Village Voice - 23rd June 2005
CHURCH SERVICES
This Sunday at Preston Capes church: Holy Communion at 8.00am.
VILLAGE FETE
Our fete takes place this Sunday (26th) from 2.00-4.30pm in the church square and gardens of City Cottage. Please rush your last-minute donations to stallholders as follows: cakes to Judy Craig or Jean Nightingale, books to Steve Major, tombola prizes to Chris Farmer or Claire Hughes, bric-a-brac to Pauline Davies, soft toys to Sheila West, and plants/home produce to me. It’s still not too late to offer your help with the games – contact Matthew Sparkes on 01327-361480. Stallholders also like to have the chance to look around and spend their money, so if you would be willing to stand in for a short time on any stall or game, please contact Jane Arblaster or Rose Dunn (or the individual stallholder).
Setting up in the church square and gardens will start at 9.30am on Monday – many hands make light work, so if you can help please come along!
The fete committee looks forward to seeing you all on the day – please bring along friends and relatives, and make our fete an enjoyable and successful event.
ANNUAL VILLAGE MEETING
Following on from last week’s column, here is the second half of my report on the above.
Neighbourhood Watch - NW co-ordinator, Claire Hoare, advised that Mike Nightingale was standing down as the Preston Capes contact. She thanked him for all his hard work, and asked if anyone (particularly with internet access) would be willing to take over. There had been one NW success over the past year – as a result of a vehicle being spotted in the parish, the occupants had been apprehended (although there had been no charge). She asked that parishioners continue to telephone her concerning anything suspicious, as she has a special police contact number.
Highways Representative’s Report - Mike Eves confirmed that he had achieved some modest success – most of the roads in and around the parish have now at least had their potholes repaired. The improvement to the Charwelton road have now been completed as far as the water tower, although he was unable to confirm when work on further lengths of the road will be carried out. The Clarence helpline has now been discontinued, to be replaced with the “Street Doctor” - parishioners should continue to report road problems. The new system will supply a reference number which can then be used to check on the progress of necessary repairs.
There were a number of questions raised at the end of this report. Firstly, the continuing problem of mud on the Newnham road, and the chairman confirmed that the parish council are currently attempting to ascertain who is responsible for enforcement, although part of the problem is caused by ineffective drainage on the road. Secondly, it was queried as to whether NCC supervises the work done by Atkins, as previous work has been done to a very poor standard. It was confirmed that the last three pot-holing repair sessions had used the drying machine before filling, hopefully improving the durability of the repairs. Thirdly, there was concern regarding the overhanging trees on the verge between the Fawsley crossroads and Bullshill Farm, but it was pointed out that these are outside the parish.
The chairman thanked Mike for his work on highways throughout the year, and also for representing the parish council at the recent Topps court hearing.
Village Hall - Paddy Little advised that the village hall committee’s AGM would be held next Tuesday (31st May) and that all parishioners were welcome to attend. There had been four events last year, although these had not been quite so profitable as previous years. In view of the fact that the committee are planning major expenditure on toilet and kitchen improvements, he encouraged all parishioners to support events as much as possible.
Preston Capes Educational Charity - This charity was set up many years ago when the original schoolhouse was sold. The trustees are the rector, the two churchwards and two co-opted members. The charity has a yearly income of approximately £2,000 which is used for educational grants (of varying amounts) to any parishioners under 25 years of age. Letters giving full details will be distributed shortly, and any applications must be returned by 6 th July.
Footpaths - As the footpaths representative, Roger Elkin, was unable to attend the meeting, the chairman confirmed that all footpaths in the parish are currently in good order.
Tree Warden’s Report - Peter Bull confirmed that one tree had been replaced in Little Preston. He asked that if anyone had suggestions for places for further tree planting, then they should contact him. It was pointed out that the chestnut trees opposite West Farm in Little Preston are almost overhanging the road (and also very near the telephone wires). This will be looked into, with the possibility of getting preservation orders on these trees.
Broadband Internet Access - Whilst all of Preston Capes and most of Little Preston now has the facility for broadband internet access, it was pointed out that several homes in Little Preston cannot receive this at present because of the use of shared lines. Unfortunately, this cannot be resolved until the present lines need updating (when new separate lines will be installed).
VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEE
Following the AGM at the end of last month, the committee for the coming year is as follows: Jane Arblaster (Chair), Mike Eves (Treasurer), Steve Major (Secretary), David Brentnall, Pauline Davies, Marion Gee, Jo Gerrish, Jane Hancock, Anabel Lewis-Bowen, Paddy Little and Harry Quilter-Pinner. David and Margaret Williams are continuing to hold the village hall diary, and any booking for the hall (or for chairs, tables etc.) should continue to be made direct to them.