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ACTIVISM BEGINS IN VILLAGE HALLS
by
Phillip Vincent, public affairs & communications manager,

 Action with Rural Communities in England (ACRE)

LEGAL MATTERS

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NEW EDITOR 

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that our editor has changed. Sadly, we have said goodbye to David Wilson, who had edited Clerks & Councils Direct since 2011 but has stood down for personal reasons. He was a real professional who became well-known to many of you, while ensuring the stories we run are accurate and well-illustrated. We welcome STEVE PENNY to continue our professional editorial output. Steve is a vastly experienced journalist, who has worked for local, regional, national and international publications over a 40-year career. He has worked with parish and town councils since his early days on the Selby Times, with Selby and Snaith town councils in Yorkshire, then as an editor alongside Diss and Downham Market town councils in Norfolk and more recently with Lowestoft Town Council in Suffolk. Steve said: “I am really looking forward to being part of the magazine’s team and have already been impressed with the number of councils who send in news and reports to Clerks & Councils Direct. There is always space for more, especially from the smaller parish councils. Everyone’s news is welcome. Do not worry about it being perfectly written; bullet points are fine. Remember to include contact details for any queries and try to send a supporting picture.” Steve can be contacted direct via email at clerkscouncils@btinternet.com

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 Tributes to the crew of Lancaster bomber at the A16 War Memorial in Lincolnshire

POIGNANT RETURN FOR WAR RELIC

A piece of history has been restored close to the Lincolnshire airfield it left more than 80 years ago. In March 1943, a Lancaster bomber of the 100 Squadron embarked on a mission from Waltham Airfield to France, laying mines. Battling dense fog, the plane crashed just 400 yards from Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire. HOLTON LE CLAY Parish Council clerk Emma Portas explained: “I found myself deeply immersed in a poignant journey after a kind resident of New Waltham offered a piece of the Lancaster’s bomb bay door for installation at the A16 War Memorial.” A memorial now stands at the crash site, adorned with photographs of the crew and the Lancaster.


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Pupils from local schools try out the new play equipment at Haydon Wick

 

PLAYTIME IS FULLY ACCESSIBLE

New accessible and interactive equipment at a playpark in Wiltshire has been chosen by the children themselves. HAYDON WICK Parish Council opened the newly renovated Trent Road play area after work by play area specialists Wicksteed. Year 3 and Year 4 pupils from Swindon’s Greenmeadow Primary School and former pupils in Year 7 at Nova Hreod Academy were invited to try out the play area they had helped design. Their ideas were brought to life with interactive panels, a double-width slide, basket swing and mushroom stepping stools to ensure children of all abilities can enjoy the new space.



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TOWN GROUPS GET TO GRIPS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING

About 50 people from voluntary and community groups attended WEYMOUTH Town Council’s second community networking event. Informal networking gave the opportunity to find out what services and projects are run for residents of the Dorset town. The theme for the event at Castle Cove Sailing Club was social media and marketing. The town council communications team delivered an engaging and insightful presentation. People attended from organisations including Age UK South West, The Friendly Food Club, Dorset Mental Health Forum, Cycling Without Age, Hangers Heroes, Repair Cafe Weymouth, Dorset Blind Association, and many more.

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FOUNDATION BLEED KITS INSTALLED IN PHONE KIOSK

MARLOW Town Council has bought three bleed kits from the Daniel Baird Foundation and installed them in all three of the council-managed defibrillators in phone kiosks. They are in Quoiting Square, Seymour Park Road and the junction of Station Road and Lock Road. They can be accessed by dialling 999 and using the code given. Marlow Mayor, David Brown said: “Each of these kits could save a life by controlling catastrophic bleeding.” The Daniel Baird Foundation aims to raise awareness of the importance of having publicly accessible bleeding control packs available. It works with local government organisations, community groups and business organisations to get vital bleed control kits into as many venues as possible.



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STANDING ITS ROUNDS

A tree-ring dating survey of the Monument Inn in Newbury has dated the building to 1675. NEWBURY Town Council said the London monument to the Great Fire of London was erected in the period 1671-77 and it is reasonable to suppose that it gave its name to the Berkshire building, which it has borne ever since. The consultant was Dr Andy Moir, of Tree-Ring Services, Micheldean, and the date confirms previous estimates. The Monument Inn is Grade II listed and the earliest known reference to it as a pub was 1735.

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£1.25M LOAN NEEDED FOR CEMETERY

BUCKINGHAM Town Council is seeking approval from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to apply for a loan of £1,250,000 for the creation of a new cemetery and allotments. The annual loan repayments over 50 years will come to about £72,000. It is intended to increase the council tax precept for the purpose of the loan repayments by 0.22%, which is the equivalent of an additional £2,600 a year. Mayor of Buckingham, Cllr Anja Schaefer said: “I am pleased that we are in a position to apply for a public works loan so that we can start developing our much-needed new cemetery.”

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Daniel Lister and Charlotte Reynolds of Ross-on-Wye Town Council with the award certificate

 

FAYRE EARNS FESTIVE REWARD FOR ROSS

 The Ross-on-Wye Christmas Fayre took home the highly commended award for best large speciality market at the Great British Market Awards 2024. A ceremony took place in Birmingham and was the first time the ROSS-ON-WYE Town Council run event had been nominated. Joint winners of the large speciality market category were York Christmas Market and Stratford upon Avon Victorian Christmas Market.

 

 

 


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CHAPELS INSPIRE GARDENS

FARNHAM Town Council has been selected as a regional finalist in the prestigious Civic Trust Awards for its creation of a garden on the site of two former chapels. The chapels, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, inspired the garden design. Unstable parts of the chapel walls were reduced in height and key features such as the gable windows and stone mullions were incorporated into a design to celebrate local features. The footprint of the chapels has been preserved and is highlighted by re-purposed flint setts, which have been laid at ground level. The garden has been planted with trees and plants that appear in the Bible.




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HONOUR FOR CHIEF LIBRARIAN

Former KIRKLEES chief librarian Carol Stump was appointed an MBE in the New Year’s Honours. She retired in 2022 from the role after 45 years and received the honour for services to public libraries in West Yorkshire. Carol started as a 16-year-old assistant at Huddersfield Library and progressed to senior assistant at Holmfirth, eventually becoming chief librarian in 2012. She became president of Libraries Connected in June 2020 and was also invited to join the government’s Tackling Loneliness network.



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