Tewkesbury town centre gets drinking water fountain after requests …

Tewkesbury now has a free drinking water fountain following requests from members of the public. A community street audit carried out last summer found residents and visitors wanted to see a source of drinking water in the town centre[1]. Tewkesbury Town Council said the water fountain, in Spring Gardens car park, was already being well used.

And Historic England said the ‘simple, but practical’ facility could make all the difference to visitors deciding whether to return to the town. Funding for the water fountain came from Tewkesbury’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ). It is a partnership between Tewkesbury Borough Council[2] and Historic England to invest GBP1m in the regeneration of the historic town centre.

Jen King, Assistant Town Clerk for Tewkesbury Town Council, said “This water supply is already being well used, with the members of the local workforce finding it useful to top up a water bottle during their working day.” The fountain is free to use. It provides a source of clean tap water for the public to fill bottles and cups.

HSHAZ Programme Manager, Georgia Smith, added “I am delighted that the HSHAZ funding has been able to contribute to the comfort of residents and visitors in this way. We experienced a very hot summer last year and I am pleased that the drinking water supply is in place in good time to meet demand in the warmer months this year.” Rebecca Barrett, Regional Director at Historic England, said: “This represents a small but very useful grant from HSHAZ funding.

It is important to consider the whole town centre experience when working to regenerate our high Streets.

“The presence of simple, but practical facilities for users of historic towns, such as this drinking water fountain, can make the difference between a single visit or multiple return visits.”

References

1. ^ town centre (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
2. ^ Tewkesbury Borough Council (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
3. ^ Gloucester Docks traders talk of woes amid huge drop in footfall (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)