Ipswich Waterfront could easily become a heritage attraction thanks to several famous vessels, with the opportunity to find out more about the history of the town. The Ipswich Maritime Trust promotes the area’s heritage and there are hopes that it is going to relaunch itself as a top player when it comes to the cultural vibrancy of the area. It’s been estimated that it will attract 50,000 people to the festival and paid staff will be brought in to help promote the Waterfront as well. Maritime Ipswich Festivals have been popular for quite some time and it’s not hard to see why.
Chairman Ben Good has released a statement saying that he hopes it will create a home for heritage vessels. This will most likely happen when the Neptune Marina is integrated into the Ipswich Haven Marina. This could provide a home for a range of historic vessels, some of which took part in the Dunkirk rescue mission in 1940. Others include the replica of the Sutton Hoo burial ship, which is currently under construction at Woodbridge.
The Ipswich Maritime Trust wants to do more to try and actively promote the Waterfront. Mr Good has said that the trust have high hopes when it comes to expanding their work and they are keen to adopt a much larger portfolio. This is going to come with a bigger budget as well. Organisers are hopeful that this is going to attract support from philanthropists, with hopes of being able to appoint paid positions that range from chief executives to social workers.
Ben Good is very keen to bring more younger people into the area. By doing this, the team behind the project believe that they can keep things moving forward for the next 40 years. The Trust was set up to carry on the work of the Maritime Ipswich Festival which originally took place in 1982. They have worked with several organisations, including the famous sailing barge Victor. They are doing this in an attempt to take the historic Waterfront to new heights.
The Ipswich Maritime Trust has a display exhibition so that work can be showcased. Mr. Good has said that Associated British Ports are going to be consulted regarding their plans, but so far they have been very supportive of the proposals. The council was very keen on the idea, with sponsorships being handed to numerous festivals since the original 1982 event. This kick-started the rebirth of the Waterfront and paved the way for the events which are happening today.
If there’s one thing that Kieran McKenna knows, it’s football. He knows that it only takes a couple of games to upset the Championship table and even though his team are in a safe position, he’s not taking any chances. In fact, he’s not even looking at the league table.
The Irishman believes that the promotion race is going to take shape in early January, which is when the Blues are going to reach the crucial halfway point in the campaign. When the team faces Leicester City on Boxing Day, they will have played all other teams at least once.
McKenna strongly believes that this will give at least a basic indication of where teams stand in terms of their ranking on the table. He is aware though that a lot can still change between January and May. Realistically, at the halfway point, it’s natural to know whether teams are in for a chance at battling it out for the championship.
With that being said, throughout the history of football, teams have often started weak and then gone on to have a blazing second half. There are teams who have been on the top of their game but then fallen from grace as the Championship continues. At the end of the day, every manager is different, and different teams will view the table in different ways.
It’s McKenna’s belief that things can change quickly and that you should never look beyond your next game. If you pull this off for a total of 46 games, which is more difficult than it sounds, you will end up with a better and more motivated team. McKenna wants his team to focus on each match individually, and not get wrapped up with the hype of winning, or the pain of losing. By adopting this approach, he believes that he can steer his team to victory.
At the halfway mark last season, in League One, the team sat comfortably in second place with a grand total of 48 points. The Plymouth Argyle team had a narrow lead with Sheffield Wednesday coming in hot at third. The three teams all finished in that same order, with them mirroring the same points they achieved in the first half of the campaign. This proves that the league table can take shape after 23 games.
The Blues, who currently sit in second place with 39 points, are going to versus West Brom in seventh place on Saturday.
