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Stretton-on-Fosse Parish Newsletter
Stretton-on-Fosse Parish Newsletter
October 2011
COUNCILLORS: Isobel Hazelwood (Chairman) 661816 : Penny White (Vice-Chair)
663811 : Keith Finlay 661157: Jason Kristunas 662313: Chris Long-Leather
663863 : Parish Clerk Sue Finlay 661157
DISTRICT COUNCILLOR: Philip Seccombe 01295 680668
COUNTY COUNCILLOR: Christopher Saint 01608 662290
Useful phone numbers:
NEW! Village Helpline (see below): 07955 036 904
Warwickshire County Council - 01926 410410
Stratford District Council - 01789 267575
Highways Customer Services – 01926 412515 Shipston Leisure Centre – 01608
662354
Shipston Library – 01608 661255 24/7 Book Renewal – 01926 499273
Trading Standards – Business advice line – 01926 414044
Consumer advice line – 08454 040506
Shipston Police (non-emergency) – 01789 444670
Community Links Transport – 01789 264491 Abandoned Car Clear – 0800 1699900
Back and 4th Transport – 01789 471595 Electricity – Central Networks –
08000855156
PHILLIS Support Team (for over 50s) – 01926 731144
Waste/Recycling Centre (Shipston) – 01608 663560
Water – Severn Trent – 0800 7834444
Information on waste and re-cycling – 01789 260925
Neighbourhood Watch – Penny White 01608 663811
Emergency Village Committee:
Russ Braithwaite (661839), Izzi Hazelwood (661816), Paul Bellew (661208)
Do you have an email address? Can we please email this newsletter and other
village information to you? Please send your email address to: ihazelwood@hotmail.com.
It is expensive and time-consuming for the parish council and village hall
committee to have to deliver a paper version if it can be avoided. We will
of course continue to deliver a paper version to all those with no email and
a copy of newsletters etc will always appear on the village notice-boards.
Cutbacks in local services!! Fewer buses!! Do you need help? Our new Village
Helpline service:
A group of village volunteers are ready to provide help. Do you sometimes
need a lift to the doctor/hospital/shops, help with minor household events
(replace light-bulbs, move fridge…), would welcome a friendly face for a cup
of tea, need help reading post or help with computers, access to the
internet, clearing the snow etc, etc…Phone 07955 036904 and we will try to
help.
A member of the parish council will have this mobile to hand if you call –
but you may need to leave a message with a phone number to call you back or,
of course, one of us can drop in to speak to you. We would also like to add
to our list of villagers who could help (and thank you to those of you who
have already offered) – telephone number, email (if possible), how you could
help.
Are you in an Orbit or WRHA house? The Parish Council would like to hear of
problems with getting repairs etc done from those in Orbit Housing or WRHA.
We cannot guarantee waving any magic wand but if we are to get anything done
we do need facts and dates. Contact any member of the parish council.
Age UK Warwickshire offers a number of services:
Lifestyles - to give help around the house or with shopping
Befriending - matching with volunteers to provide companionship
Handyperson - numerous jobs around the house including fitting grab rails to
prevent falls or help clearing those slippery leaves in the garden.
Phone their Gateway number 0303 999 4321 (standard rate call) for an
assessment of need
Allotments
We are still looking for a suitable site for village allotments. Do you have
any land which we could rent or buy? Do you know of a land-owner we could
approach?
Interested in a new Gardening Club? There will be an informal get-together
at Home Farm, Belcony on Monday October 31st at 7.30pm to discuss forming a
club for both flower and kitchen gardeners enabling an exchange of ideas,
knowledge, swaps for seeds and plants and guest speakers.
Affordable Housing Survey
This was conducted in April and May by the Warwickshire Rural Housing
Association who were responsible for the 4 new houses in Harolds Orchard.
The survey showed that there was a need for 5 new houses (2 and 3 bedrooms).
Phil Ward of the WRHA has attended the recent parish council meeting to
discuss this and the next – difficult – task is to look for a suitable site.
We will keep the village informed and of course consult you.
Waste Collections: Just a reminder – if you find it difficult to get your
wheelie bins to the pavement, contact Stratford District Council (phone no.
above) and the refuse collectors will collect your bins from your garden/
back door and return them. Please do not put any plastic bags (with or
without contents) into your blue bin – rigid plastic only (e.g. milk
cartons, yoghurt pots).
Energy Champions: Casting your minds back to the snow in December (I know
we'd all rather push that to the back of our minds!), was your house one of
the ones where the snow melted faster than others? If so, it could be that
you are losing a lot of heat from inside. If you would like a volunteer
'Energy Champion' to come and help you consider how you might better
insulate your home, please get in touch with Geri Hunting on 01608 662848.
'Energy Champions' are members of Transition Shipston who have done some
training in identifying how you might improve the insulation in your home.
There is no charge for a visit from us and we work alongside 'Act on Energy'
who can advise on how to get grants to do any subsequent work. Again, there
is no charge for the advice they give. Many people are eligible to have
insulation work done free of charge so it's worth finding out!
Community Links is a door-to-door wheelchair accessible service for all
residents who need transport to get to local destinations between about 9.15
am and 2.30 pm. It is operated by VASA in partnership with Stratford on Avon
District Council and Warwickshire County Council.
The scheme is for those who have a genuine need for local transport and
cannot access public transport because of mobility problems or other issues;
for example, they may live in a hamlet or village with no other form of
transport available to them. Community Links can be used for a wide variety
of travel needs, such as visiting friends, attending social groups, leisure
activities, lifelong learning and, of course, shopping.
The service operates on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for Shipston and
Stretton
Passengers are charged a flat rate of £1.30 for a single journey and £2.60
for a return journey. If you are a carer and are travelling with the person
you care for, you can travel free of charge.Passengers need to register with
us by completing and returning a simple
registration form. There is no fee and once you are registered we will send
you details about how to use the service. More information is available from
01789 264491 or email community.links@stratford-dc.gov.uk.
Community Forums: Every couple of months Stratford District Council run a
Community Forum to which you are very welcome. Watch out for these to be
advertised on the notice-board. The next takes place on Tuesday 6.30pm 13th
December at Brailes Village Hall.
Neighbourhood Watch operates in Stretton so if you have not registered with
it yet, contact Penny White (tel see above) or email: pwhite@star.co.uk.
Shipston Police: If you need to speak to the police you can either phone the
number for non-emergency or go to Shipston Library during library opening
times where there will be someone to talk to. NB: closed Sunday and
Wednesday.
SCAN: Senior Citizens Action Network for the over 50s. Next meeting at the
Townsend Hall in Shipston Tuesday 8th November from 10am till 12. The
meetings are every two months on the second Tuesday (Jan, Mar, May, July,
Sept, Nov). For details contact Brian Fletcher 01608 6631308. Transport can
be arranged.
The Loft Furniture Recycling: Do you have any items of furniture (beds,
chairs, tables, sofas) or white goods (fridges, freezers) you would like to
donate? Please phone Stuart Copland at VASA (Voluntary Action Stratford on
Avon) 01789 298115 to discuss or arrange for collection. We do not charge
for collection but we cannot accept items that are unable to be re-used. If
you know of a family in need of furniture or electrical goods, please ask
them to phone Stuart to see if we can help.
Salt/Grit Bins: The parish council is in the process of obtaining 2 new
salt/grit bins since it was clear that the current supply was not adequate
for the heavy snow this winter. Please note that the grit is expressly not
for use on individual driveways – it is only for roads and pavements.
Next Parish Council Meeting: Wednesday, 11th January at 7.30
VILLAGE HALL NEWS
Two pieces of good news:
Village Hall solar panels
These were installed in late June this year and are already proving their
worth. You can read the amount of electricity currently being produced on
the panel above the notice-board. The top line shows what is currently being
produced. The second line shows how much has so far been produced. This is
however an under-estimate since it was installed a few weeks after the
panels started working! For an accurate reading look at the smaller meter to
the right of this reading.
The kitchen refurbishment
We were only able to do this because of a grant from Stour Vision of £2760
which helped to buy a new range cooker, wine chiller, microwave, flooring
and all the other bits and pieces needed to update the kitchen. Thanks to
the Cleggs for donating some of their kitchen units and to the Wrights for
the hostess trolley. Stuart Green has done an amazing job on our kitchen.
All we are missing now is a dishwasher which has to be a commercial one
(hygiene regulations) and which does cost about £1000 to buy and install. We
still need to raise enough money for this and eventually a food warmer
cabinet (about £330).
The Brunch on 11th September was a great success and raised £236 for the
dishwasher. Thanks to all who supported it, the chefs and kitchen staff and
the donation of all the eggs and sausages by the Finlays of Rowborough Farm.
Please note that the village hall now has 50 wine glasses and a large number
of beer and soft drink glasses which can be hired for events in the hall.
Please ask a member of the committee.
Future events:
Wine Tasting Evening, Friday November 18th
in aid of Stretton Church in the village hall. Watch out for details in the
Six Parishes Magazine in November.
Live and Local on Friday 11th November 7pm
Doors open 6.30pm for Bar and ticket collection
‘The Descent of Man’
by the well known and popular company, The Grand Theatre of Lemmings who
have been making shows for rural audiences for over 20 years.
This is a comically surreal and truly unique show - a fast-moving farce
which takes a sideways look at the future of the human race. They examine,
and venture into, the world of Charles Darwin's ‘The Origin of Species’ in
order to answer some of life’s biggest questions. The show mixes music,
theatre, film and animation with a Monty Python-esque penchant for
lampooning eccentric Britishness. ‘The Descent of Man’ is suitable for a
family audience, suggested age 7+, and especially for 11-15s
Thanks to the Stretton Children’s Committee who are generously sponsoring
the event, we can offer reduced prices to Stretton children (12 and under):
£3.50 and to Stretton over 65s: £6. Regular price: £8.50. Tickets available
from Geri Hunting: 01608 662848 or any other village hall committee member.
The Film Group: With the Live and Local event on 11th November and the
Cheese and Wine tasting on the 18th November, we're not showing a film in
November, but there will be two in December. For the adults on Friday
evening 2nd December Bridesmaids, then we will show a family film on Sunday
11th December, late afternoon, doors opening at 5.00pm and the film showing
from 5.30pm.
Dates for the New Year will be 13.01.12, 03.02.12 and 02.03.12
Places are limited, so please telephone Hilary Fossey (661368) or Geri
Hunting (662848) to book a place. Tickets £3.50 for adults, £2.50 for
children. If you have any items suitable for raffle prizes please give these
to Marianne or Paul Robinson, The Furrows (opposite the Plough Pub), or
telephone 662831. The raffle does make a significant contribution towards
covering the expense of these events, so please support it if you can! The
Film Group continues to aim to show a film every month except August. It
will normally be on the first Friday of the month. Look out for posters,
particularly outside the village hall, in the bus shelter and on the
blackboard by the bus shelter.
Regular Activities in the Village Hall:
Toddlers: Mondays - 10 - 11:30am (Note no longer meeting on Weds) Contact -
Karen Harris on 01608 662344
Street Dance Classes: Tuesdays - 4:15 - 6:30pm. Contact Carly Moore on 07598
948707
Circuit Training: Tuesdays - 7:30 - 8:30pm and Thursdays - 9:30 - 10:30am.
All levels, men and women run by qualified personal trainer. For more
information tel. Juliet Robbins 078999 66303, jmedleyrobbins@aol.com . Also
1-1 personal training or small groups at your home.
Line Dancing: Wednesdays - 7 - 8pm. Contact Caroline Green on 01386870068
Home Education Group: 2nd Tuesday in the month - 10:30am - 12:30pm. Contact
Elizabeth Shortman on 01789 470541
Tug of war training on Thursdays - 7 - 9pm until Christmas
Next meeting of the Village Hall: Monday 17th October 8pm
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