In our last newsletter, we shared an update on the town’s flag brackets — the ones that display a wonderful array of flags throughout the year to mark seasons and special occasions.
As many of you will be aware, the Town Council has been conducting safety surveys and inspections of its bracket installations following concerns raised about some of the fixings. While this important work is underway, our dedicated volunteer team, Flag Force, has temporarily paused their usual flag displays.
We’re pleased to confirm that the first stage of the survey — a visual assessment — is now complete. Thanks to the surveyor’s support, we’ve received a comprehensive report covering every bracket owned by the Town Council. From this, 16 brackets have been identified as suitable for use, many of which are positioned in key locations across the town.
While this number is lower than we’d hoped these 16 can be used for specific occasions and short durations. The Town Council is keen to ensure we can put the flags up by taking a careful, phased approach to ensure safety.
We’re already progressing to the next phase, which includes load-bearing calculations for each bracket and an assessment of the building materials they’re fixed to. These steps will help us determine which brackets can safely support our fantastic flags and our Christmas lights into the future.
We know how much the flags mean to our community, and this is not a decision taken lightly. We’re working hard to complete these checks as quickly as possible — but safety remains our top priority.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.