Summer in Sliema

As we head into Summer, the Sliema Local Council will be involved in various activities, events and initiatives.

The Sliema Arts Festival will take place between 17 and 19 July, and promises to provide an exciting mix of activities which will cater for different tastes and styles. One can read more about the Festival elsewhere in the Sliema magazine and in other local council promotional material.

During the summer months, much focus will be made on Sliema’s beaches. Daily requirements such as accessibility, cleanliness and safety are top priorities for the Local Council which works in collaboration with Government Departments and entities in this regard.

I appeal to everyone using Sliema’s beaches to keep them as clean as possible, and also not to park cars on the rocks or other no-parking areas. Unfortunately, litter such as dog droppings, cigarette buts and plastic bottles are ever-present, despite the daily clean-ups and enforcement from wardens

Accessibility is also a major priority in play areas and other facilities in Sliema. The upgrading of the children’s playing area at Independence Garden was recently awarded for its accessibility features. This was an encouraging achievement for the local council and inspires us to keep giving priority to accessibility in upcoming projects.

The Sliema Council is also highly concerned with the Chalet structure, which suffered damage during the Winter months. Discussions are on the way to see what can be done to ensure safety and devise alternatives to the decaying structure.

During summer, the Local Council will be providing lessons in reading and writing in Maltese and English for Primary school children. Besides, applications will for the highly popular courses in Lifelong Learning and Performative Arts will be available between July 15 and August 7 from this website: http://lifelonglearning.gov.mt/. A wide range of courses will be on offer for the upcoming academic year. Sliema’s public library at Blanche Huber Street will be open as usual and I invite residents to make use of its services, which include lending of books and internet.

On a final note, my roles in the Local Council have been confirmed by Mayor Anthony Chircop, for which I thank him. Hence, I have been confirmed as Chairperson for the committees for Education and for Accessibility and Disability; I am a member in the Finance, Tenders and EU Committees; and I also am a new member of the Committee for Public Gardens, Playing Fields and Promenade. My responsibilities for Coastal Environment and for Environmental pollution have been confirmed, too.

I invite those interested in contributing to these areas/committees to contact me at mbrig@hotmail.com

This article appears in Sliema Local Council magazine, Summer 2015
Click here for online view