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Activities
Community Consultation &
Planning
The Trust has led and
supported community consultation and planning initiatives since it
started in 1997. Most recently, it supported the Market and Coastal
Towns Initiative (MCTI) Lyme Forward which
has led to the production of the Lyme Regis Community
Plan
.
The Trust supports the
implementation of the Community Plan through the network of
statutory and voluntary organisations and individuals in the Local
Area Partnership which is chaired by the Lyme Regis Town Council.

Stimulating economic
regeneration
Many jobs in Lyme Regis are reliant on the short summer
visitor season and the Trust has been working to lengthen that
visitor period by starting two festivals, the Fossil Festival
in April / May and the
ArtsFest in
September/October.
Lyme Regis
Fossil Festival
Situated on the
Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Lyme Regis is famous for its
geology, fossils and unparalleled role in the birth of the earth
science so in 2005 the Lyme Regis Development Trust organised the
first Lyme Regis Fossil Festival.
Now in its third
year of celebrating the past in ways that address contemporary
natural science issues, the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival offers people
of all ages and backgrounds an interactive, eclectic mix of arts and
science activities.
Each year the
Fossil Festival brings together teams of specialists from the
Natural History Museum and other leading national scientific
institutions and universities with local fossil collectors, artists
and the community. The event features interactive exhibitions,
fossil hunting walks and stimulating evening talks attracting over
7000 visitors each year to include over 500 students on the Schools
day.
 The Natural History Museum tent
at the 2007 Rising Seas Fossil Festival
In
the longer term, the Trust is leading work on developing a world
class visitor centre and field studies centre including the
redevelopment of the Marine Theatre and extension of the Philpot
Museum.
 Philpot Museum, The
Guildhall & Marine Theatre
Supporting facilities for
children and young people InSPARation Youth Cafe
This important area of
the Trust’s work includes the running of the InSPARation youth café in
conjunction with West Dorset Youth Service.
Sure Start Childrens
Centre
The
Trust is also working with the Under 12s Forum to start a Sure Start
centre based in a new building at St Michael’s primary school with
land kindly provided by the Diocese of Salisbury. The centre is due
to open in January 2008.
The new Children’s Centre will be
offering wrap-round childcare andExtended
School
programmes. This high quality 8am-6pm childcare - including morning
and afternoon pre-school, breakfast, lunch, after-school and holiday
clubs – will provide holistic
support for children’s development and families with young children,
as well as helping to facilitate the return to work of parents. It
will serve children and families in the local community and act as a
focus for providing integrated care and education for young
children, as well as health services and family
support.
Affordable
housing
The lack of affordable
housing is one of the main problems facing young people and first
time house buyers in Lyme Regis. Wages are 17% below the national
average while house prices are some of the most expensive in the
country. The Trust works with local housing associations and the
town and district council to identify opportunities for building
affordable housing. The Raglan Housing Association recently openedPooles Court
which contains 9 social rented houses.
Supporting Community Organisations
Community Players
The Trust has supported the Lyme Regis Community Players since
it started in 2000 with a production of Fiddler on the roof.
The Community Players now has produced a string of successful
productions and in October this year put on The Music Man at
the Marine Theatre.
Profits from the Community Players go
to support the Trust's work with young people in the town.

The Community Players
MatchGirls 2002/The Sound Of Music
2004
LymeNET
LymeNET provides high quality up-to-date
ICT, math’s, English and other learning opportunities to all ages of
people from the communities of West Dorset and East Devon, in a
friendly and welcoming environment. We provide information, advice
and guidance to help clients to achieve their goals and improve
their confidence. We also offer general facilities such as fax,
photocopying and internet access.
Double Design
Double Design has been set up as a trading name
of LymeNET Ltd, and offers a range of services including graphic
design, web design, development and content management, and
technical support for homes and businesses. Graphic design services
include business cards, posters, advertisements, leaflets, brochure,
and can produce a complete corporate image. Its portfolio already
includes the Lyme Regis ArtsFest 2007 brochure and website – which
Laurence Madill has designed and maintained since its launch in
2002, the official Lyme Regis Tourism website, Lyme Regis Webcam and
theBoat
Building Academy.
Delivering
projects
The
Trust has a proven ability to attract funding and deliver projects.
Apart from the Sure Start centre, it worked with The Town Mill
to construct a
path connecting the Mill to the centre of the town.

The Town Mill path under
construction
Following two years of disruption caused
through the coastal protection of the town, local traders approached
the Trust to ask for help in making sure people knew the town was
again open as an attractive tourist destination. In response the Trust led a
project with Lyme Regis Town Council and Lyme Bay Holidays to
install a Web Cam
on the Historic Cobb Harbour Wall. This has been a great
success attracting online visitors from around the world.
The Trust also gave £21,000 to theWoodroffe
School to help
them gain Visual Arts Status.
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St Michael’s Business Centre, Church Street,
Lyme Regis Dorset DT7
3DB
Charity
no: 1075743
Company Registration No:
03501364
Web Design by Mary
& Nomad 01297-444-882
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