BISHAMPTON ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 2009

Minutes of the Bishampton Annual Parish Meeting, held at on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at The Villages Hall, Bishampton

The meeting was chaired by PC Chairman Cllr Don Cheetham, and attended by Cllr Charles Tucker, Cllr Malcolm Argyle (until 8.30pm), Cllr Jon Morrison, Cllr John Mills, Cllr Ed Beever (until 9pm), and Cllr Geoff Day, as well as county and district councillor Liz Tucker.
A total of 9 members of the public attended.

The meeting opened at 7.45pm.

1. Apologies
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr David Baldwin and from the new footpaths officer Gordon Kingston.

2. To approve the minutes of the Bishampton Annual Parish Meeting from April 29th 2008
The minutes were approved and signed by the chairman.

3. Report from the Chairman of the Parish Council.
Cllr Cheetham gave his report of the parish council’s events of the year (attached).

4. Report from the County and District Councillor
Cllr Liz Tucker gave her report. She spoke about:

• The council budgets and difficult times ahead, with the current financial crisis.
• Car parking charges in Wychavon.
• The flooding situation and each council’s role in studying ways to avoid a repeat situation in the future.
• The Regional Spatial Spatial Strategy housing proposed by Government for the county.
• Roadworks in the parish.

5. Reports from Village Organisations
Reports had been received from St James’ Church, the Bishampton Relief in Need Charity, Moat Farm Lane Nature Reserve, Bishampton Tiddlers, the Stoneland and Village Hall Charity, the Silver Circle Seniors Club and the Brownies. These were made available for people attending and would be published on the parish websites. (attached)

6. Discussion items

The Lenches Wind Farm – with a brief presentation from the VVASP group.
Mr Rod Stroud spoke on behalf of the Vale Villages Against Scottish Power group. He explained why people in the Lenches are opposed to the plans for the wind turbines and what they are doing to oppose them. In terms of affecting Bishampton, he said that not only would some likely be visible over the Bishampton Bank ridge, the only place for future expansion of the site would be further towards the village. He also thought there would be a likelihood of people living towards the area suffering from light flicker at certain times.
He answered some questions and said that as soon as figures on position and height were confirmed by Scottish Power, marker balloons would be sited so that people could visualise the height of the turbines.

Flooding issues.
This item had been discussed earlier in the meeting. It was noted that the county council was preparing to come to Bishampton to investigate the pipework under the roads to ensure the local system was working properly before decisions were made about how exactly improvements could be made.

Your Parish Council.
The chairman invited parishioners to make suggestions about what they would like to see from their council.

Open Session.
Those present congratulated the council on their improved communication, thanks to the newsletter.
Topics raised included:-

• Road repairs – while it was agreed that the roads had been given more attention lately than ever before, it was noted that some repairs did not seem to be of good quality. Cllr Tucker was able to explain some of the road mending policies.
• Footpaths – It was noted that some gates on the footpaths along Jubilee Walk were in need of attention and it was agreed the clerk would raise the issue with the new footpath warden.
• Dog Fouling: It was noted that there was still a problem with dogs fouling the footpaths and farmland locally. People were urged to contact the dog warden if they knew the culprits. It was also acknowledged that many people took the proper care when walking their animals locally. The chairman said he would keep up with publicity about the problem.

Mr Eric Jones gave a vote of thanks to the chairman and the council for its work over the past year.
The chairman thanked the visitors for coming and the councillors for all their hard work over the past year on behalf of the community and the meeting closed at 9.05pm.

C Morris
Mrs C. Morris. Clerk ……………….………………………… (chairman)

…………………………………..(date)

Chairman’s Report for 2009 Annual Parish Meeting
Playing Field: This year we have seen the playing field finished. That had been going on a long time and it’s now done and I believe very well received. It seems to be very well used and we are very pleased with about it. It was paid for with the help of substantial grants which has meant the village only had to pay about half of its cost.
Flooding: We have put a lot of pressure on the district and county councils to get the problems in Broad Lane solved and we are still fighting. We thought they would be doing it imminently but they still won’t give us a date. We have put money by but still nothing’s happening.
Village Clean-up: We had about 20 people helping us and I would like to thank all those who did it. Unfortunately, this year we don’t get any grant for doing it.
War Memorial: It has been cleaned and some of the trees have been cut away and that has made it a bit better and there is more work to be done.
Airfield: This remains one of the areas of greatest concern. An application may go in for 2,500 houses which is against general policy and we feel it should be strongly opposed.
Transport: During the year we have tried to ask if the bus service can be improved and have asked if the buses which stop at Tilesford could be extended into Bishampton and this is being investigated by the county officers.
Wind Turbines: This is on the agenda for this evening – it’s a major issue locally and there are some very strong feelings about it. The parish council is involved in talks with other neighbouring parishes and keeping up to date with the situation.
Dog Fouling: We have some problems with people allowing their dogs to foul the pavements and footpaths and have publicised the issue but generally the pavements are quite clear lately.
First Responder Scheme: This had been a great success, which has saved lives. It has been very effective and a really first-class operation and I thank all those involved on behalf of the parish.
Amenities: I am pleased to say we have a pub and still have a shop. It is still a very difficult thing commercially to run a village shop and it remains a concern. I think losing the shop will devalue the village. We hope people will support it.
Newsletters: We have published newsletters throughout the year and I would like to thank the clerk for her work on this. I think they have been well received.
Parish Council Chairman, Cllr Don Cheetham.

FINANCE
The council's accounts have been complicated with the junior play area project over the past two years.
The council started the year with (rounded) £43,800 in the bank.
Of this sum, £5,000 was the money earmarked by the PC to go towards drainage work in Broad Lane, £2,000 had been given by Wychavon DC as a grant for parish flood alleviation measures and £5,000 was the grant set aside in the previous year for the junior play area scheme - it was also planned to use up to £5,000 of the reserves to pay the play area balance. (This meant a real reserve of £26,800)
The council set a precept of £18,720 and, including that, its income for the year totalled £38,800 (£13,000 of which was grant money given to the PC towards purchase of the play equipment)
Payments totalled £45,600 (which included the £24,500 cheque to pay for the play equipment).
The council finished the year with c£37,000 in the bank.
Of this fund:-
£5,000 remains of the drainage money
£500 remains of the flood grant
The council also aims to keep in its reserves sums towards replacement of the play areas which have an approximate ten year lifespan. This fund contains £8,000 so far.
This leaves a £23,500 unallocated reserve, which councillors aimed to maintain at this time due to the possibility of planning battles ahead - ie the new town threat.

For the coming year, without a major project, the council has reduced the precept to £17,500.
It predicts an income of around £19,000 and spending of £17,000, which they hoped would allow for a little growth but in fact, with the national financial crisis, £500 of the council's income has been lost already from the withdrawal of the litter pick grant, virtually no interest is being earned from the reserve sum and costs are increasing for the parish.

The council's accounts are going through the internal and external audit process at present and anyone is welcome to view a copy if they ask the clerk.
Parish Clerk Mrs C Morris

REPORTS
Annual Parish Meeting – Reports from Village Organisations

Bishampton Tiddlers Report for Parish Council Annual Meeting
Setting - The Villages' Hall is the ideal setting for Tiddlers.  Newcomers comment on hall size and facilities, the children love the space and freedom to choose play activities and to mix with others.  And of course, the outdoor play area is still a big hit one year on. 
Attendance - After a quiet summer last year and much advertising and 'passing the word' Tiddlers' attendance is much improved, especially on Fridays.  There is a group of keen mums and babes from the village which is really pleasing to see, and more toddlers are attending from the Flyford First School catchment area as well as other neighbouring villages.
Involvement - The Children's Centre, Pershore periodically visits, advertising services and support to Tiddler goers. In addition, there are staff-led craft sessions with the children.  Staff recently held a block of baby massage sessions at Tiddlers, which the mums were impressed with.  (I think the babies might have had feeds on their minds though!)  We are currently trying to organise a First Aid course with the Centre, of which a lot of parents have shown interest.
Fundraising - We have held a sponsored event, run a Christmas Fayre stall and booked a family photographer, in an effort to raise funds after a drop in attendance and donating to the play area.  Subs and most money raised goes towards running costs, art resources, Christmas parties and presents, Easter eggs etc.  Last year we bought a gazebo, to be used in the rear play area to provide shade for babies in all the heatwaves we have!  We will discuss further spending at the next meeting.  We have also received kind donations of good 2nd hand toys which are great.  Our toys get quite a testing from all their use.
Meeting - We are holding our AGM in May where we will discuss positions.  I am standing down as chairperson and the treasurer is also soon to 'retire' too.  Hopefully we will find some willing mums to keep Tiddlers thriving.   
Mrs Hilary Gregson, chair.

St James Bishampton Parochial Church Council
WHO SAID BEING A CHRISTIAN WAS EASY?
The first half of 2008 again saw us without a Rector, so once again a group of lay people took up the challenge to maintain the running of the church and conduct the services, [with the assistance of retired clergy living in the area], a good bonding exercise. The selection of a Rector was different this time, it fell to 10 Downing Street to select their considered ‘best match’ for our circumstances. They would send us three possibilities, one at a time, if we rejected all three then they would impose a fourth. Fortunately we liked the first applicant and he liked us, so in September the Reverend Clive Fairclough and his wife Jo joined us.
Certainly a good choice, Clive has brought enthusiasm, empathy with rural life and a breath of fresh air into the churches.
Priorities have changed, most meetings previously spent much of their time discussing the upkeep of the church then, if time permitted, mission. That is now reversed, that doesn’t mean we have neglected the buildings, far from it, if you visit St James now the church has had a major overhaul, gone is the rubbish, it feels more welcoming, used not just on Sundays.
There has been considerable effort put into taking the ‘unknown’ out of church services, a booklet has been produced explaining what the services are all about and a copy has been delivered to every house in the parish, in an attempt to raise the profile of the church and make it more ‘user friendly’, we hope people might feel more able to ask for help and support if church was not such an unfamiliar concept, we are here for all people.
The major consideration we have put our minds to, and in a similar vein to the Parish Council is ‘what can we do for the people of Bishampton?’
Our first requirement is we care. The future of the village will be in the hands of our youth so what do we do for them? We are involved in two areas, the Best Friends with God Club [BFG] a “Sunday Schoo” on a Monday for first school aged children, and a new group for teenagers which meets in holidays and half terms, it started with four members and is now in double figures, doing all those ’barmy’ activities youth enjoy and good luck to the Rector, who joins in, and has signed up to take them to Snowdonia for a hill walking weekend in July. So what else can we do, three active members of our church run 1st Bishampton Brownies, running activities for twenty young girls on an extremely tight budget. We then looked at the adults, and a Supper Club that meets once a month for the thirty something’s is now up and running, which supports the local pub, there are more plans in the pipeline too.
Nobody said being a Christian was easy but boy it’s fun and rewarding.
Geoff Harding, Chair of St James Parochial Church Council

Brownies
Brownies have experienced a new surge of girls wishing to join. This follows a fairly long period of decline, which has seen our finances seriously stretched, particularly with the increase in rental at the Villages' Hall, which is our main outlay. We hope to be able to keep  our subscription for the Brownies to £15 a term, a fact I'm sure their  families will appreciate in times of financial uncertainty for many.  This however, is dependent on retaining numbers at their present level. Over the last year Brownies have enjoyed studying nature (butterflies in particular) and have even made special nesting boxes for  butterflies, with the help of some very enthusiastic father. These have been placed in the conservation area in the village.
They have also enjoyed looking at other countries and seeing how our  way of life differs from that of others. We are currently comparing  the life of a girl in our parish with that of a girl from Liberia and  tonight we have made water filters to illustrate how lucky we are to  have clean running water.
Lynne Cameron - Girl Guiding Leader

Silver Circle
Once again another year has gone by so quickly.
The Silver Circle still meets at Throckmorton Village Hall. During winter months we meet one Tuesday each month. We had a session whereby we enjoyed exercises, mainly seated. Before Easter, we enjoyed making cards and hope to again later in the year – also a talk on America.
As usual, we enjoy our outings and hore the minibus. We visited Newent Garden Centre and also Bevere ceramics gallery. The end of the year, we look forward to Christmas lunch at our Throckmorton venue and to the outings planned for this coming year.
Shiela Marchant, Throckmorton.

Bishampton Nature Reserve
Management has continued over the last year, most work being done between October and March when nature is less active.
Dutch elm disease continues to kill many young trees. We hope that one day a disease resistant tree will emerge. The bulk of the management is felling these trees and burning the brushwood. Many can be sawn by hand but there is the occasional one that needs the use of a chainsaw. We would like to thank Jonathan and Stephen Miller for giving several days of their time to felling many of these trees. Thanks also to Angela Miller for helping to clear the brushwood and to Peter and Mary Averis for help during the year with bird boxes, etc.
There has been a good show of primroses this year and this is due to the hard work of Richard Morton-Jackson.
The pond has been full to the brim over the winter and spring. There was flooding again at the western end of the reserve. During heavy flooding it may be advisable to close the reserve on safety grounds; this has been agreed by the Council. I believe the Council will arrange for the ditches to be cleared at some time as this is crucial for draining the area. Drainage does depend on the ditch running out of the village being kept clear and sufficiently deep to carry water away.
Every year we appeal for younger people to take over the management and work in the reserve, but with no success. It looks like we are going to have to die on the job!
Mr Bob Averis, May, 2009.

Stoneland and Villages Hall Charity
Since the last Annual Parish Meeting, the charity has made a grant to the Villages Hall Committee of £300, which we understand helped towards the cost of providing the handrail to the village hall main entrance.
The charity draws its income from investment interest, which, due to the present precarious financial state has drastically reduced, and until this improves, future grants will be somewhat reduced.
After serving as a trustee since 1996, Mrs Showell has resigned and we are most grateful for her contribution to the work of the charity over this period.
A replacement for Mrs Showell has been contacted and will be appointed at our next meeting in September 2009. Present trustees are as follows: Peter Averis (secretary), Larry Miles (treasurer), John Wase (Chairman), Jenny Dickinson.