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The Pucklechurch community website |
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If you have signed up for emails and are not getting them please check the following: |
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March 2005 |
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Pucklechurch Scout Group NSPCC Parish Council Chairman’s Notes Parish Council 2004-05 Expenses Mark Your Calendars for Revel Week Girlguiding in Pucklechurch Home and Gardens Produce Show South Gloucestershire Council Pucklechurch Community Association Pucklechurch Twinning Association Happy Circle Pucklechurch Gardeners' Club Folk Dance Club |
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Pucklechurch Scout Group Pucklechurch Scout Group would like to set up a support group of volunteers who would be willing to help keep the Scouts running. We’re looking for people to help us:
Our Beaver Colony, currently with twelve youngsters aged between six and eight, will have to close at Easter unless we can find one or two adult volunteers to run the colony. Your age doesn't matter -- we’re looking for young and old and in-betweens. You do not have to have children or indeed any other connection with the group. Even if you can only spare an hour or so each month, it could make a lot of difference to what we can provide the youngsters in Pucklechurch. The young people, and the leaders, will be really grateful for your help, whatever you can give. If you would like to help us to help the young people of Pucklechurch, please contact one of the group's leaders: Group Scout Leader Tony Wallis 0117 957 4119 or Group Chairman Gail Boyle 937 2838. Go on! We know you’ll enjoy it too! |
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On Saturday, 5th March, we will host our annual Cheese and Wine Quiz. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are £8.00 per person. Teams can have a maximum of four people. The event will be held in the Community Centre, starting at 7.30 for 8.00pm. Numbers are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets available from Angela on 937 4252 or Andrea on 937 3041. Our 15th annual NSPCC Charity Auction will be held on Saturday, 14th May, in the Community Centre. Viewing will begin at 7.15pm, and the sale itself will start at 8pm. We need individuals, companies and other organisations to donate items and promises for us to sell. In the past, these have ranged in value from about £5 to one or two at several hundred pounds. Promises include such things as cooking a gourmet meal for the successful bidders at their home, ironing, or family photography. Last year's auction was the most successful yet, raising £2,800! We would be very pleased to see you there. For further information, tickets, or to offer an item or promise for sale, please contact: Juliet Hills on 937 2279. |
The Pucklechurch branch of the NSPCC has two fundraising events planned over the next few months. NSPCC is the UK's leading charity specialising in child protection and the prevention of cruelty to children. Your participation in our local events helps fund the NSPCC's important projects, research, and campaigns.
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Parish Council Chairman’s Notes In the column below, my colleague Alan Holder has, with the help of our clerk Diane Bailey, given a brief description of how the Council spent your money last year. Victim Support Illegal Dumping Mini Motorbikes Refuse Skip
The Council have decided to enlarge the Jardin du Pringy so that it will become an even better feature at the entrance to Pucklechurch. Thanks to Roger Cleevely for looking after the Jardin and making it an asset to our village. Dropped Pavements Omar Beg, Chairman The minutes of Parish Council meetings can now be found online by clicking here. |
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Parish Council 2004-05 Expenses It’s your money we're spending Parish Council spending for the 2004-05 year (ending on 31 March 2005) includes the following. Some figures include projections of expenditures to year-end.
The largest item in the recreation category is grass cutting (£3,251.90). The figure also includes amounts for the supply and erection of a new toddler swing and safety matting for Shortwood (£2,025) and for such small items as black sacks for dog bins (£62.34). Administration includes the salary for our clerk (£3,360, plus expenses) and someone to keep the recreation field clean (£1,320), as well as rent for the use of the Community Association meeting room (£132). Our largest grants are a contribution towards the upkeep of the churchyard (£700), as the Parish Council considers it important as the focus of the conservation area, and for the printing of the Pucklechurch News (£700). Our largest membership fee is to Avon Local Councils Association (£550), who provide us with legal advice and general help. This year the Parish Council had an income of £23,737. We will be carrying forward what looks like a healthy reserve of £7,500, but we know already that the slide at Shortwood has been condemned and will need replacing (£4,000). We must also allow for the upgrade and repair of bus shelters (£2,380), and the fencing along Castle Road may need some attention. The Parish Council has made an application to South Gloucestershire Council for a precept of £20,620 for 2005-06, an increase of 3.1% over the previous year. For any parishioner interested the full accounts, which are submitted to the District Audit Office, they will be available for inspection towards the middle of May. For the exact dates please look on the notice board outside the Post Office. Cllr. Alan Holder |
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Planning is underway for this year's Pucklechurch Revel, and the dates for some key events have been decided. Visit the Revel page for more details The Revel Committee is looking to increase participation in the Revel Parade this year. We are especially keen to have groups take part with entries that do not require large vehicles, as fewer lorries will be available this year. Put on your thinking caps to come up with creative ideas using marching drill teams, bicycles, scooters, lawnmowers, or wheelbarrows. Get your skates on! For some different ideas, take a look at the Pucklechurch website Revel page - click here. The Revel Craft Fayre will take place in the Community Centre on Revel Day. Pitches are available for £12.50 per table. We aim to have a wide variety of crafts and so are pleased to hear from those who have not taken part before, as well as previous stall holders. To book your pitch, contact Juliet Hills on 937 2279 for further information. |
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Girlguiding in Pucklechurch 2nd Pucklechurch Rainbows had a visit from Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. Girlguiding UK has been asked to support the London Olympic bid, and the Rainbows have made posters that have been sent to London. Guider Judy Hyde said, "They are having lots of fun," which is what Guiding is all about. 1st and 2nd Pucklechurch Brownies had a most amazing time when they visited @Bristol to gain their Stargazer badge. The trip was made possible by the generous donation from Revel. The Brownies have also explored diversity through celebrating Candlemas, Groundhog Day, and Chinese New Year. 1st Pucklechurch welcomes Phil Ford as their new Assistant Guider. 1st Pucklechurch Guides are also taking part in Play in a Day. Sian, Rebekka, and Bridie recently took part in an adventure weekend at Girlguiding's Foxlease Training and Activity Centre in the New Forest as the final part of their Baden-Powell Challenge. Badge presentations will be made on World Thinking Day (February 22nd), which celebrates the birthdays of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. New Guides will also be making their promises. The girls have collected items for Aquaboxes in aid of the Asian tsunami disaster. All our units are supported by Young Leaders, girls aged 14-18 who give their time to help others. Isn't it refreshing to read something good about Pucklechurch youth! Girlguiding must be good! There are 50,000 (yes, 50,000) girls waiting to join. Why are they waiting to join? We don't have enough leaders. We need more adult volunteers to accommodate these girls. Even locally we could do more if we had more help. Can you help in any way? Contact any of the leaders or Ann Hopes on 961-3148. Ros Abbott
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The annual Pucklechurch Home and Gardens Produce Show will be held on Saturday, 10th September. Schedules will be available from May. Seed potatoes will be available from Mr Tony Pratt, Mr George Alway, or from the Gardeners' Club from March. This is for the class "Grow a potato in a bucket". Elizabeth Webb |
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The local NHS is set to make a decision about how to proceed with its plans for the future of our hospitals in March. This is likely to include looking at whether Frenchay or Southmead should be chosen as the main acute care hospital. We have been pressing hard for the NHS to extend and improve its proposals for community facilities serving South Gloucestershire, including plans for a community facility for Yate and over its plans for Cossham hospital. You can follow developments at www.avon.nhs.uk/bhsp NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL Cllr. Sheila Cook, Cabinet Member for Education, has approved plans to progress a new faith-based school for Emerson's Green. This school would be a joint project between the Council, the Church of England, and the Roman Catholic Church. It would be one of the first in the country to combine different churches and would also be South Gloucestershire's first faith-based secondary school. COUNCIL BUDGET After many years of campaigning by local councillors, an improved funding settlement from the Government has begun to be delivered for South Gloucestershire. The Council is currently proposing a council tax rise of 3.8%. If you are finding paying council tax difficult, you could be entitled to council tax benefit. To find out more, please ring 01454 868811. DEVELOPMENT THREATS Councillors are currently looking at proposals for future development in the former Avon area. One of the options is to locate development east of the Ring Road. We are very concerned by this and will oppose any suggestion that Pucklechurch's rural village identity should be lost to over-development. We are here to help. Contact us by e-mail or telephone. Sandra Grant (sandra.grant@southglos.gov.uk or telephone 937 3164) Phil Trotman (phil.trotman@southglos.gov.uk or telephone 937 2053) |
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Pucklechurch Twinning Association Members are now preparing to welcome our French friends, who will visit us at the end of April. They will be staying with us in our homes, which gives us the opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality we received from them in October. During their visit we are planning to take them to Winchester, and they are also hoping to go to the Rhondda Heritage Park on another day. If you would like to find out more about Twinning, our next meeting is on Monday, 7th March, at 8.00pm in the meeting room of the Village Hall. As well as getting ready to welcome our guests, we shall also be planning our next trip to Pringy, which will take place in October. We have a varied programme of social events throughout the year, and the next one is a quiz night at the Star Inn on Wednesday, 23rd March. All are welcome! For more information, contact Lesley Broom (937 2025) or Ann Smith (937 2030). |
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Doris Bateman has for many years organised our Tuesday afternoon entertainment. She has decided it is time for someone else to take over the role! We would all like to thank her for her hard work over the years. We are having a bring-and-buy sale on Tuesday, 22nd March, in the Community Centre at 2pm. All are welcome. On the 29th March, we will be having a demonstration of egg decoration. On the 3rd May, we will go to Bournemouth on the year's first coach outing. For more information on coach trips, call Liz Archibald on 937 4054. If you would like to join our happy group, contact Pat Woods on 937 3985 or come along to the Village Hall between 2.00-3.30pm on Tuesdays. |
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The Gardeners' Club Christmas quiz and supper was enjoyed by members and their guests. We had at least ninety people attend. The committee is in the process of arranging our summer trip, which will be in July. For our February meeting, the talk by Mary Payne on Lady Farm, Chelwood, was both interesting and informative. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd, when Chris Cuplin will give a talk entitled "Vegetables from Garden to Kitchen", and the April 6th meeting will feature George Alway with a talk about dahlias. Do come along at about 7.45pm to the Village Hall – guests pay only 50p.
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For the Pucklechurch Folk Dance Club, 2004 was another good year. We have enjoyed the music of some very good folk bands, with some excellent callers, at our fortnightly meetings in the Community Centre. We have a membership of over 60, and we average 40-50 dancers at most meetings. We have a few local members, though most come from farther afield, some up to 40 miles to enjoy an evening's dancing. We have two major dances in December to round off the year. One is held in the early part of December, when we usually get 80-90 in attendance, and the other is a New Year's Eve dinner dance, where the committee members wear bow ties and formal dress. At this dance, we typically have 60 people for dinner, with perhaps another 12 or so coming later just for the dance. The proceeds from both dances this year, a total of $260, went to the tsunami relief fund. We are now looking forward to our dancing during 2005, having held our 28th birthday party on January 25th. The Folk Dance Club meets every other Tuesday from 8 to 10pm in the Pucklechurch Community Centre. Les Whittock Folk Dance Club Upcoming Dates: March 8th -- Alan Holder
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