broadsheet nov 2013 - biddestone village · the leaflet on ‘tomorrow’s heirlooms’, a...

Biddestone Broadsheet

November 2013 No 403

Allotments Available

Two or three allotments are now available If you would like to have a go for the for the growing season 2014. If interested please call Colin on 713119

The White Horse Residents of Biddestone, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself; my name is Graham Gardner and I am the new kid on the block here at the White Horse. I have been a pub and restaurant manager for 20-plus years, here in the UK and in the USA. It’s both a pleasure and a challenge to come to the White Horse at Biddestone and hopefully, with your help, I can bring a great village local back to its for-mer glory, raising standards of food, drink and hospitality; in short a real village local. We use locally sourced food and locally brewed beers when and wherever pos-sible. Our new chef Danny King worked with me at the Crown at Giddea Hall and is now looking to make a name for himself at The Whiter Horse. We look forward to the support of all of our neighbours from in and around the village and we hope we can support local organisations in return. We are also looking at ways to give the residents of Biddestone incentives to visit and make it an enjoyable and happy place to be. We look forward to seeing you in the near future – not all is as I would like it to be but, over the coming months you will see improvements both outside and inside the pub. Let’s make it work, together!

NEW VILLAGE WEBSITE The Village website has been completely re-vamped by Lucy Jiwa and a cracking job she’s made of it. Please, have a look Lucy will welcome any feedback & com-ments. http://www.biddestonevillage.co.uk/

November 2013

SARA MORTIMER It is with great sadness that we report the death of Sara Mortimer …. our sincere condolences to Martin and Sara’s family. The funeral will take place at St Nicholas Church Biddestone on Tuesday 5th November at 2.30 p.m. DIANE ROSS-SMITH Many congratulations to Diane, who has been licensed as a Lay Minister in the Diocese of Bris-tol. Her licensing took place during a wonderful service in the Cathedral on Saturday 12 Octo-ber. Diane has for some time been regularly involved in leading and assisting at services not only in Biddestone but in other parishes in the Bybrook Benefice, and I know she will continue to inform, delight and inspire us with her ministry. AF FOOD BANK Thank you everyone who so generously donated food to Corsham Foodbank we delivered several bags and boxes. Sadly this is an on going situation as no doubt you have read in the local and nation-al press. Once again the boxes are in the church so please when you go shopping just buy an extra tin each week and add to the collection. None of us know what is round the corner.

LOGS DELIVERED Slaughterford Mill Logs—Firewood logs delivered locally for £75 a load. Call Karen or Angus on 01249 783217 EXTENDED CHURCHYARD I would like to thank David Taylor publicly for his excellent work in tidying the St Nicholas extended churchyard. His efforts have made a real differ-ence and are greatly appreciated by all those with family buried there. ES

Fruit juice, Breakfast cereal, Soup, Baked Beans Tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, Tinned meat and fish Instant Mash Potato Cooking sauces

Tinned Fruit Rice Pudding, sponge puddings UHT Milk Biscuits, Snack bars (e.g., cereal bars) Chocolate Bars (single bars or multipacks) Tins/Jars of baby foods

Donations £20 & £10

HARVEST SUPPER

Lorena and the Team organised a very ‘gourmet’ supper last Saturday . There were three types of soup followed by pear and ginger tart, plum crumble, cheese and biscuits. Not only was the food of a very high standard but the hall was looking very attractive. Plenty of harvest decorations and fairy lights made it look much less like a village hall. The money that was raised £204 has been sent to Dolffermio Farming Link in Uganda. This is a charity where the proceeds go directly to the farmers and their families in Uganda. Warmest of thanks to all those who decorated the hall, set up the tables etc and or-ganised the food. PL

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION BIDDESTONE AND SLAUGHTERFORD BRANCH

Please note the following important dates for your diary this autumn –

ALL ARE WELCOME

Diary Dates

Sunday 10th November 2013 Remembrance Service Starting at 10.00 am at St Nicholas Church, Biddestone

Monday 11th November 2013 Armistice Day Observance and

Starting at 10.50 am Two Minute Service at The War Memorial, Biddestone

Monday 25th November 2013 Biddestone & Slaughterford

11.00 am Branch AGM at 11 the Tynings, Biddestone

Poetry selected by Hilary Noyes

BIDDESTONE POSTCARDS & LETTER CARDS

We have had some Biddestone postcards pro-duced from some of the sketches by Vernon. The sets of 6 are available from a number of village sources including Margaret Beswick and Lorena Roberts Set of 6 £2.00 With envelopes £2.50

Record of Biddestone & Hartham W.I. Meeting on 16th October 2013

Jo Hancock, President, welcomed 14 members and two guests to the meeting. She then introduced the speaker, Marion Dale, to give a talk on “Where did our favourite plants come from?” Starting with the Romans who introduced plants such as marshmallow, foxgloves, and opium poppy, some of which were used for medicinal purposes, she mentioned the monaster-ies who continued introducing plants, then the Crusaders from the Holy Land, followed by the ex-plorers to the Americas, plant hunters in the 1600s bringing plants from China and Japan, and then Australia. It was a fascinating subject, which also showed the changing style of gardening through the ages. At the end of her talk there was a ‘Fun’ Quiz on the origins of certain plants and there was strong competition between the teams! Carol Millard thanked Marion on behalf of members. After refreshments, the Record of the previous meeting was read and ap-proved. Matters arising The calendars and diaries had been received. Correspondence Three venues for New Speakers’ Days have been given. Upper Seagry on 20th February, and Broughton Gifford on 17th June, 2014, would be the nearest. A form had been received for an Observer ticket, travel and accommodation for the AGM in Leeds next June. The leaflet on ‘Tomorrow’s Heirlooms’, a competition for making something to mark the cen-tenary in 2015 was passed on to Valerie Spencer-Jones. Valerie Ringham and Elizabeth Thomson also showed an interest. At the next meeting on November 20th Mr. Roger White will talk on the “Magic of the Scil-lies”. Visitors are welcome. 2pm for 2.15pm at the Village Hall. A small entry fee of £2 helps our funds.

ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS OF BIDDESTONE 'Circa 1900'

INCLUDING SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE

PRINTS FOR SALE - £4 EACH

SIZE 24" X 18"

IN AID OF ST NICHOLAS CHURCH

...............................

AVAILABLE FROM ANDI EWEN

WILLOWBROOK, THE GREEN

OR 713170

OR [email protected]

Biddestone Fete AGM 2013 Held at Biddestone Village Hall

Tuesday 8th October 2011, 7.30pm Committee Attendees: Vicky Elliott, Maureen Greenwood, David and Janet Hartley, Chris Hutton, Mary In der Rieden, Carolyn Madley, Mary Mullens, Anita Powell, Melissa Watts Committee Apologies: Kathy Hutton, Ronnie Robinson Villager Attendees: Helen Benton Meetings held this Year: 17th Jan, 28th Feb, 18th Apr, 16th May, 6th June, 17th June, 9th July Chairmans Report - Melissa Watts Our year started on 17th January with our first meeting, and then six subsequent meetings prior to Fete Day. This year we welcomed some new members to the Committee; Julia Tisdale, Anita Powell and Mary In der Rieden and Chloe and David Waller. We invested in some new tables at a total cost of £1,095.77. We also bought 5 new gazebos at a total cost of £99.95. We had set aside some money from the previous year to cover any up front costs. We had a super run up to Fete Day. Duties were divided amongst Committee members and most played their part. Julia Tisdale organised the Raffle this year, which is always a huge task but she did a fantastic job raising just over £1,200. We would like to thank all those people who were so generous in donating such wonderful prizes. On Fete Day itself, the weather was perfect, a great start. There was plenty of help setting up in the morning and we man-aged to get everything set up in record time and the bulk was done by about 10.30am. The Fete went vey well; all stalls reported a good constant flow of people and some stalls required extra prizes to keep up with demand. Cream Teas in the Staffords garden sold out and they even had to turn people away as all the tables were full for most of the afternoon - another record! Single Teas did a rip roaring trade, it seemed to attract more custom outside Carolyns house as it was much closer to the main body of the fete, near to the Band etc. Carolyn made sure the band members had tea and cake in their interval and also made sure stall holders and St Johns Ambulance were catered for. This worked brilliantly as in previous years they may have been overlooked. Most stalls did better than last year. New to You clothes did not do as well this year despite people queueing outside the stall before 2pm! Jane Igguldon reported that there were not as many quality items donated this year. Books also this year were not in such high demand, perhaps a sign of the times! Sadly there were a couple of cars still parked on The Green during the Fete. This made crossing the road very hazardous and there were a few very near misses involving children. John Owen spoke to Committee members on the day and said that the Council may be willing to close the road for us in future years. This would we wonderful as we had understood that the Council were opposed to this. It was agreed that this is something that should be organised for next years fete. We discussed at length how the money raised should be distributed, and a suggestion was made that we could provide something more tangible for the village that everyone could enjoy. Suggestions were a duck house or island for the pond in an effort to keep more duckling safe each year or some carved wooden signs for the green warning about the ducks. Car-olyn has researched these options and spoke at length to a very helpful man at the Wetlands Trust called Martin Brown regarding our pond and duck houses, duckling preservation etc. He says, in brief, the following.... 1. Large numbers of chicks are being taken more and more by seagulls as landfill sites are being buried and seagulls are being driven to find other food sources and finding ponds like ours to feed off the young. Slimbridge also has this problem and have lost hundreds of ducklings this year. 2. Seagulls are frightened of nothing, and it is almost impossible to deter them.

3. They can be shot by someone with a licence, however this is probably not a good idea in our village with houses etc. in such close proximity to the pond, and some people would not think this a good idea. 4. Duck houses..... not a great idea as, as Mary correctly pointed out, the drakes take control. Also, as they are wild ducks it would not be appropriate. It would look nice but not be very effective in duckling preservation. 5. However.... positive suggestions were... more marginal vegetation and/or a floating island. This is a structure primarily made of wood (pallets or similar). They are strapped together with some sort of floatation underneath. On top is a liner/membrane on top of which is soil and you can then plant around the edge. If the island is anchored it does give a.) more protection to ducks and b.) can look attractive in the pond (despite the rather 'Blue Peter' way I have described the construc-tion! Obviously it could look very good and Martin would be more than happy to help with further detailed instruction if we needed him to). 6. You can install loud hailers with certain 'alarm calls' to scare the gulls. This is very effective in the short term but the calls have to be changed. Personally I can't see this being well received by residents close to the pond! We have asked Villagers for their suggestions but as yet none have been forthcoming. Sadly this year we have some resignations to announce:- Kathy and Chris Hutton are resigning this year. They have both been such a huge help to our village fete over the years, Kathy as Committee member and Chris as Treasurer and will be very sorely missed. They moved out of the village a couple of years ago but have stayed on the committee to help and have been invaluable and we thank them very much for all their help and hard work over the years. Mary and Mike In der Rieden have kindly said she will take on the Treasurers role. Carolyn Madley is also resigning this year. After approximately 10 years on the Committee and 4 as Chairman she now has other commitments with the Parish Council and the Broadsheet Committees. She has made a huge contribution to the Vil-lage Fete over the years and we thank her very much for all her time and enthusiasm. I will also be resigning this year as Chairman. My youngest child has now started school and I would like to hopefully re-turn to work. I have greatly enjoyed my 6 years on the fete committee and 3 as Chairman whilst my children have been at home, but feel its time now to hand over this hugely rewarding role. FInally, I must thank every single person who contributed this year to making our Fete Day the best yet. It was a fantastic day enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a truly unique day and an intrinsic part of village life and one I hope will carry on for many years to come.

By Brook Valley Primary School - Governor Vacancies

By Brook Valley Primary School is now in its second year as an Academy Primary School; one of the first in Wiltshire and is seeking additional governors to be part of the successful Academy leadership team. The role will require a certain commitment of time to the school, initially joining as an active member of one of the governance teams that set and monitor Academy policy.

Specifically we are looking for individuals who have experience in any of the following areas: Health & Safety; Facilities Management; Employment Law; Finance; Special Educational Needs;

If you are interested in helping to shape the future of By Brook Valley Academy please contact Nicola Hickford, Clerk to the Trustees, 07770 588349, [email protected]

Advent Supper At St Nicholas Biddestone

Join us to celebrate Advent with a candlelit supper served in the church. Thursday 19th December at 7 pm.

£15.00 per person, profits to St Nicholas. Numbers are limited and so booking is essential. To book or discuss special dietary requirements please call

01249716330 or email [email protected]

St Nicholas Biddestone Silent Auction, 13th October 2013 Thank you to all for their donations of promises and lots for inclusion in the silent auction. Thank you also to all the bidders. The auction went really well and in total we raised pledges of £915 to be split between St Nicho-las and the charity Us. Thank you again for your support.

Charity Breast Cancer Evening

Thank you to all those who supported our Breast Cancer evening on Thurs-day 17th October we raised an amazing

£1020.16 We look forward to seeing you all again next year when we make the event even bigger and better.

Pam, Louise and Jim

New Year’s Eve Party at the Biddestone Arms

3 Course meal DJ and dancing until 1pm.

£45 per person. Booking essential

For further information please call Louise on 01249 714377.

Or visit www.biddestonearms.co.uk

Thank you to everyone who attended the October meeting at which we discussed the very tender, yet poignant, story of a man's mission to walk the length of England in the hope that his journey will prolong the life of an old friend. Our next meeting will be on Monday 18th November at 17.15 at Rose-mary's house. We will be discussing the classic 'Kim' by Rudyard Kip-ling. If you have any questions, please phone Diane Ross-Smith on 712105.

Biddestone Book Club

Biddestone Harvest Festival.

‘We plough the fields and scatter ...’ raised the roof as we began our celebrations on Sunday 13th Octo-ber. It was wonderful to welcome so many people to Biddestone’s Harvest Festival. We followed the Christian tradition with a service of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth. We were delighted to welcome Heather Skull from US (formerly USPG) who told us all about the organi-sation which enables people in need to help themselves and use their own talents to succeed. In her lively and informative talk she also encouraged us to use our own talents and gifts. In fact all the gifts for our Silent Auction, laid out beautifully on a table in the Chancel, showed how much we had to give, as the lots included everything from babysitting to various outings! Several items were on offer also, including pictures and baking. A big thank you to all those who donated their gifts, time and bids to this worthy cause – you know who you are! Thank you also to Maureen, Terry, Charlotte and Simon for their organisation of this new venture. Half of the money goes to US and half to Biddestone Church. We raised £915.00! Best of all, these are gifts which will bring joy to many people. We also enjoyed the talents shown during the service when Emily, Sam, Georgie and Henry read prayers. The Biddestone Singers gave an uplifting performance of ‘Look at the World’ by John Rutter. We are very grateful to Graham and all the singers, who sing so beautifully and give of their time. At the end of the service, while the Silent Auction was finishing, we appreciated the Harvest Loaf with bread, jam, and drinks. I should also like to add a personal ‘Thank You’ to those in Biddestone for the ‘Harvest of the Spirit’: your support and encouragement throughout my training to become a Licensed Lay Minister. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father. (James 1) Diane Ross-Smith

Friends of By Brook Valley School News The Autumn term has got off to a busy start. The children have been having fun designing their own Christmas Cards to be professionally printed, and drawing self portraits to go on our school calendars. We have two big events in November: a craft afternoon for the children to make a variety of items to take home, and our big RACE NIGHT on Friday 15th November in the village hall (see poster) You are most welcome to join us for a fun evening at our first ever Race Night. Teams of 8 can back their favourite horses and win big cash prizes! Tables can be reserved in advance at the school office or email [email protected].

Biddestone ‐ “A Peaceful Wiltshire Village” etc.

Just a few lines to thank Alison Flint for her kind comments about the Biddestone “A Peaceful Wiltshire Village” booklet on page 11 of October’s Broadsheet. I was unaware of Mike King’s role in the project but did appreciate her “gentle reminders”! As for my pessimism over the future of our village I am happy to endorse her as one of the reasons why my fears will not materialise. Her sterling work, o en unsung, within the com-munity is just what is needed. This booklet has raised my awareness of the kindness & generosi-ty that exists within Biddestone among our popula on, with par cular men on of herself and Mar n Mor mer. I am also thrilled to have met several newcomers to our village through this vehicle, one of which was taking a copy to read in the Bahamas! Up to that moment the farthest I know one has travelled was to Epinac in France! The fame of Biddestone con nues to spread worldwide. I am happy to report that half the run has now been sold or earmarked so if you want a copy contact me sooner rather than later. Graham Priest

BIDDESTONE & SLAUGHTERFORD PARISH COUNCIL

Clerk Mrs Mary Norton 155 Queens Crescent Chippenham Wilts Tel. 01249 650979 Fax. 01249 650979 UNSIGNED MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2013, AT BIDDESTONE VILLAGE HALL AT 7. 30PM PRESENT Cllrs Stafford, Juniper, de Fossard, Mullens, Smith, Short, Madley and Draper APOLOGIES Cllrs Thornhill and Scott (WC) MINUTES These were accepted and signed by the Chairman. MATTERS ARISING Ramp: The new barrier at the bottom of the ramp requires painting. The Chair had a meeting with Cllr Scott to discuss a number of village issues and Cllr Scott agreed to request that this was actioned by WC. Cuttle Lane improvements: Again at a pre meeting with Cllr Scott, village disappointment at the failure to get funding for this was discussed and it was agreed that Cllr Scott will liaise with Martin Rose and the Chair to relook at this, obtaining a realistic costing based on the improvement. The scheme should probably have gone to the Area Board not the CATG. Hartham Park: The Chair and Deputy Chair met with representatives of Hartham Park and Bath Spa Univer-sity on 23 September 2013. Planning permission is conditional on the terms of a 106 agreement being imple-mented. This includes a code of conduct to students and staff outlining advice to approach and leave wherev-er possible from the A4. Non compliance with the code of conduct may result in car park permits being with-drawn. There will be specific contact names and numbers for matters requiring discussion and the Parish Council will have a named representative as a contact point. There will be at least one meeting per annum to discuss issues. A revised code of conduct will be sent to the Chairman and Corsham Town Council before the end of this week. Similar problems have previously been dealt with successfully at the Newton St Loe site and it is believed that this Council’s concerns have been taken seriously. It is hoped building will be completed by August 2014 when teacher training will commence. Construction traffic will be banned from using the Biddestone route throughout this period. Delivery vehicles are to be routed to Hartham from the A4. Slaughterford notice board: A letter of thanks has been sent to the donor of the notice board Standpipe for allotments: The suggestion that the Parish Council should pay any excess charges after meter-ing was accepted, the installation will be at the Village Hall’s expense. The standpipe will have a spring- loaded tap to prevent it being left on. The Cricket Club payment arrangements with regard to water bills are unclear and probably need further clarification. PLANNING Bay Tree cottage – Revised application approved The following applications were considered: The Barn, Manor Farm Biddestone – to fell one Alder Tree. There was no objection Land at Rear of Manor Cottage, 3 The Bartons, Slaughterford – to fell one Sycamore tree. There was no ob-jection The Old Wool House, Biddestone – to fell one Walnut Tree. The Chair declared an interest as the tree was in the next door property to her’s, adjacent to her wall. Cllrs commented that the tree was very overgrown and dangerously close to other buildings. There was no objection. REPORTS Area Board Chippenham: The review of bus services finishes on 7 October. Various funding applications were considered. After much discussion, the site of the Chippenham Skateboard Park, was voted on and will be sited at Monkton Park. In November, Wiltshire Council’s Sports development team will start recreational basketball in Chippenham. Wiltshire Council pest control team can visit Area Boards to offer advice on most pests including rats, mice, wasps, fleas, bedbugs, cluster flies, carpet moths, squirrels and cockroaches. Area Board Corsham: Matters discussed included : NEETs Project for young people aged 18-24. The multi agency servicing hub (MASH), at Monkton park

which shares information to help in the protection of children, and will eventually be extended to the elderly, the website is up and running. There has been an increase in the theft from parked cars, with thieves targeting unlocked vehicles. Availability of Community First aid with local buses. Parking discussions regarding the Springfield Campus are ongoing and affect Biddestone & Slaughterford as many residents will go there. Again the availability of the Pest Control Team was discussed. Various grants were made, and possibly this Parish could benefit from some of the ideas eg WiFi in the Village Hall and Moviola equipment. These two ideas will be raised at the next Village Hall Meeting. The Health message was “remember flu jabs”. Roads/Transport/Greens: There was nothing new to report. Parish Steward: Richard Dobson reported that Cuttle Lane will be cleared in the week commencing 30 Sep-tember. As Slaughterford Road/Top of Cuttle Lane is in an area earmarked for a carriageway patch, the team will fill in the worst of the potholes temporarily. The drains on Slaughterford Road were overlooked and will be cleared as soon as possible. Notice is to be given in case some villagers have cars parked over the drains. He was unaware that the new railings at the bottom of the disabled ramp in Cuttle lane need painting black. The date of the requested community day is to be announced.. Slaughterford: Martin Rose (Highways) will be contacted regarding Germains Lane and the road to Giddea Hall, both of which still need attention. The pathway is still overgrown and the grit bins need to be refilled. Martin Rose has responded to a young Parishoner’s letter regarding animal/duck safety saying that temporary posters could be used for a while but that permanent signs could not be used. A total of £1400 was made from the recent Village Country Fair. NHS: A reminder has been given about flu jabs and anti flu nasal sprays are to be available for 2/3 year old children. Village Hall: Discussion on the defibrillator centred on the revised costs (£1600 vs the Olympic Legacy of £300-500), the need to install it on an outside wall with a mains power supply, and that it can only be opened by the ambulance service by remote control following a 999 call. Regular servicing and maintenance are also required. In addition to these issues,it was implied that the PC would have to take responsibility for the de-vice in insurance/liability terms. It was agreed that this was outside the remit of the PC and support for this project will be dropped. Six notices requiring dogs to be put on leads, have been ordered, larger notices are required at the entrances to the Sports Ground. There has been no progress on realigning the right of way across the sports pitches. The social club debt and an old debt of £187.50 have been written off. The result is a large loss for both the month and year to date. Bookings are improving, and an insurance claim for £600 has been made for the break in. Current bar stocks are valued at approx £700 and the need for annual or six monthly stock taking has been agreed. The Harvest Supper will be on 19th October and Bonfire night on 1st November. The next Hall meeting will be 8th October at Yew Bank House. Website/Allotments: Lucy Jiwa is to be chased regarding the updating of the website. The allotments stand-pipe is covered under matters arising Police: Training in the use of speed guns is to be given and users will be out to put their skills into practice. Concern has been expressed about the use of cannabis and people should be aware of the problem .There have been a number of break ins and people have been questioned in relation to this. Bybrook School: The new Chairman of the governors is Ian Bannister. There is emphasis on more efficiency relating to school issues There are currently 10 Governors but 17 are needed. At present they are working towards an Ofsted Inspection at Easter. Summer teaching and learning is looking towards improving stand-ards. Building work should be completed by 14 March 2014. The next meeting is on the 12th November. Toilets: There had been some complaints about cleanliness levels but the cleaner has been ill. This has now been resolved although some of the problem was litter washed in after heavy rain. New toilet roll holders are required which are lockable. CORRESPONDENCE White Horse Pub – Robert Iggulden was unable to attend this meeting and will be asked to attend the Octo-ber one. Plans and ownership still seem to be in limbo. A letter with proposed plans has been received from Vines Lipscombe and a reply is to be sent Councillor’s training – Cllr de Fossard is attending and will take notes. Best Kept Village – this Village was second in the county- wide competition. ACCOUNTS AND GENERAL FINANCE. There were 3 invoices for payment: BVHRT for the hire of the Village Hall £24; Clerk’s salary £445.96 and expenses £56.69; Rodney Mansell £259 toilet cleaning. NEXT MEETING Tuesday 29 October, at 7.00pm at the village hall before the Open meeting.

BIDDESTONE VILLAGE HALL AND RECREATION TRUST MINUTES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING,

8 OCTOBER 2013 Present: Mike Chrystal (in the Chair), John Chambers, Stewart Entwistle, Alison Flint, Hywel Evans, David Millard (for Item 1), Ronnie Robinson, Ian Smith, Gill Stafford Apologies: Kris Boulton, Mark Hibbert, Colin Kempshall, Lorena Roberts Bonfire Night and Fireworks There was a long discussion about what was needed for Bonfire Night, and the following actions were agreed: Large advertising boards to be posted on roads into the village. Ronnie Banner (at present in old pavilion) to go up in centre of village. Mike/Gill/David Taylor Cricket Club to provide two people at entrance to carpark and two people in field. Hywel Mike would ring Wells &Young about having barrel of beer in main Hall. Mike Floats (5 x £100 in notes and coins) to be provided for gates and barbecue. John Vegetarian alternatives to be provided for barbecue. Jim and Louise from Biddestone Arms would be providing eve-rything for this, but we had to cover their costs. They would like two assistants, one to help serve and one to take the money. Agreed we should charge £2 for burgers and sausages Agreed we should have a sound system. Mike would ask Andy Ward if he could help; if not David M. could advise. Publicity – Probably too late for the Broadsheet, but David Daniel was willing to organise a leaflet drop throughout the village – these should make it clear sparklers were banned. Gill suggested asking Lionel (postman) to do this – agreed (not sure who was to do this). Stewart to send something to village website when it started again. Alison would send something to the Honeycomb and “What’s One” in the Gazette and Herald. John would contact Wilt-shire Radio. Stewart said posters should go in local shops, e.g.Barnetts, and the Post Office and Library. Mike and Kris would act as First-aiders. Mike to ask Colin to inform the Police. Stewart to purchase light-sticks for the children – to be charged for. Times agreed: 6 p.m. gates open, 6.30 bonfire lit, ca. 7 p.m. fireworks start. Volunteers (?children) needed to clear up the following morning. Agreed Trust would pay for a meal for David and his helpers. David would really like more people from within the village to be trained by Skyburst to do the fireworks in future. Mike thanked David for attending and for all his suggestions. Minutes of meeting on 10 September 2013 In Minute 4 the word “be” should be inserted in the last line, and in Minute 5 Jane Boulton should be replaced by Shelagh Ball. Subject to these amendments, the Minutes were agreed and signed. Matters Arising (a) Right-of-way. Stewart had received a reply from Wiltshire Council’s right-of-way specialist, saying there was an established procedure for changing rights-of-way, which would cost about £1,200 for notices, etc. However, if the proposed change proved contentious, it could cost a great deal more. Gill said that she had also spoken to Jane Scott about the dangers of crossing the road at the stile entrance, and suggested that these two matters could be linked. She wondered whether we might be eligible for a grant for any work. To go on agenda for next meeting, and OS maps to be provided. Mike/Alison (b) Standpipe for the allotments. Mike reported that David Taylor had already started on the necessary work for this. It was pointed out that the land affected by this work did not actually belong to the Trust, and the owners (the Zipfels) should be informed about it. [I am not sure who was to do this.] Gill asked why we needed three water supplies for Hall, which would all incur standing charges. John suggested it would be useful to ask a representative from Wessex Water to come out and explain things. (c) Methuen field. Stewart had drafted a letter to the Methuen Estate Agent, which he would discuss with Mike. It had been emphasised that, whatever was agreed for the future, the interests of the Estate would have to be safeguard-ed. This might mean an official lease with a regular charge. If it was agreed that we could open an entrance to the field from the Yatton road, this would also cost a great deal. There was therefore some doubt as to whether it was worth pursuing this, although the situation on the field needed to be regularised. It was in any case too late to do anything before this year’s Bonfire Night. Mike and Stewart to discuss further. (d) Mesh under barrier. Gill reported that this would be painted by the Council. (e) Defibrillator. Gill said that the Parish Council did not wish to take responsibility for this. It was agreed we should take no further action on this. Financial Update John circulated his report for September and reported that it had been a good period, which would help reduce the

YTD losses from the Bar. The aged debt from the Tennis Club had been written off, and their payments would be by Direct Debit from October. The bank accounts at end July were as follows: Current Acc. £8,827.05, Deposit Acc. £8,596.48, Playground Acc. £4,824.74. John reported that at present we were paying about £1,800 a year for gas from British Gas. He had produced figures showing comparisons for renewal of our gas supplier, and after some discussion it was agreed that John should set up a 24 month contract with Scottish Power. He would also en-quire about their charges for electricity, as a dual fuel contract usually gave better value (our electricity contract ex-pired in March 2014). John requested authority from the Committee for on-line banking to be introduced for the Trust’s accounts, as this would enable better financial monitoring and make it simpler to move money between ac-counts and pay bills by BACS; he suggested a limit of £500 per day. Alison wondered whether this would be permitted by the Charity Commission and undertook to check our Constitution to see whether it required two signa-tures on financial transactions; if not, she would sign the necessary form for John to take to the Bank. Subject to this, the Committee agreed. Alison/John Events In Lorena’s absence, attention was drawn to the film “The Great Gatsby” on Friday 18 October and the Harvest Sup-per on Saturday 19 October. Colin wished to remind the Committee about the caravan rally from 11th to 13th Octo-ber, when car-parking would be restricted. Questionnaire from Big Lottery Fund Alison had received a “post grant monitoring” questionnaire, asking for an update on our project, which they had supported ten years ago. Mike had completed this, basically confirming that there had been no changes to the pro-ject’s aims since then; Alison would return this to the Fund. Alison Any Other Business (a) Mike reported that Mark had told him two football groups would be giving up using our facilities for training, following a problem with the lights. This was as a result of disconnecting the cables to the football field. John Taylor (David’s father) had been asked to quote for laying cables underground over to the field, which it was hoped would be ready for winter training. However, unless the two groups intended to return it did not seem worth doing this. Mike undertook to discuss this with Mark and Andy Short. Ian thought there would be regulations about lay-ing cables underground, and Mike would also check this out. Mike (b) Gill said that there was some resentment around the village about having to keep dogs on leads and clean up after them (which responsible dog-owners were always prepared to do), whereas the football field was always covered in rubbish after matches. Mike was asked to write to the relevant teams, saying that unless the situation improved they would be charged for cleaning up. Mike (c) Gill referred to a grant which was available to purchase our own film equipment to avoid having to use Moviola. She would discuss this with Lorena. Gill (d) Gill also referred to a grant towards proving Wifi in the Hall, which might make it more attractive for meetings, etc. We would have to provide a telephone line and raise match-funding. Stewart would work out some costs. (e) Hywel reported that the Head Teacher of Corsham School had expressed his thanks for the Open Evening. (f) Alison said that Colin had realised that there was now a regular booking in the Hall every second Tuesday even-ing, and asked whether the Committee meetings could be on 3rd Tuesday. Agreed. Date of next meeting Agreed for Tuesday 19 November at 7.15 p.m. at the Hall.

Copy date 2nd Sun in month delivered to any committee member or by email to [email protected]

Dates for your Diary

3 Nov Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Service St Nicholas Church 09.30 9 Nov Corsham Christmas Market The Town Hall Corsham 10.00 16.00 11Nov Armistice Day Observance The War Memorial The Green 10.50 15 Nov Moviola Renoir Village Hall 19.00 15 Nov Friends of By Brook Valley School Race Night 18 Nov Biddestone Book Club Rosemary's House 19.15 20 Nov WI Meeting - The Magic of the Scillies Village Hall 14.00 26 Nov Coffee at Christine’s in aid of Deaf & Dumb Children in Bali The Granary 10.00 12.00 19 Dec Advent Supper — St Nicholas Biddestone 19.00 31 Dec New Years Eve at the Biddestone Arms

St Nicholas Biddestone Come to our Coffee Morn-ing every Thursday 10.30 until 12.00

Editorial Committee [email protected]

Stewart Entwistle (Editor) Challows House 715887

Mary Mullens (Treasurer) Parker Farm Bungalow 714399

Derek & Lynn Thornhill 6 Cuttle Lane 712367

Judy Priest 2 Little Challows 713469

Di Webb Owl Cottage 715963

Carolyn Madley Stonehaven The Green 712831

Church Services for November ST NICHOLAS, BIDDESTONE 3 Shoebox Family Service 9.30 a.m. 10 Remembrance Service 10.50 a.m. Evensong 4.00 p.m. 17 Family Holy Communion 9.30 a.m. 24 BENEFICE Service 10.00 a.m. Holy Communion for the Sick - every Wednesday at 9.15 am ST NICHOLAS, SLAUGHTERFORD 3 BCP Holy Communion Service 11.00 a.m

broadsheet nov 2013 - biddestone village · the leaflet on ‘tomorrow’s heirlooms’, a...

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