Watton High Street in the near future, Watch this space for future information.

ANOTHER NEW STORE IN WATTON HIGH STREET 

It seems that almost every newsletter I am able to announce a new store opening in the High Street. Watton seems to be defying the normal trend for closures in High Streets, and bringing new and exciting retail opportunities to our town centre.

This month we are pleased to announce the opening of the Norfolk Gift Company at 11A High Street, Watton. You will perhaps know Amanda Crossley and Nathalie Hutchings from their market stall, well now they are offering a shop front for talented Norfolk based crafters, makers and artists. We wish the team well in their new enterprise. www.thenorfolkgiftcompany.co.uk

The Watton Town meeting was held in the new refurbished Council Chamber at the Town Hall on Tuesday 18th April. This was an incredibly positive event with local groups and organisations able to report on so many uplifting achievements in the Town, all undertaken with the Town Councils support. There were reports from the Watton and Saham Toney Flood Action Group, The Museum, the Sports Centre, Loch Neaton and the Wayland Partnership. Our chairman presented his report on the Neighbourhood Plan and as Chair of the Project Management Team on the progress in creating the new community, business and leisure centre on the Wayland House site.

David outlined how the proposal provided for the following community, business and leisure needs for Wayland:

• A new fit-for-purpose facility and art gallery for the Partnership to undertake and expand its community and business services

• Job creation and training opportunities for entrepreneurs in digital and creative media as part of the business incubator/serviced office accommodation and meeting rooms

• An anchor building to attract footfall for retailers at the western end of the Watton High Street

• New facilities for the Norfolk Constabulary

• Leisure facilities for all ages and abilities based around a 100-seater cinema/e-sports arena, a

• gaming-space for virtual reality and video games (including a family suite), podcast/video studio’s, a bistro cafe, an atrium space for live events, and reception/management and security

The Annual Town Meeting was a great success. It worked so well was because it brought together and summarised all of the positive developments that are occurring in Watton, many of which have knock-on impacts for the whole of Wayland.

See the Town Council Website for all the reports www.wattontowncouncil.gov.uk/annual-town-meeting-2022/

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SEND IN YOUR LATEST NEWS

We want to keep the new website up to date with the very latest news and information that will be relevant to visitors and of use to the local community, so if you have a news story, or maybe want to share information about how your business has been coping in lockdown, then please send your information to us with any relevant images and we will add this to our website and promote through our social media.