Ilkeston - Job & Community Fair
w/e 20 March 2016
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490

Anyone approaching the town centre on Friday from Bath Street
would have been greeted by the usual selection of market stalls.
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Reaching the Market Place from the opposite direction via South
Street, the sight of a long marquee is not something that would
be anticipated on a normal Friday.
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Neither would you expect to see a recruiting gazebo for the Mercian
Regiment but this was all to do with a Job and Community Fair
that was being held through the middle part of the day.
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We spent a few minutes chatting to the representatives of the
Regiment sharing memories of our family's respective involvement
in the Second World War and of the Sherwood Foresters, forerunner
of the Mercians.
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The P3charity vehicle on the left was also part of the Fair but
the Burger Bar and Flower Stall who were hoping to pick up trade
from visitors to the Fair are regular attendees at the Friday
market.
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Inside the marquee were displays by many different organisations
offering free advice and promoting opportunities for training,
apprenticeships and voluntary work.
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Although advertised as a Job and Community Fair, I didn't notice
any actual jobs on offer, not that I wanted one of course having
already served my time in industry. There was plenty of advice
and training on offer though.
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I was more interested in the community aspect as exemplified
by the Smoothie Art Gallery. Photographic prints and work by
local artists that I learned now number about forty formed part
of its display. The gallery housed in the Smoothie Bar on Bath
Street regularly changes the exhibitions there.
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The Smoothie Bar also serves as the contact point for the local
free newspaper Ilkeston Life and issues of the latest monthly
edition were handed out and were gratefully received by visitors
to the Fair from far and wide.
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After the event closed all the displays had to be taken down
and removed which meant for a couple from the Foot Centre carrying
a large banner back down South Street. You could say it's all
in a day's work!
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