Earlsdon Festival – be part of it!

 

The 21st Earlsdon Festival will take place from Friday 25 April to Monday 5 May and organisers are calling on the community to be part of it.  Festival Chairperson Nigel Lee said  “Last year was brilliant. 10,000 people enjoyed the festivities in glorious sunshine and we had fantastic fringe events in the lead up to May Day.  It was a fabulous celebration of all that is good about Earlsdon and raised thousands of pounds for charities and good causes. This year is extra special as it will be the 21st Festival.  We aim to make it better than ever but we need help from local organisations and the public to ensure we can achieve this.”

 

FESTIVAL MAKERS NEEDED!

Can you spare a couple of hours on May Day?  The Festival needs volunteer stewards to staff the road closure barriers that will keep Earlsdon Street traffic free from 6 am to 6 pm.  No experience is needed but you must be aged 16 or over and of good character.  You will be fully briefed before starting and duties will include greeting people, handing out the May Day flyer and answering questions from the public and motorists.  All stewards are equipped with 2-way radios to keep them in touch with the Festival Coordinator which enables any queries to be resolved quickly.  Nigel said  “Our stewards are absolutely crucial to ensuring the May Day celebrations can take place, they are our ‘Festival Makers’.  I have to be honest and admit it has been a massive struggle to get volunteers for the last two festivals and we are indebted to those who have helped us on those occasions.  Please don’t assume others will step forward.  If you can help please get in touch with us as soon as possible.”

Anyone wishing to volunteer should contact Festival Coordinator Helen Atwood via e-mail at: helenatwood9@gmail.com

 

BOOK A STALL!

The stalls on May Day have proved a big hit with traders and the public alike since being introduced in 2012.  Demand is always high and if you have had one in the past you should have received a booking form by now. The fully weatherproofed stalls are ideal for selling your wares or promoting your brand, charity or good cause.

Nigel said “The stalls add the flavour of a country market to Earlsdon Street. Businesses and organisations from the ECHO area are always well represented but we would welcome more. Don’t forget that stalls can be shared by more than one trader – it’s a great way of cutting the hire cost for the many home-based arts and crafts ventures that exist in these parts.”

To obtain a booking form or further information please contact Sam or Tilly via email at: sales@tinderboxtoys.co.uk

 

FESTIVAL FRINGE

The “fringe” was established in 2012 to enable venues and locations across the entire Earlsdon area to play a full part in the Festival. It takes place from Friday 25 April to Sunday 4 May. Venues and organisations are encouraged to organise their own events and ones that benefit charities or good causes are particularly welcomed. From this year, the Festival will be asking for 10% of takings from any events that charge an admission fee.

Nigel said “The fringe is going from strength to strength. We have already had proposals to stage a Festival Race, a Festival Walk and a 5 a-side Football Tournament to complement the Tug of War competition at Hearsall Common. The diversity of events last year was amazing – we had talks, concerts, poetry readings, sporting taster sessions, a scratch choir, community gardening, quizzes and the incredibly popular antiques valuation day at the Gilbert Richards Centre. It is a great opportunity for venues and locations that are not on Earlsdon Street to put themselves in the spotlight so please get in touch if you wish to be included.”

Please email Simon Shaw at: ginger.simon@hotmail.co.uk or leave a message on the festival Facebook page to register your event or find out more.

 

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP & PROGRAMME ADVERTISING

Nigel said “The cost of staging the Festival rises each year.  Advertising and sponsorship revenue is a crucial part of funding it. If you are a business that would like to support us then please get in touch. 5,000 copies of our programme are printed and distributed to homes and shops in Earlsdon and we have a strong online presence where your adverts will also be featured.”

To find out more about Corporate Sponsorship packages, please contact Nigel Lee. Tel 7667 5772 or by email at: nigel@theleelot.com.

 

If you wish to advertise in the Programme, please contact Helen Atwood by email: helenatwood9@gmail.com or Mary Lee at: mary@theleelot.com.

To keep up to date with Festival news and view photographs from previous ones please visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/earlsdonfest.  There will of course be updates in each issue of ECHO from now until the Festival and also on our website and Facebook page.

 

There are plans for a public meeting in mid-February but a date, venue and time were not confirmed as ECHO went to press.

 

Cable work disruption

Work is now under way in the area on a major £9m initiative to improve electricity supplies to the south of Coventry.

It involves upgrading equipment in major substations and laying 6km of 132,000 volt cable between Hearsall Common and Whitley, which will help to safeguard supply to around 33,000 customers and allow for future increases in demand.

Work started in Earlsdon Avenue North on 27 January and is due for completion on 14 March and work in Spencer Avenue/Road began on the same day and continues until 21 February.

As well as residents and drivers being affected in these roads, there will also be disruption to bus passengers with stops being temporarily closed over the coming months on routes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 6A, 11, 12, 18, 18A, 19, 21 and 27.

 

A45 – will the pain be worth the gain?

A45 – WILL THE PAIN BE WORTH THE GAIN?

 

Major road works at the junction of Kenilworth Road with the A45 Fletchamstead/Kenpas Highway started early in the new year and have now been in progress for several weeks. In the short term this has caused considerable disruption with large tailbacks during peak times, affecting worst the residents most local to the junction, who have no way of avoiding it.

Oops! There is no right turn here in theory but confusion reigns.
Oops! There is no right turn here in theory but confusion reigns.

By the time this issue of ECHO is on sale the temporary ban on right turns into Kenilworth Road from the A45, in both directions, should be more or less at an end, as it was scheduled to be in place for only three of the ten week duration of the works.

The justification for the project, which is being funded through the EU, includes promised benefits for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as follows:

  • Providing a second right turn lane from Kenilworth Road coming out of the city onto the A45 westbound. This is about the balance of vehicle numbers between straight on/left and right turning. Tailbacks of right turning traffic with the current one lane cause congestion up towards the War Memorial Park by blocking straight on and left turning traffic.
  • A new toucan crossing across the A45 (Fletchamstead Highway) will enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross more safely and will give continuity on the Coventry to Kenilworth cycle route.
  • A new puffin crossing across Kenilworth Road (on the university side) will help pedestrians cross the junction.
This tailback on Kenilworth Road back towards Earlsdon is what the changes to the junction with the A45 are designed to prevent, but for the duration of the works we can expect it to be worse.
This tailback on Kenilworth Road back towards Earlsdon is what the changes to the junction with the A45 are designed to prevent, but for the duration of the works we can expect it to be worse.

More controversial is the decision to remove from the traffic light phases the right hand filter from the A45 into Kenilworth Road from both directions. This means that right turning traffic will only be able to turn in a rare break in oncoming traffic or as the lights change. It is claimed that this is the most common arrangement at junctions and because there will only be three phases of lights instead of four as currently; this will allow more time for all vehicles and therefore make it run more efficiently.