READY TO SERVE
After the elections on 3rd May East Knoyle Parish Councillors are:
Back row left to right Cllrs Wharton, Dawson, Wilson, Webster, Coffin, Southerden.
Front row left to right Cllrs Drake, Haworth- Booth (Chairman) and Garrett (Vice- Chairman). Cllr Hyde is inset top left.
Cllr Michael Fowler is the new District Councillor.
MOVIOLA
Wren’s Shop is hoping to sponsor up-to- date films in the Village Hall, starting in September. More in the July Newsletter.[i] Laura Coffin
EAST KNOYLE YOUTH CLUB
Where are Volunteers? We did warn you in the last Newsletter that the end of the Club is very near. Do something NOW before it is too late. [i]Mike Waterhouse
ST. MARY’S CHURCH
The Easter celebrations this year were very well attended. All the arrangements require a lot of behind the scenes work and the lady flower
arrangers excelled themselves. Perhaps this may have inspired our grass cutters to make sure the Churchyard was looking its best on Saturday, 5th May, for the marriage of June and John Reading's daughter, Tessa, to Adam Waugh. The sun appeared in time for the wedding party to be able to show off their finery and the Church was overflowing. We wish Tessa and Adam a very long and happy life together.
BELLRINGERS - Where are you? Peter Treseder (830421) will be pleased to hear from anyone interested in learning the art of bellringing or of old hands reviving their skills. You won't know whether you can do it unless you try! Teenagers to the 90's - here's your chance to help continue something which has been going on for 400 years.
CHRISTIAN AID - if you have missed the Appeal Week it is not too late to give via special envelopes to Suzanne Sandford 830 465 or by post to Christian Aid: FREEPOST or by e-mail
www.caweek.org or by telephone 08080 0060 06
CONDOLENCES - We join with the family and friends in sadness on the death of Francis Swain on 6th May.
ARRIVED AT LAST- we welcome Arabella and Tom Hickman's new baby, Peter, born on 3rd May.
ST. MARY’S GUILD
We meet this month at Kestrel Cottage on 22nd May at our usual time of 2.30pm. Our speaker is Jane Hall who does the most exquisite craft work in many different forms. Jane is also a photographer, as you will see from her recently published book.
Next month we are having a picnic at Cools Cottage on 26th June at 12.30pm. This will include fun in the garden or watching from a deck chair! It is an open meeting and we shall be contacting several people to join us, arranging transport where needed. If you would like to be included, please phone me on 830525. [i]Christine Wilson
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
A quiet period with little to report except for a very enjoyable walk around the village on the afternoon of 8th May, ably led by Daphne Agombar. There is always something new to discover around and about and when the experience is capped by tea at Church Cottage, it is difficult to imagine a more pleasurable way to spend a May afternoon. Thanks to our leader and to Joan and Tony Claydon for their hospitality.
We send our sympathies to our former member Bernard van Ryn on the death of his beloved wife Joan. Both had been good supporters of the Legion before they moved away from the village in l998. [i]Denys Butler.
FRANCIS SWAIN
Sadly, we have to report the death on 6th May of Francis in his 81st year. By adding two years to his age he joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1941, learnt to fly from aircraft carriers and served with distinction for the rest of the War, being in the Pacific when the first
atom bomb was dropped. Wishing to pursue an engineering career, he transferred to the Royal Engineers where he worked on many high-tech projects. By the time he left the Army in 1964, he had attained the rank of Lt- Col. and had been awarded the D.S.O. and M.C. A new career in chemical engineering took him to many places at home and abroad, and somewhere along the line he took a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Oxford. Francis' first wife died after some 25 years, leaving him with the task of supporting the education of the youngest of their four children. He and Sally met and married, and they have also shared over 25 years together. He was very proud of having had two Silver Wedding celebrations! After full retirement they came to East Knoyle and Francis joined the Branch in 1998. A quiet but determined man with a dry sense of humour, he kept his many achievements very much under wraps and always enjoyed a glass of wine. His
service on the governing bodies of several charities continued a good life of service to country and community. Several Legion members joined his family and friends at the cremation service at Semington conducted by Rev. June Lane on Friday 11th May. [i]Denys Butler
EAST KNOYLE GARDEN CLUB
On 21st March we had a very interesting and informative talk by Mike Rawlins on ‘Growing Vegetables’. Mike is an experienced vegetable grower both for pleasure and exhibition. He emphasised the importance of preparing compost and the need to have a plentiful supply to be placed on the plot. It doesn’t matter if you don’t dig it in straight away; you can leave it until early Spring. Mike’s talk covered many varieties of vegetables and ways to nurture them, especially in a clay soil. I trust I shall remember the details later in the year!
On 30th May we are visiting ‘Ridley’s Cheer’ near Chippenham, a starred garden
in the National Gardens Scheme. We shall meet at the War Memorial, to depart at 12.30pm. Entrance is £5; home made cream tea (which has to be ordered in advance) is £3. Non-members are welcome.
If you would like more details or need a lift, please phone me on 830232. [i] Mick Chaplin
POLICE MATTERS - NUMBER FOR ALL NON-EMERGENCIES: 0845 408 7000
A statue of a lady was stolen from the grounds of Knoyle Place.
VILLAGE HALL 200 Club Draw
Welcome to the fifth year of the Club which starts this month with cash prizes for May and June to be drawn at the end of June. The value of the draws depends on the membership, so the more members the greater the number and larger the prizes. Over 100 draw tickets were bought last year at £12 (£1 for each month), and new members are welcome to swell the numbers. DO JOIN AND TRY YOUR LUCK!
There is a joining form included with this Newsletter on a separate sheet.
[i] Susan Lucas
MOST RECENT WINNERS
January Draw: 1st Christine Dewis £25, 2nd Bob McCrae & Debbie Brickell £ 15
February Draw: 1st Wilma Piquet £25, 2nd Sally Williams £15
March Draw: 1st Ivor & Margaret Browning £25, 2nd David Williams £ 15
April Easter Draw: 1st David Innes- Williams £45, 2nd Rex Coffin £35, 3rd Christine Dewis £25, 4th Lindsay Jolliffe £15
PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2007
The last year, the fourth of the Parish Council cycle, has seen many of our plans come to fruition whilst many new challenges have presented themselves.
The Parish Council was awarded Quality Council status this year in recognition of its high quality of systems and service delivery. This has placed us in the best position to gain from the proposed local government reforms. We look to both District and County Councils to respond to this by offering to devolve service delivery, and the finance to
provide it, where the Parish Council decides it is in the best interest of the parish. We hope we can then provide some of the services enjoyed by other District residents.
Wren’s Shop opened on 23rd June 2006, with the Post Office starting a few weeks later. It has proved a boon to the village on many levels. We congratulate all those involved in its development and thank the many volunteers who make it such a success. The shop is often visited by others wishing to develop or enhance their own community shop. The Parish Council has gained an asset in the form of the shop building and also rental income.
The Parish Council has purchased the woodland at Windmill Crossroads, securing parish ownership of the ridge from the top of Wise Lane to The Green. This will conserve it for future generations and it should be registered appropriately over the next few months. This was achieved through generous donations by
many parishioners and Wren’s Shop, the use of our R2 recreational fund reserve and shop rental income. None of the purchase price was taken from precept money. Again, my thanks go to all those who contributed to the project.
We welcome the appointment by WCC Highways Department of our parish steward. His commitment and enthusiasm are already apparent in the way he is tackling long- standing problems. We are also pleased that the placing of hamlet signs at Turnpike will support the need for a 50 mph speed limit from Semley to the A303. We have pressed for ‘silent tarmac’ when they next resurface, as they already have at Semley. We have been told that the A350 south of A303 is not considered a major route, yet we have discovered that the A350 is a major part of the WCC Transport Plan, routing lorries from Poole to Bristol and beyond round the edge of the county.
Extremely unsatisfactory is the state of our roads. In the 2006- 7 financial
year WCC ceased all spending on roads of local classification, due to the budget being removed. We welcomed the re- surfacing of Wise Lane, which was achieved just before the spending moratorium, but the state of the roads, particularly from Windmill Crossroads to Gillingham, and Holloway Lane are a disgrace. We hope that the promised resurfacing of the former is delivered in 2007. (We now know this will not happen in 2007-8. Ed. ) We continue to request the repainting the A350 box lines at the northern entrance to the village, now almost invisible. Most of us have had near- misses at this junction. The Highways men DID turn up, but refused to do the work without having the traffic stopped, because it was too dangerous!! We will continue to lobby for this and other Highways issues.
We hoped we had succeeded in quashing the issue of the B3089 weight limit removal. Hence we were very concerned to find out that in January Wiltshire
County Council had approved consultation on the order allowing this. This item did not appear on Cabinet agenda. The Clerk has written to Wiltshire County Council Chief Executive querying the legality of this decision as the parish was denied the opportunity to oppose it. The Parish Council believes that the correct and safest manner of dealing with the problem of the A303/A350 junction is slip roads on both sides of the A303 or traffic lights. If this is not to be the case, the removal of the weight restriction on the B3089 must be accompanied by carriageway reconstruction at both the A350 and A303 ends of the road as well as traffic management additions. The cheap fix by Wiltshire County Council will lead to the loss of even more lives. It will also create serious traffic problems at Willoughby Hedge and on the A350 between the A303 and B3089, with frequent long tailbacks.
Local government reforms are high on the
agenda. Wiltshire County Council has been successful in passing the first hurdle in its bid for ‘One Council for Wiltshire’. Salisbury District Council appears to be spending a great deal of taxpayers’ money fighting the bid rather than in improving their services to us. Salisbury District Council said they had shelved their plans for a shiny new single office building, selling off the other offices, until the local government changes had taken place. However, the Cabinet has revived the plans and it is going ahead, despite the unlikelihood of the new building being the most suitable for the future, whatever shape local government takes. The Parish Council has pressed continuously for the District Council to change the imbalance in services and taxation, whereby we receive so few District services but are expected to pay for those enjoyed by the city. At the same time the disregard for our views shown by Wiltshire County Council in the issue
of the B3089 does not bode well for their behaviour under unitary status. We are pleased that David Maynard is here to put the County’s point of view. We will continue to support what is best for this parish.
Under Paul Knocker’s chairmanship, a committee has commenced the research leading to the development of a Parish Plan and Village Design Statement . Over 20 parishioners are now involved in the project, and they would welcome more to help with parts or all of it. They have been awarded grants of £500 by Salisbury District Council and £3418 by Wiltshire Community First to fund the process which should lead to an agreed plan in late 2008.
A cricket net has been installed in Knoyle House Ground and a new oak enclosed noticeboard is being made for Milton. The noticeboard damaged in a storm will be returned to Park Houses. The shop has a new noticeboard and benches. A new bench is being donated for Knoyle House
Ground. Our thanks go to Martin Snell, the noticeboard maker, and to the bench donors.
The Parish Council continues to be actively involved in regional projects and committees including Mere and District Safety Partnership, The Wigglybus and Link schemes and the Police Liaison Committee. It is also involved in parish projects including the Village Hall, Village Charity, shop and Newsletter. Your Chairman, many Councillors and the Clerk have attended numerous meetings and presentations on behalf of the parish.
Tom Couper is to retire in May as our District Councillor. He has worked tirelessly for this ward and we thank him for his efforts on our behalf. We are delighted that there is enthusiasm in this area for being both a district and parish councillor and that both councils are oversubscribed by candidates in the next election.
I will sadly be standing down both as Chairman and a Parish Councillor in
May, due to the increasing pressures on my time of an expanding business and growing family. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as your Chairman and believe we have achieved a great deal in that time. I would like to thank all Parish Councillors for their support and hard work. I wish the new Chairman and Council the very best in the challenges ahead, during what will be a very interesting and exciting period for local government and East Knoyle Parish Council.
[i]Sabrina Sully (retiring Chairman)
SMOKING BAN
From 1st July smoking is banned in enclosed public premises. This includes shelters which have two sides such as the one outside Wren’s Shop. [i]Keith Shipman
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
Congratulations to the successful candidates in the recent elections. Well done to everyone who stuck their head above the parapet and was willing to stand. We hope you will continue to be
involved in parish matters.
SPEEDING Expressing the view of many, I am sure, a resident had written to the Council regarding vehicles speeding through the village. Especially where there is no pavement, it is becoming increasingly dangerous for pedestrians, for people tending their front verges and for the growing number of cyclists. It was decided to refer this matter to the Parish Plan Group, which has a remit to recommend long-term solutions. In the meantime, please slow down - you know who you are!
LITTER There have been incidents reported of fly-tipping. Despite the efforts of many villagers who regularly gather up litter while out walking, certain areas are a mess. It is clear that some people are just throwing their lunch packaging out of the car window. The suggestion to have more litter bins was discounted at this time because of the difficulty of getting them emptied and also the desire to avoid even
more ‘street furniture’. It was decided to have a Grand Clear-up Day in the Autumn, when hedgerows have been cut and the grass has stopped growing. It is hoped everyone will join in; if we all do a bit, the job will get done.
KNOYLE HOUSE GROUND With a little help from his wife and some young people to steady the poles while he cemented them in, the Clerk has installed the cricket net. A parishioner kindly donated the money for a wheelie bin to store cricket equipment. The Clerk was very disappointed to be informed two days later that youths were climbing on top of the frame, placing themselves in danger and risking damage to the nets. He also learned that someone was using the cricket bats as hammers. The face of one bat is ruined and the other damaged.
Funding for all this equipment was available only once and damaged items will not be replaced. Despite this, the nets have proved to be very popular.
MEETINGS Every member of the public now has the right to speak at Council meetings for 3 minutes on any agenda item. [i]Ed.
Parish Councillors for East Knoyle are: D. Haworth-Booth (Chairman), S. Garrett, (Vice-Chairman), S. Dawson (Chairman, Finance Committee), S. Wilson (Chairman, Planning Committee), A. Campbell (Chairman, Highways, Common Lands and Rights of Way Committee),
L. Coffin, D. Drake., T. Hyde, N Southerden, D. Webster, P. Wharton,
Contact may be made through the Parish Clerk: Keith Shipman, Ivy Cottage, Shaftesbury Road, East Knoyle SP3 6AR Tel: 01747 830886, Email k.shipman@btopenworld.com
PARISH PLAN UPDATE
We now have 17 people on the Steering Committee, which meets every month. They are all leading or contributing to one of the key Working Groups. These have been set up to establish clear
objectives and collect/analyse data or visual material as an essential part of the overall programme. This spans 22 months from January 2007, so the aim is to publish the Parish Plan and a Village Design Statement for East Knoyle in October 2008.
Funding for this project is in place. The next priority will be a series of events or meetings to give everyone in the community an opportunity to participate and let us have their views. This will help us to compose a questionnaire for everyone to complete. We are starting the consultation process with the younger generation, represented on the committee by two active members.
TISBURY & DISTRICT SPORTS CENTRE
- PRIME FITNESS CLASSES: Are you over 50 years of age, and looking to take part in some gentle exercise? We have classes specifically for you. They take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, and consist of gentle aerobic exercise,
strengthening exercises, and games such as short tennis and table tennis. Afterwards there is coffee in the Lounge, where you can chat with your fellow class participants in a friendly warm environment.
If you are interested in taking part, then come along on:
Tuesdays 8.45-9.45am Men’s class
10-11am Ladies class
Fridays 9.30-10.30am Mixed class - NEW BOXERCISE CLASS A new class has been added to our weekly programme. Taking place on a Thursday evening between 7-8pm, Cella will put you through your paces during this Boxercise Class with a combination of kicks, punches and squats. There is no requirement to book; you can just turn up.
- RHONA’S MARATHON FOR TISBURY Our congratulations go to Rhona who completed this year’s London Marathon in her fastest time ever – 3 hours and 44 minutes. Her brilliant efforts will have raised a total of £1,601.50 (once all sponsorship money has been
collected) towards the enhancement of the tennis courts into a multi-use leisure-tec surface for the benefit of the whole of Tisbury and its surrounding community.
We respectfully request that any outstanding sponsorship money be taken to the Sports Centre, and thank everybody for their generous support.
For further details of any of the above, or other activities which take place at the Centre, please contact Reception on 01747 871141.
Debbie Stevens, Assistant Manager
NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME
We would like to thank everyone from East Knoyle and the surrounding villages and towns for supporting such a worthwhile cause. Our total for Sunday 6th May was £476, an increase of just over 50% on the previous year. This money goes to nine different charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care and - particularly from our point of view - the Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society. [i]Lavinia
Seymour
JOAN van RYN
It is with sadness that I report the death on 16th April of Joan van Ryn in her 89th year.
Joan with her husband Bernard came to Strongs Cottage in Milton in 1977, and between them they created the most beautiful cottage garden which was always a delight to see. Joan was a staunch member of the World Wildlife Fund; she and Bernard had many visitors to their garden over the years to raise money for this fund. When a few years ago they found that the garden was beginning to be too much for them, they moved to Yate near Bristol to be near Joan’s niece, Gill. From there they moved to Clevedon, and finally to Glebe House in Lower Almondsbury where Joan sadly died.
Many of their friends from the village visited them on a regular basis, and always received a very warm welcome. They both delighted in hearing all the news, and were only sorry that they were never able to visit Wren’s Shop.
Joan and Bernard loved Strongs Cottage; it showed in their care and attention to the cottage itself and, of course, the garden. I am told there were 720 different herbaceous plants, all of which were known by name - of course !!
My lasting memory of Joan will be her delight in showing friends around their garden, wearing her large straw hat and offering her home-made lemonade. A lovely lady and friend, Joan will be so sadly missed by everyone who knew her. Our thoughts are with Bernard at this sad time. [i]Gill Waterhouse
WREN’S SHOP
Sadly the Wine Bonanza has now come to an end, but the possibility still exists of it being repeated annually, albeit on a much smaller scale. The profit from this will go a long way to paying for the cover to the rear walkway, if planning consent is granted. Takings have been between £4000 and £4,700 in recent weeks and seem to be stabilising around £4000. We are now projecting
£190,000 for the first year’s trading. This is tremendous, especially when you consider we were optimistically forecasting £100,000 a year.
We continue to train new volunteers. We have superb support from our volunteers, but we are finding that many have family and holiday commitments and so we are still light on cover at times. The workload then falls on the shoulders of Keith and Janeen. We recognise that both have given all their commitment to the project for well over a year and, in fairness to both, we must find a way of reducing their hours. Either we must have greater and consistent voluntary cover or we may have to employ someone for a few hours every day. The Directors are going to discuss this in the near future.
The Directors have agreed to underwrite film shows in the Village Hall, starting in September. This will be an additional service in our community and will also bring much-needed bookings to
the Village Hall. A Bar will be available. We shall confirm the first shows in the July Newsletter.
We are hoping to celebrate our first birthday with a party for the village. The Directors will decide on this soon.
The shop now has a coin sorting and counting machine. If you collect for a charity or other organisation, please get in touch if you wish to borrow it for the day. [i]Laura Coffin
TOUCHING HEARTS
Just after the March Newsletter was published, a greetings card was found at the War Memorial, addressed simply ‘To East Knoyle’. The front of the card shows an old- fashioned touring bus on Plymouth Hoe. Inside is written, ‘From one Beautiful town to a fine place to pass through politely. Thank you for such peace and tranquillity, rare sometimes nearly everywhere. A stranger X. March 19th 2007.’
‘Thank you’ to the person who placed the card. You have lifted spirits. [i]Ed.
AROUND AND ABOUT
Welcome to: Vera and James Coward at Charrington House.
Get Well Wishes to: Jane Treseder, Barbara Pugsley, Betty Irish and Gordie Gray (got your name right this time Gordie - I hope!).
Congratulations to: Arabella and Tom Hickman on the birth of Peter Thomas Parry Hickman on 3rd May (9lb 13 ozs!!!).
&nbs p; &n bsp; &nbs p; Katie and Ian Ridings on the birth of Bethany on 11th May (a more gentle 6lb 12 ½ ozs)
&nbs p; &n bsp; &nbs p; Tessa Reading and Adam Waugh on their marriage on 5th May.
&nbs p; &n bsp; &nbs p; Christopher Jay, grandson of Ruby Jay, on completing the London Marathon in 4 ½ hours. Christopher thanks all those who helped him raise £1300 for Roy Castle’s Lung Cancer Foundation.
Condolences: We extend our deepest condolences to the families of:
Joan van Ryn, who died on 16th April and Francis Swain, who died on 6th May.
SEEING THE WORLD FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
As many of you know, I decline to be computerised. With the help of the Committee, I put together the Newsletter and Keith does the computer stuff. He thinks I am a dinosaur; I don’t care. In what I pretentiously call my professional career, I have had a few changes. Hence I was very chuffed when my twin sister (for whom I have great admiration) told me I was ahead of my time because, she said, I have a portfolio of skills.
In my salad days I was given many of the rotten jobs no-one else superior to me would touch with a bargepole. I was told it would be ‘good experience’, ‘character building’, ‘challenging’ or - the expression I hate most - ‘good on my c.v.’. Why should I put myself through the mill just because it might look good on my c.v.? I prefer the view of Dolly Parton: ‘If you want to enjoy the
rainbow, you’ve gotta put up with the rain’. If it had been put to me in those terms, I would have coped much better. [i]Ed.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
- May
19th & 20th Spring Fair Upper Leigh Farm 10.30am to 4.30pm
22nd St Mary’s Guild Kestrel Cottage 2.30pm
26th May Fayre Village Hall 2.30pm to 4.30pm
30th Garden Club Outing meet at War Memorial 12.30pm - June
4th RBL Men’s Branch Monthly Meeting Fox and Hounds 7.30pm
9th Evening of Entertainment Pythouse 7pm to 9pm
22nd Village Barbecue Windmill 7pm
26th St Mary’s Guild Cools Cottage 12.30pm - July
2nd RBL Men’s Branch Monthly Meeting Fox and Hounds 7.30pm
8th Youth Parish Planning Barbecue Windmill 3pm
10th RBL Women’s Section Barbecue The Courtyard, Upton 12.30pm
10th Parish Council Meeting Village Hall 7.30pm
Editor - Maggie
Shipman, Ivy Cottage, Shaftesbury Road, East Knoyle SP3 6AR Tel: 01747 830 886 eknewsletter@btinternet.com
July is a Very Big Month for the Editor and the Typesetter; if your contribution is not with us by 1st July it will NOT be included.
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