The Vision is a high-level strategic document aimed at guiding the future regeneration of the town over the coming decade The county council is one of three local authority partners comprising the Leamington Transformation Board along with Warwick District Council and Royal Leamington Town Spa Council.  This collaborative initiative has driven this renewed Vision forward.  Public engagement has been central to the development with extensive input gathered through surveys Key priorities identified by the community included: supporting local businesses conserving the town's historic character These priorities shaped the three pillars of the vision – Healthy Place; Healthy People; and Healthy Planet – which align closely with the county council’s key areas of focus.  The Vision was originally drawn up in 2018 but given the drastic changes seen across society it was decided a refresh was required.  Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning commented on the Vision’s significance saying: “Endorsing this Vision represents a major step forward for Leamington Spa It will guide our work in creating a town centre that is not only functional but also a place where our residents and visitors want to spend time." added: “A vibrant economy is the backbone of a thriving town centre and this Vision focuses on supporting businesses and encouraging new investment By addressing key issues such as air quality we aim to create a Leamington Spa that is an attractive place for residents The next phase of the project will advance a Public Realm and Activation Masterplan for the Parade Leamington Spa’s central street and historic centre piece of the town and involves detailed public and stakeholder engagement This will allow the community to provide input on potential improvements to the Parade ensuring that all proposed changes align with the Vision’s strategic goals.  A full copy of the report to cabinet can be found here: https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/s40098/Leamington%20Town%20Centre%20Vision.pdf Public ceremonies and exhibitions will be held across Warwickshire to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day which brought an end to the Second World War in Europe A ceremony in Royal Leamington Spa will head up the local event programme which also includes commemorations across the local area A special ‘VE Day 80’ flag will be flown above the Town Hall in Leamington on 8 May It will be raised at 9am by Councillor Rob Margrove who will be joined by fellow representatives from neighbouring towns and members of the Royal British Legion (RBL) the Leamington RBL branch will host a short service at the war memorial on Euston Place which will be followed by a beacon lighting event on Newbold Comyn Attendees will be able to purchase refreshments with live music from Royal Spa Brass starting at 8.30pm It is a privilege to be part of Warwick District’s VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations commemorating the end of the conflict in Europe and acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of those that fought so hard for our freedoms The events will continue into the evening with Councillor Judith Clarke This will be followed by a short speech from Cllr Margrove as the beacon is lit at 9.30pm Services will also be held at Kenilworth Castle and at the Warwick war memorial Reflecting on the significance of the events, Cllr Margrove said: “It is a privilege to be part of Warwick District’s VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations commemorating the end of the conflict in Europe and acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of those that fought so hard for our freedoms.” He added: “I’d be delighted to see residents join us at Newbold Comyn to light the beacon and to use it as an opportunity to pause and reflect.” The celebrations will continue on Friday 9 May In addition to the public ceremonies, military museums across Warwick are organising special exhibitions and talks throughout the day offering deeper insights into the local and national impact of the war and the stories of the men and women who were involved hosted by Warwick Town Council in Warwick’s Court House ballroom The evening will feature music from period singer Ruby Rouge with guests encouraged to dress in vintage attire Tickets for the event are priced at £25 and can be purchased from the Visitor Information Centre in Warwick Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Leamington Spa has added the bakery chain Gail’s (stylised GAIL’S) to its collection of cafes after the opening of a branch in the town centre The bakery opened at 91 Regent Street, just off the parade, on 22 January. Apprentice star Raj Chohan purchased the property in 2021, and her husband described buying it as “a bit of a gamble” work started in early 2024 to open the bakery Gail’s is popular for its selection of quality coffee ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy at breakfast and lunch Among their most popular products are mini avocado sandwiches Gail’s expresses that its house blend speciality coffee is ‘carefully sourced’ Its website states: “We take great pleasure in using the best ingredients we can find for food and drink using seasonal ingredients from suppliers we trust.”  The managing board of Gail’s have said there may be scope for 300-500 Gail’s bakeries across the UK for example the sour cherry and chocolate scones Gail’s also won the Best Coffee Shop/ Café Group Award at the MCA Hospitality Awards in 2024 the franchise has grown across the country The managing board of Gail’s have said there may be scope for 300-500 Gail’s bakeries across the UK The chain is already steadily expanding its reach having recently opened bakeries in Chelmsford the closest Gail’s to students had been in Stratford-Upon-Avon The opening of the new branch in Leamington was met with a mixture of enthusiasm and surprise by students but incredibly surprised that a Gail’s is opening in a student town Sikh community marks a holy day with a spectacular ceremony By NOTICEBOARD · 20 September 2024 Kenilworth and surrounding villages will carry out a religious procession (Nagar Kirtan) through the streets of Leamington Spa to celebrate the birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the anniversary marking the passing of the Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib Ji A Nagar Kirtan is a traditional Sikh custom involving the processional singing of holy hymns throughout the community The procession is led by five saffron-robed Sikhs called Panj Pyare or beloved ones dressed in traditional attire who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib (The central holy scripture of Sikhism and eternal Guru) which is placed on the float with others playing drums other musical instruments and singing hymns The procession will start at 11am on Sunday October 6 at the Gurdwara Sahib in Leamington and Warwick and return to the same location by around 3pm From the car park of the Gurdwara Sahib Leamington and Warwick the procession will go through an internal gate to make its way on to the Kingsway towards and past The Sikh Cultural and Sports Community Centre It will then cross over Queensway to Kingsway all the way down to Tachbrook Road then follow the road up to the Queensway/St Helens Road Junction and proceed onto Queensway back towards The Sikh Cultural and Sports Community Centre and the Gurdwara Sahib Sikhism is one the youngest major religions founded in the late 15th century by Guru Nanak Dev Ji The Sikh faith emphasises the balance between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct Guru Nanak Dev Ji summarises this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue but higher still is truthful living." Throughout his life he highlighted the need to live a simple life and that the best way to be spiritual was by living a hardworking and honest life meditating by reciting God’s name and sharing with others people from the Indian Sub-Continent began arriving in the UK seeking work offered good employment opportunities in manufacturing The Sikh’s characteristic belief in hard work soon prompted them to explore other business opportunities too a few families started meeting every Wednesday at Coten End This was the first house of worship for many Sikhs in Warwick and Leamington Eventually the community purchased a discontinued Sunday school in New Street and formal services commenced there in 1967 Due to a fire in April 1974 the New Street Gurdwara had to be rebuilt and was finally complete in 1980 Urquhart hall in Mill Street was purchased to cater for social and cultural activities By the mid 1990s it was becoming increasingly apparent that the facilities at both at the New Street Gurdwara and Sikh Community Centre had become inadequate to meet the increasing needs of the Sikh community An alternate site was sought which eventually led to the current three acres site being purchased a vacant factory in Queensway Trading Estate Work for new Gurdwara started in 2008 and was completed in 18 month and formally opened in October 2009 LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}} The upcoming academic year will not only see students return to lectures and seminars The nightlife around the University of Warwick is almost as much a part of campus life as the campus itself — yet is it nearly as safe To understand feelings among students about the safety of nights out in Coventry and Leamington The Boar conducted a survey asking participants to describe their biggest issues with the local social scene after dark 40% of respondents went clubbing once a week and 23% went multiple times a week A 2021/22 survey by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) highlighted the idea that a return to university means a return to nightlife for most students Their survey found that 81% of students believed that drinking and getting drunk is a part of university culture and that 53% consumed alcohol more than once a week The Boar’s survey responses indicated that students at the University of Warwick are no different from those who participated in the SOS survey two years ago The results found that of the students who responded 40% go clubbing once a week and 23% go multiple times a week The remaining respondents attend clubs every couple of weeks or for special occasions with 3% stating that they used to go multiple times a week but no longer do so Most nights out for students at the University of Warwick are in Leamington Spa The town is the home of popular clubs Smack and Neon Yet 80% of respondents said that they have felt unsafe whilst on a night out in Leamington Students spoke of experiencing “pushing and shoving” in Neon and being “worried about crowd crush” in the queue for Smack One respondent mentioned having experienced homophobic abuse and another spoke on a time when they were faced with racial abuse also often go to the city of Coventry for nights out Over half of the survey’s respondents said they had never felt unsafe on a night out in Coventry None of the staff did anything to help when I was visibly unsafe In 2023, following a recorded increase in incidents of spiking in 2021, the Home Office published a policy paper titled ‘Understanding and Tackling Spiking’ This rise in spiking incidents coincided with students returning to university following lockdown and the greatest number of incidents took place in university towns The report stated that investments into projects that focus on protecting women have been made and that educational initiatives had been created to raise awareness for the problems caused by spiking and the severity of the crime Concerns regarding spiking were prevalent in The Boar’s survey responses discussing clubs in Leamington Spa One respondent spoke on being spiked and said: “None of the staff did anything to help when I was visibly unsafe.” Another response mentioned they had heard of spiking incidents in Leamington and Coventry the owners of these clubs don’t do much to prevent this.” Google Reviews of nightclubs local to the University of Warwick further emphasise worries over staff responses to spiking A review of a Coventry nightclub posted five months ago claimed that after the reviewer was spiked in the club “they refused to give the police any CCTV footage” They added that the police said that this often happens Another common theme throughout responses to the survey were concerns about men: whether this was “older men” in Kasbah described by one respondent or “creepy men” in Neon mentioned by another One respondent to The Boar’s survey said: “We know it’s not ‘all men’ following the murder of Sarah Everard by a male police officer the hashtag ‘#NotAllMen’ trended on social media This was countered with the idea that not all men are perpetrators of misogynistic actions but nearly all women have been victims of it Another respondent bought to light their own experiences of being made to feel uncomfortable by men They mentioned how they “haven’t felt unsafe” but have “definitely felt uncomfortable” stating that “there’s a very fine line between the two” Students being made to feel uncomfortable when on nights out should be enough to show that a wider nightlife safety problem exists which sees societies play drinking games prior to POP is a controversial pastime that has previously been banned due to concerns it was fostering an unsafe atmosphere for participants A past 2019 ban led to the introduction of a code of conduct for circling by the Students’ Union (SU) Evidence from The Boar’s survey suggests that following this implementation most students feel safe whilst circling; 80% of respondents always felt safe when participating in circle games while the majority of students did not feel threatened during circle many had negative experiences clubbing on campus in the Copper Rooms Some respondents mentioned incidents of spiking in POP! and another mentioned having heard a rape alarm go off in the Copper Rooms they said: “No member of staff seemed interested or seemed to have an urgent interest in helping the individual.” Safety on campus is one of my biggest priorities (namely urged anyone feeling unsafe on a night out or afterwards to reach out to the SU for support She said: “We unfortunately were not aware of this incident prior to the article and are more than willing to talk to the student about what happened and I have worked with Estates and Community Safety on several initiatives that will make campus feel safer and help students get home safe based on student feedback from the Safer @ Warwick survey we ran last year.” Ms Nihal continued that although the Operations Team is “highly trained” in safety they “are always happy to undertake continuous learning” and were undergoing additional training for harassment and assault prevention the SU was taking steps to certify its venues as safe spaces per the Egalitarian’s Safe Place Project Two other survey respondents said that although they felt safe inside the Copper Rooms, they had found the walk back to their accommodation on campus daunting. The Boar spoke previously to Ms Nihal then-SU Vice President for Welfare and Campaigns on her work to fix lampposts on campus to ensure that students did not have to walk home in the pitch-black darkness A University spokesperson told The Boar: “We take the safety of our community on campus incredibly seriously The security of our students and staff is our top priority with 93% of respondents agreeing in a recent survey that they feel safe on campus we know there is always more work to do and are determined to build upon our effort to ensure everybody on campus feels safe we have recently repaired and upgraded lighting around multiple areas of campus and also run 24-hour Community Safety Patrols which are increased during the darker nights to provide reassurance for our community.” When students do feel unsafe on campus, they can turn to Nightline a service offering peer-to-peer support throughout the night via phone calls Students can also drop in and receive products in-person The service is next to the Rootes residency hub next to Red Square and the International House 47% of respondents to the survey said that they were unsure of where Nightline is located although all respondents were aware of what the organisation does to support students a charity which offers support for under 25s which details how to stay safe on a night out reminds young people that they “deserve to have a fun night out and feel safe” The reoccurring advice provided from existing University of Warwick students was to stay in a group and not to feel pressured to “go out or drink if you don’t want to” One respondent summarised the advice given in one simple sentence: “Know your limits NMS UK’s new manufacturing hub will help to support the resilience of the UK defence industry’s supply chain for protected patrol vehicles ensuring that valuable intellectual property is retained in the UK The West Midlands is home to the largest manufacturing cluster of any UK city region with its 300,000-strong manufacturing workforce accounting for 11.2% of all local employment This is well above the national average of 7.6% Invest Coventry & Warwickshire has been working to support NMS UK by shortlisting suitable sites and will be working with the company through Warwickshire Skills Hub and Coventry Jobs Shop to help with recruitment and upskilling The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) – the region’s official investment promotion agency – along with the Department for Business and Trade supported NMS UK’s investment by facilitating introductions to relevant stakeholders including suppliers and the region’s world-class universities WMGC also provided the business with ongoing communications consultancy and invitations to relevant events to support with raising its profile within the industry and local marketplace said: “I want to make the West Midlands the best place in the UK to do business and this investment by NMS shows why our region continues to be the beating heart of UK advanced manufacturing and exporting It will also mean 150 highly skilled jobs for local people I will continue to work with our universities and training companies and through my Youth Plan to make sure our young people have the skills they need to secure these sorts of jobs and get the best start possible to their careers.” Dorset - has achieved two significant accreditations that position the company as a trusted supplier for military and defence contracts The Royal Air Force’s new UK made drones - known as StormShroud - came into operation today British company Arondite - which is building AI to transform how defence organisations safely deliver 'human-machine' teaming at scale - has secured over $12 million in funding from leading global investors British advanced maritime tech company SubSea Craft (SSC) has unveiled a new Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) capability marking the company’s second product offering following the success of its VICTA diver delivery platform SEA has secured a 15-year contract with Thales as part of the Maritime Sensor Enhancement Team (MSET) programme Kahootz and Shipley UK have announced a strategic partnership to enhance opportunity capture and bid management capabilities Website by Silkstream The views expressed are not necessarily those of ADS or its members No responsibility or liability is accepted by ADS the editorial team or the publisher for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any statement expression of opinion or belief contained within this site Saturday 7 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025 Come and join us at the Royal Spa Centre for the enchanting family pantomime Beauty and the Beast starring Spa Centre panto favourites JP MCCUE and SEAN DODDS.  When an arrogant prince is cursed to live as a beast his only hope of salvation is to find love before the last petal falls from a magic rose.   Can village girl Belle see beyond appearances and learn to love a beast Make memories this festive season with this fun-filled Christmas cracker which is the perfect treat for all the family!  Packed full of all the traditional panto ingredients you know and love plenty of audience interaction and marvellous musical numbers Beauty and the Beast is sure to be the hottest ticket in Warwickshire this Christmas.  Book tickets Designed and Powered by Jadu By NOTICEBOARD · 6 March 2025 A new memory café is launching next month in Leamington Spa run by home care company Unique Senior Care aims to provide a supportive and friendly environment for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.An open day will take place on Tuesday offering the chance to find out more about the café Claire Wilson from the Alzheimer's Society will be giving a talk on understanding dementia the café will officially launch on April 1 and run every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Cubbington Village Hall the Leamington Spa and Kenilworth Memory Café will offer a variety of activities all aimed at stimulating and engaging people living with dementia Professional organisations will also visit to provide support and advice cost £3 per person and will be led by experienced care professionals and dedicated volunteers said: "We're really excited about the launch of the Leamington Spa and Kenilworth Memory Café It's important for us to create a place where those living with dementia can enjoy themselves it's a wonderful opportunity to connect with others in similar situations and access valuable resources." Dementia affects millions of people worldwide and initiatives like the Leamington Spa and Kenilworth Memory Café play a crucial role in providing much-needed support These cafés offer a safe space for those living with dementia to engage in stimulating activities and social interaction which can improve their quality of life and overall wellbeing the café provides an opportunity to connect with others facing similar challenges and to access valuable resources and information Unique Senior Care is also seeking volunteers who want to make a positive impact in the community Volunteers will be essential in providing support and companionship to people attending For more information about the Dementia Café or to become a volunteer