A March Update
HOW CAN ENFIELD TOWN BE IMPROVED ?
TO FIND THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION ENFIELD COUNCIL ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYING A COMPANY TO PRESENT THEM WITH IDEAS.
Interestingly GRH has been invited by the Council to meet representatives of the company, ‘Augarde & Partners,’ to discuss ways that the town could be improved for residents.
A representative of the Council told us that, ‘The idea is to empower people to make a difference to the town.’
We have already had some thoughts as have a few residents we have been chatting to:
‘ The main shopping street is shouting out for trees. I’ve already told somebody that and they said trees were dangerous for buses but I’m sure there’s a way round that. ‘
‘ There’s a guy that plays the accordion. He’s great. More proper musicians should be encouraged. ‘
‘ All the old buildings should be kept like Barclays. ‘
‘ That fruit and veg stall is fantastic next to the bus stop. That should stay forever. And the market is good – particularly in Summer when it’s bigger than in Winter. Lovely ‘
‘ We need some really new ideas to liven it up but I can’t think of any ‘
‘ A water feature like a fountain would really wake things up’
‘ I hear that a lot of the shops that close down are doing so because the rents are so high. Don’t know if that’s true though.’
SO HAVE YOU ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT
HOW THE TOWN CAN BE IMPROVED ?
If so please follow this link to complete the form, which will then automatically be emailed back to the GRH Committee. We will include all the feedback in the meeting we are attending on
MONDAY MARCH 17
BEAUTIFUL DAY TO HONOUR BARNEY
The final event in the hugely popular GRH Barney’s Bridge campaign was held on a beautiful Spring Day a couple of Mondays ago.
The new sign announcing that the 180 year old River View bridge was now Barney’s Bridge had been hung two weeks before but the actual naming ceremony saw a red ribbon cut by owner Chris Smith in front of a crowd of about fifty residents.
Cool, soothing jazz, appropriate for the day, was provided by Pam Pecko-Smith and husband Malcolm. That was preceded by a short speech from Alan Boyle on behalf of GRH who said that the project had been a very collaborative one between the Residents’ Association and the Council. Recognising the campaign as very much a community event the Council offered to pay the full cost of the new sign including design and fitting.
Cllr. Mike Rye said that, ‘This is a wonderful example of community spirit and I congratulate the whole community”
Before cutting the official ribbon Chris Smith said, ‘I can’t quite believe this is happening. We used to call this Barney’s Bridge because he used to sit here keeping watch and refusing to move for anyone. It started as a joke but I never thought that it would actually happen.’
There were cheers all round as Barney’s Bridge slipped into history as the only bridge in the whole UK named after a real cat !
BARNEY FOREVER
We used a large photo of Barney when we were originally collecting signatures for the Barney’s Bridge campaign. We used the same photo again at last week’s naming ceremony and put it near the new sign.
At the end of the day we took the 60cm x 35cm picture to the Crown & Horseshoe the nearest pub to Barney’s Bridge. The manager was thrilled to have it. Ten minutes later he returned with the picture in a gold frame.
The picture now hangs in the room looking out into the garden. Hopefully Barney will be there for a long time.
CYCLISTS TAKE CARE
Instead of waiting for the Town Council two GRH members have taken on the responsibility of obtaining and displaying a ‘road-safety’ sign.
It follows two near misses of two cyclists in two weeks where each cyclist narrowly missed a pedestrian. One cyclist was riding at a normal speed but the other was riding much too fast. On each occasion the cyclist was coming through the arch where Chapel Street meets Gentleman’s Row and the pedestrian on each occasion was walking along Gentleman’s Row towards the town.
Neither pedestrian was injured but both say they were a little shocked – one mainly because the abuse one cyclist shouted.
However, now there is a traditional red, white and black sign attached to the inside of the Arch asking cyclists to BEWARE Pedestrians crossing.
STAY IN TOUCH
EMAIL: grhresidents@live.com
WEBSITE: www.grhresidentsassociation.org
INSTAGRAM: @grhenfield
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/grhenfield