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The Pucklechurch community website |
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June 2006 |
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The Revel Service of Thanksgiving and Praise takes place in church on Sunday, 18th June, at 6.30pm. This service is suitable for everyone and presents an opportunity to give thanks for Revel and the community in which we live. We look forward to seeing you all on this occasion. Come along to the Garden Party at the Vicarage on Saturday, 1st July, at 2.00pm to enjoy a strawberry cream tea. There will be cakes, plants, and bric-a-brac for sale, as well as sideshows. If it is wet, the event will be held in the church.
We welcome back our members who were ill and in hospital and send our good wishes to those who are recovering. Happy Circle's summer trips have already begun. We have a few places left on our trip to Weymouth on September 5th and Morton-in-Marsh on October 3rd. For more information, please contact Liz Archibald on 937 4054 or visit the Pucklechurch Community Website. Happy Circle meets Tuesday afternoons at 2pm in the Village Hall. The Pucklechurch Parish AGM was held on Wednesday, 10th May. Parish Council Chairman Omar Beg highlighted the following points in his Chairman’s Report: 1. The Parish Council gave financial support to a number of initiatives that will help Pucklechurch, including: a. A contribution of £200 to for bicycles for the community police 2. The Parish Council supported the initiative to establish the Parish Plan -- see details elsewhere in this issue. 3. The Abson Road speed limit has finally been implemented between Pucklechurch and Wick. This will result in a mere two-minute increase in journey time but deliver considerable safety and environmental benefits. 4. The council continued to resist encroachment on the green belt. 5. In response to requests from the community, the bus shelters in Pucklechurch had been upgraded. However, a very small minority deface and damage shelters, which results in further expenditure on maintenance as well as creating an eye-sore. 6. Emerson’s Green East is designated for housing, light industry and commercial use. The Parish Council took the initiative to propose to South Gloucestershire Council that some area should be given over to providing facilities for travellers. This has been resisted by SGC and the developers. The Parish Council also wrote to other parishes in the area and gained support for the idea. The council will continue to promote this idea. 7. The Chairman was pleased to be at the opening of the new kitchen in the Scout hut and the opening of the drug rehabilitation centre at Ashfield YOI. Looking forward to the next year, Omar reminded everyone that it would be an election year for both South Gloucestershire Council and Pucklechurch Parish Council and called for people to come forward to stand for election to the Parish Council. The meeting concluded with reports from many of the organisations that are active in Pucklechurch. Parish Council Chairman’s Notes Burial Ground Skip As a service for those visiting the churchyard burial ground, a skip is provided for dead flowers, weeds, and grass cuttings. In the last few months, items which have no place there have been put in this skip, such as an oil drum, office chairs, electrical equipment, and general household rubbish. This means we will have to replace the skip more regularly, which increases the cost and leaves less money for other, perhaps more worthwhile, areas of expenditure. May I ask that you use this skip for burial ground maintenance only. Let Diane Bailey (Clerk to the Council) or any Parish Councillor know if you see other people being selfish and disregarding this polite request. New Play Equipment At the last meeting, the Parish Council approved the purchase of play equipment for the exclusive use of children aged five and under. The equipment comprises steps, two towers, a small slide, a bridge and four other items. The ‘Little Miss Muffet’ is painted in bright colours and mounted on safety tiles. Both playgroups were given a copy of the brochure for review and their comments were considered before the final purchase decision was made. Similar equipment is already in use in Yate and Keynsham and is very popular. I hope that our young children will have many years of use from this equipment, and if funds allow, perhaps other pieces may be added to it in the future. Litter At the last Council meeting an idea was floated regarding litter. Although Anna Sharpe regularly clears some areas of Pucklechurch of litter, doing the whole village would be impossible for her and too expensive for us. The idea was that people or groups volunteer to ‘adopt a street’ and be responsible for keeping it litter free. If we had more than one person in the village taking responsibility for cleaning things up, it would make such a difference. If you think this is a good idea and want to volunteer, please let us know. If you have any other ideas of a similar nature, again tell us. Parish Council Meetings Council meetings usually take place on the third Wednesday of each month and begin at 7.30pm. An updated list from June will be displayed on the notice board outside the post office, together with Councillors' names and telephone numbers. Omar Beg, Chairman
The Pucklechurch Community Association held its AGM on Tuesday, 10th May. Chairman’s Report: Les Bence thanked the outgoing committee members for their hard work in the past year. The committee are encouraging new activities in the Community Centre, such as a Short Mat Bowls vs. Twinning evening and a concert later in the year featuring the Cleeve singers and the Bristol Saxophone Quartet (see related article). In 2006-07, the PCA Executive Committee will be tasked with coming up with additional fund raising ideas. Treasurer’s Report: Tina Symons reported that, although use of the facility had declined and maintenance costs increased, the finances were being maintained by careful adjustment of prices. Health and safety legislation now meant that contractors had to be engaged for all maintenance, however minor, which has increased costs. In the last year, the main expenditures were for new ceilings and re-wiring (some of which is yet to be completed). The Parish Council and the Revel Committee were thanked for their donations to support this work. Election of Officers The officers for 2006-07 were elected. Les Bence (Chairman) and Peter Lugg (Vice-Chairman) were re-elected to serve another year. Jeanette Pearson will be the new secretary. Tina Symons will serve a further year as Treasurer, as will Jill Hayden as Membership Secretary. In addition, existing members as well as several new members were voted onto the executive committee. Other Business: The PCA committee are still looking for a facilities manager. The community police will be using the Village Hall kitchen as a local base, although no start date has yet been agreed. The chairman commented on the low turnout of user groups to the AGM. The 26th Annual Pucklechurch Home and Gardens Produce Show takes place on Saturday, 9th September, in the Community Centre. A brand new schedule will be available for sale on Revel Day in the Scout Hut and also from Mr. Pratt at 45 Birch Drive or the village shops. All entries should be in by 7th September. A group has been formed for the Community Speedwatch. We are still awaiting dates for a presentation and training. For more details, please contact Frank Rogers 937 3067, Peter Rendall 937 3869 or Sandra Grant 937 3164. South Gloucestershire council tenants have been asked in a ballot, "Are you in favour of the proposal to transfer the ownership and management of the Council's housing to Merlin Housing Society Limited, a not-for-profit Registered Social Landlord?" There were exhibitions and consultations, and every tenant was visited to ensure they knew the facts about Large-Scale Voluntary Stock Transfer (LSVST). Seventy percent of tenants voted: 4,032 said yes and 2,269 said no. The report has gone to the Cabinet and a special council meeting was held on 10th May. The proposal then goes on to the Secretary of State at the office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The transfer can be completed when all necessary statutory consents in respect of the proposed transfer occur. I hope you all have a good summer. Cllr. Sandra Grant Twinning Association A group from our twin village of Pringy made their annual visit to Pucklechurch on April 8th-12th. The French eventually arrived in Pucklechurch late on Saturday afternoon. For the first time they had travelled via the Channel Tunnel, only to arrive in snow-covered Kent. Welcome to England! The party was 29 strong, numbers being down on previous years because of the proximity to Easter, though there were several new families for us to host and entertain. Our guests spent Saturday night en famille with their hosts, and then on Sunday the whole group, both English and French, went to Oxford in two coaches. Whilst the English had time to wander around and see some of the colleges, the French had a guided two-hour tour. When we met up again, we were treated to some folk dancing in one of the many squares and belly-dancing in another! Lunch was taken as a group in a restaurant near the castle. On Monday, our visitors had arranged to go to Chepstow Castle, the Wye Valley, and Gloucester and were fortunate enough to have good weather to enjoy the day. Monday evening was the official gathering in the Village Hall, where speeches were made and gifts exchanged. Following a buffet meal, everyone was encouraged to get up on their feet and take part in barn dancing to the music of Hobgoblin -- a super way of getting everyone to mix and work off the extra calories. The Pringy group visited Birmingham on Tuesday for some shopping therapy rather than culture. The evening was spent with host families. All too soon Wednesday morning came around, and it was time for departure -- never an easy or quick accomplishment! Too many goodbyes; promises to see people again in October; loads of double and quadruple kisses; posing for photographs; the driver tooting his horn; and lots of waving as the coach pulls away… the end of another successful and highly entertaining visit, the nineteenth to date. Now all we have to do is get on with the planning of our return trip to Pringy in October. If you are interested in joining us, contact Lesley Broom (937 2025), Angela Hallett (937 4252) or Ann Smith (937 2030). Or stop by and see us on Revel Day at the Twinning stall.
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