Foster Care Fortnight, fashion museum milestone, Pride in Place progress This week we reached an important milestone for the future of the Fashion Museum Bath, with planning permission now secured. This is a big step forward in bringing the museum to its new home and ensuring it continues to be a world-class cultural asset for our area. Fashion Museum Bath will be housed within the Grade II listed former Old Post Office in New Bond Street, with a new courtyard building and public garden at the centre of the site. It will secure the long‑term future of one of the world’s great fashion collections right in the heart of Bath city centre’s Milsom Quarter – an anchor development as part of the delivery of our masterplan for the city’s fashion and design district. I am also delighted this week to welcome the appointment of co-chairs for the Pride in Place programme in Twerton and Whiteway. Joy Luxford and Ruby Sant will work with a Neighbourhood Board and the local community to guide plans for £20million Government investment across the area over the next ten years. The money will be invested in local improvements chosen by people who live and work there. Thank you to everyone who put themselves forward for the role as chair. This locally-led work is all about celebrating community pride and supporting positive change, and having strong local leadership in place is key. I’m looking forward to seeing the difference this programme will make. This week is also Foster Care Fortnight, and here in Bath and North East Somerset we urgently need more foster carers to step forward and support local children and young people. By fostering with the council, you can help children stay close to their schools, friends and communities at a time when they need stability the most. You don’t need previous experience – just the commitment to care and make a difference. If you’ve ever thought about fostering, I would strongly encourage you to take the first step today by visiting Find out about fostering with B&NES or contacting the team for an informal chat. I also want to recognise and thank the incredible commitment of our existing foster carers. The care, stability and encouragement they provide changes lives, often in ways that last well into adulthood, and we are extremely grateful for everything they do. Looking ahead to half-term I will be visiting Colourscape on the Rec – and I’d encourage you to take a look if you’re planning things with family or friends. It promises to be a unique experience and is a great reason to use or get a Residents’ Discovery card, which gives visitors a discount. You can find out more about the event at the Bath Festivals website and on our website for the Discovery Card. Have a good weekend. Councillor Kevin Guy,
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council | 
